Kentucky elk hunting: the drawing, units and harvest
Kentucky has the largest elk herd east of the Mississippi River. Hunting is by quota permit in the 16-county Elk Management Zone, about 4.1 million acres split into six hunting units, and drawn hunters are assigned a unit in a second drawing in July (page 21). In 2025, 1 in 159 resident applicants drew a bull firearm permit, by KDFWR's drawing results, and hunters telechecked 187 elk in the 2025-26 season.
Data updated October 2026. Drawing: KDFWR's results, 2011 to 2025. Harvest: KDFWR Telecheck reports to 2025-26. Seasons: KDFWR's 2026-27 guide.
Kentucky hunt plans are coming
Hunt plans for Kentucky are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free. Join the Kentucky list.
When is Kentucky elk season?
| Quota hunt, 2026-27 | Dates |
|---|---|
| Bull firearms (quota) | September 26 to 30 and October 3 to 7, 2026 |
| Cow firearms (quota) | November 28 to December 2, 2026 and January 2 to 6, 2027 |
| Either-sex archery and crossbow (quota) | September 12 to 25 and December 5 to 11, 2026 |
| Youth-only quota (either sex) | All of the seasons above |
Legal elk firearms include a modern rifle of .270 caliber or larger and a muzzleloading rifle of .50 caliber or larger; archery and crossbow equipment may be used during the firearm hunts. The bag limit is one elk per hunter per season. Every elk is recorded on the harvest log and reported through Telecheck by midnight on the day it is taken (pages 20 to 21).
Source: 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, pages 20 to 21.
How hard is it to draw a Kentucky elk permit?
The 2026 drawing offered 500 permits: 140 bull firearm, 164 cow firearm, 170 either-sex archery and crossbow, and 26 either-sex youth permits. Applications for the 2027 hunts run August 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, at $10 each. Applicants may apply for up to three permit types but can be drawn for only one, and a hunter drawn for a quota elk permit may not apply again for three years. Drawn hunters must buy the permit by June 15. No more than 10 percent of permits go to nonresidents, and there are no points. KDFWR publishes each permit type's result as one drawn for every so many applicants:
| Year | Bull firearm, residents | Bull firearm, nonresidents | Cow firearm, residents | Cow firearm, nonresidents | Either-sex archery and crossbow, residents | Either-sex archery and crossbow, nonresidents | Either-sex youth, residents | Either-sex youth, nonresidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 in 159 | 1 in 1,487 | 1 in 89 | 1 in 747 | 1 in 78 | 1 in 952 | 1 in 44 | 1 in 221 |
| 2024 | 1 in 140 | 1 in 1,102 | 1 in 78 | 1 in 543 | 1 in 69 | 1 in 716 | 1 in 36 | 1 in 197 |
| 2023 | 1 in 134 | 1 in 1,031 | 1 in 54 | 1 in 365 | 1 in 70 | 1 in 707 | 1 in 37 | 1 in 272 |
| 2022 | 1 in 169 | 1 in 1,155 | 1 in 67 | 1 in 413 | 1 in 89 | 1 in 795 | 1 in 45 | 1 in 245 |
| 2021 | 1 in 175 | 1 in 1,034 | 1 in 70 | 1 in 373 | 1 in 88 | 1 in 715 | 1 in 54 | 1 in 266 |
| 2020 | 1 in 179 | 1 in 1,137 | 1 in 72 | 1 in 395 | 1 in 87 | 1 in 776 | 1 in 60 | 1 in 310 |
| 2019 | 1 in 147 | 1 in 1,006 | 1 in 59 | 1 in 331 | 1 in 72 | 1 in 682 | 1 in 44 | 1 in 238 |
Source: KDFWR elk drawing results, 2011 to 2025 and KDFWR elk hunting permits; application rules, 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, page 20. Before 2019 KDFWR drew bull and cow archery permits apart; those years are in its report. These are past results, not a forecast.
What are Kentucky's elk hunting units?
KDFWR's map divides the zone into units 1 to 7; unit 1 is closed to elk hunting.
| Unit | Acres | Main counties | Public hunting areas inside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 2 | 834,459 | Knox, Bell, Whitley and Clay | 14 |
| Unit 3 | 488,865 | Leslie, Harlan, Perry and Bell | 11 |
| Unit 4 | 787,997 | Breathitt, Clay, Perry and Magoffin | 9 |
| Unit 5 | 395,584 | Letcher, Knott, Perry and Harlan | 7 |
| Unit 6 | 676,062 | Johnson, Martin, Floyd and Pike | 8 |
| Unit 7 | 545,585 | Pike, Floyd, Letcher and Knott | 8 |
Acres measured by FilledTag on KDFWR elk hunting units.
How many elk are taken in Kentucky?
| Season | Elk telechecked | Bulls | Cows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 187 | 126 | 61 |
| 2024-25 | 207 | 128 | 79 |
| 2023-24 | 234 | 131 | 103 |
| 2022-23 | 226 | 142 | 84 |
| 2021-22 | 249 | 155 | 94 |
| 2020-21 | 269 | 184 | 85 |
| 2019-20 | 242 | 142 | 100 |
| 2018-19 | 368 | 196 | 172 |
| 2017-18 | 335 | 185 | 150 |
| 2016-17 | 526 | 242 | 284 |
By county in 2025-26: Bell County (41), Pike County (41), Leslie County (30), Knott County (24), Harlan County (12), Martin County (12), Perry County (11) and Breathitt County (9).
Outside the 16-county elk zone, a hunter who buys an annual hunting license and an Out-of-Zone Elk Permit may take an elk during legal deer seasons without being drawn (page 21).
Source: KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), elk.
Questions hunters ask
When is Kentucky elk season in 2026?
Bull firearms: September 26 to 30 and October 3 to 7, 2026. Cow firearms: November 28 to December 2, 2026 and January 2 to 6, 2027. Either-sex archery and crossbow: September 12 to 25 and December 5 to 11, 2026. Youth-only quota hunters may hunt all of these seasons (2026-27 guide, page 20).
How many elk permits does Kentucky give?
The 2026 drawing offered 500 permits: 140 bull firearm, 164 cow firearm, 170 either-sex archery and crossbow, and 26 either-sex youth permits.
How hard is it to draw a Kentucky elk tag?
KDFWR's 2025 results: bull firearm permits went to 1 in 159 resident and 1 in 1,487 nonresident applicants; cow firearm permits went to 1 in 89 resident and 1 in 747 nonresident applicants; either-sex archery and crossbow permits went to 1 in 78 resident and 1 in 952 nonresident applicants; either-sex youth permits went to 1 in 44 resident and 1 in 221 nonresident applicants. These are past results, not a forecast.
How many elk are killed in Kentucky each year?
Hunters telechecked 187 elk in 2025-26: 126 bulls and 61 cows, by KDFWR's Harvest Data reports.
Get a Kentucky hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Kentucky are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Kentucky included.
Sources: KDFWR elk drawing results, 2011 to 2025; KDFWR elk hunting permits; KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), elk; KDFWR elk hunting units; 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, pages 20 to 21. FilledTag is not part of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.
Kentucky hunting Elk unit 2 Elk unit 3 Elk unit 4 Elk unit 5 Elk unit 6 Elk unit 7