Kentucky elk hunting unit 2: counties, public land and elk harvest
Elk hunting unit 2 covers 834,459 acres of Kentucky's Elk Management Zone, mostly in Knox County, Bell County and Whitley County, by KDFWR's unit map. 14 public hunting areas with 150,146 acres lie inside it. Hunters telechecked 41 elk in Bell County and 12 elk in Harlan County in 2025-26.
Data updated October 2026. Unit boundary: KDFWR's elk hunting unit map. Harvest: KDFWR Telecheck reports to 2025-26.
Unit 2KDFWR public hunting areasNational forestLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 834,459 acres (measured on KDFWR's map) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Knox County, Bell County, Whitley County, Clay County, Harlan County |
| Public hunting areas inside | 14, 150,146 acres |
| National forest inside | 210 acres |
| Towns | Corbin, Middlesborough, Williamsburg, Pineville, Barbourville and Loyall |
| Bull firearms, 2026 | September 26 to 30 and October 3 to 7 |
How many elk are taken in the counties of unit 2?
KDFWR reports elk by county, not by unit, so these are whole-county numbers. A county can lie in more than one unit.
| County | Acres in unit 2 | Elk, 2025-26 | Bulls | Cows | Elk, 2016-17 to 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 248,141 | 0 | 7 | ||
| Bell County | 219,821 | 41 | 28 | 13 | 315 |
| Whitley County | 137,758 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Clay County | 120,992 | 0 | 88 | ||
| Harlan County | 107,414 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 110 |
Source: KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), elk. Acres measured by FilledTag on KDFWR elk hunting units and the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries.
Which public hunting areas are in unit 2?
| Area | Acres in the unit | Elk telechecked on the area, 2016-17 to 2025-26 | Deer, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Boone National Forest | 45,086 | 59 | 1,270 |
| Cumberland Forest WMA | 42,764 | 41 | 56 |
| Pocahontas WMA | 21,964 | 10 | 38 |
| Kentucky Ridge State Forest | 11,792 | 6 | 24 |
| Asher Hunting Access Area | 8,021 | 30 | 32 |
| Elk Forest WMA | 4,266 | 91 | 16 |
| Kentucky Ridge Forest WMA | 3,504 | 5 | 40 |
| Boone Forestlands WMA | 3,322 | 128 | 72 |
| Shillalah Creek WMA | 2,534 | 0 | 3 |
| Cranks Creek WMA | 2,155 | 1 | 23 |
| Martins Fork WMA and State Natural Area | 1,599 | 0 | 2 |
| Fortner-Davis WMA | 1,358 | 0 | 12 |
| Stone Mountain WMA and State Natural Area | 1,017 | 0 | 3 |
| Martins Fork Lake WMA | 764 | 0 | 13 |
9 areas in the unit had elk telechecked on them in these seasons. Many public areas in the elk zone also carry KDFWR's restricted-access rules for elk hunters; each area's page lists its own rules.
Area harvest: KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), deer by public land.
How hard is it to draw a Kentucky elk permit?
Permits are drawn statewide, not by unit: drawn hunters are assigned a unit afterward. In 2025, KDFWR reports 1 in 159 resident applicants drew a bull firearm permit. The full results are on the Kentucky elk hunting page.
Questions hunters ask
Where is Kentucky elk unit 2?
Unit 2 is one of the six hunting units in the 16-county Elk Management Zone. It takes in parts of Knox County (248,141 acres), Bell County (219,821 acres), Whitley County (137,758 acres), Clay County (120,992 acres) and Harlan County (107,414 acres), measured on KDFWR's unit map.
Is there public land in elk unit 2?
Yes: Daniel Boone National Forest (45,086 acres in the unit), Cumberland Forest WMA (42,764 acres in the unit), Pocahontas WMA (21,964 acres in the unit), Kentucky Ridge State Forest (11,792 acres in the unit) and Asher Hunting Access Area (8,021 acres in the unit). Hunters need the landowner's permission on private land.
How do you get assigned to unit 2?
Hunters drawn for a quota elk permit apply for their preferred unit by June 30, and KDFWR assigns units in a separate drawing in July; those who do not apply are assigned one (2026-27 guide, pages 20 to 21).
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 hunting units; KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), elk; KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), deer by public land; 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, pages 20 to 21. FilledTag is not part of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.