Kentucky elk hunting unit 7: counties, public land and elk harvest
Elk hunting unit 7 covers 545,585 acres of Kentucky's Elk Management Zone, mostly in Pike County, Floyd County and Letcher County, by KDFWR's unit map. 8 public hunting areas with 61,630 acres lie inside it. Hunters telechecked 41 elk in Pike County, 6 elk in Letcher County and 24 elk in Knott County in 2025-26.
Data updated October 2026. Unit boundary: KDFWR's elk hunting unit map. Harvest: KDFWR Telecheck reports to 2025-26.
Unit 7KDFWR public hunting areasNational forestLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 545,585 acres (measured on KDFWR's map) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Pike County, Floyd County, Letcher County, Knott County |
| Public hunting areas inside | 8, 61,630 acres |
| Towns | Pikeville, Jenkins, Elkhorn City, Wayland, Wheelwright and Fleming-Neon |
| Bull firearms, 2026 | September 26 to 30 and October 3 to 7 |
How many elk are taken in the counties of unit 7?
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 7 | Elk, 2025-26 | Bulls | Cows | Elk, 2016-17 to 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County | 390,930 | 41 | 20 | 21 | 360 |
| Floyd County | 111,740 | 0 | 65 | ||
| Letcher County | 28,085 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 116 |
| Knott County | 14,485 | 24 | 19 | 5 | 481 |
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 7?
| Area | Acres in the unit | Elk telechecked on the area, 2016-17 to 2025-26 | Deer, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continental Hunting Access Area | 15,017 | 8 | 32 |
| Fishtrap Lake WMA | 13,140 | 0 | 44 |
| Elk Horn Coal Hunting Access Area | 12,575 | 23 | 58 |
| RH Group WMA | 9,218 | 15 | 20 |
| Pocahontas WMA | 7,818 | 10 | 38 |
| Legacy WMA | 2,056 | 11 | 18 |
| Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area | 1,691 | 12 | 5 |
| Jefferson National Forest | 115 | 2 | 12 |
7 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 7?
Unit 7 is one of the six hunting units in the 16-county Elk Management Zone. It takes in parts of Pike County (390,930 acres), Floyd County (111,740 acres), Letcher County (28,085 acres) and Knott County (14,485 acres), measured on KDFWR's unit map.
Is there public land in elk unit 7?
Yes: Continental Hunting Access Area (15,017 acres in the unit), Fishtrap Lake WMA (13,140 acres in the unit), Elk Horn Coal Hunting Access Area (12,575 acres in the unit), RH Group WMA (9,218 acres in the unit) and Pocahontas WMA (7,818 acres in the unit). Hunters need the landowner's permission on private land.
How do you get assigned to unit 7?
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.