The 2026 Kentucky elk quota hunt application period is open. Instructions on how to apply for the 2026 Kentucky elk quota hunt are available and can be found at http://fw.ky.gov/Hunt/Pages/Elk-Hunting-Regs.aspx. The application period to apply for the 2026 Kentucky elk hunt opened August 1, 2025, and runs through April 30. Hunters successful in the draw have three weapon options: bull firearm, cow firearm, and either-sex archery. They must purchase their elk permit by June 15, or they will forfeit their permit. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) will be increasing license and permit fees by 5.7% in 2026 to meet rising costs in the department. They are also moving to a biennial price adjustment system linked to the Consumer Price Index in hopes of making future costs more predictable.
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Kentucky accepts online applications for the elk drawing. If you have questions about or need assistance with applying, call the Information Center at 800-858-1549. Hunters must first apply for the permit drawing. Kentucky allows applicants to apply for both bull and cow permits. In total, applicants can submit up to three quota applications: one each for a bull firearm, cow firearm, or either-sex archery/crossbow permit.
Kentucky does not accept party applications for elk in the initial drawing, and no more than ten percent of tags may be issued to non-residents.
Hunters successful in the draw must purchase their elk permit by June 15, or they will forfeit their permit. Permit holders will then have the option of applying in a second draw by June 30. In the second draw, each hunter can choose up to five unit preferences. The draw will be held in July for one of the six available units. They will look at all of the applicant’s choices before moving to the next applicant. If there are no openings in any of the applicant’s choices, they will be randomly issued a permit for an area that has one available. If an applicant decides to not apply for a zone, they will be randomly assigned to a remaining available area after the draw.
Hunters who are successful in drawing an elk quota permit for either sex will not be eligible to apply for another elk permit for three years.
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The application fees must be paid for using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or a debit card. Each drawing application you submit will cost $10 and is non-refundable. For example, if an applicant applied for both an either-sex archery and a firearm bull permit, it would cost them $20.
All hunters born on or after January 1, 1975, must carry a valid hunter education card. If hunting during the rifle or muzzleloader season, all hunters and persons accompanying them must wear solid, unbroken hunter orange that’s visible from all sides on the head, back, and chest. Children younger than twelve years old are exempt from hunter education certification but must be accompanied by an adult who meets the hunter education requirement.
The Kentucky elk zone is divided into seven different units, of which six are open to hunting. The primary function of each unit is to prevent localized overharvest of elk on public land. The KDFWR accomplishes this goal by limiting the number of hunters allowed on each unit.
Kentucky does not have a minimum age to apply.
Kentucky does not have a preference or bonus point system.
In 2025, there were a total of 500 elk tags available. A total of 44,921 applications were received, including 21,911 resident applications and 23,010 non-resident applications. Four hundred fifty of the tags went to Kentucky residents and fifty were to non-residents.
Hunters who are fifteen years of age or younger may apply for the youth-only drawing. In 2026, twenty-six youth-only, either-sex permits will be awarded.
Youth may also apply for the general drawing three times like any other applicant, giving them four chances overall. However, they are only eligible to draw one permit.
The following firearms are considered legal weapons for elk hunting in Kentucky: a .270 caliber or larger rifle, a .50 caliber or larger muzzleloader, a 20 gauge or larger shotgun, or a centerfire handgun with a case length of 1.285 inches or larger and firing bullets of .270 caliber or larger. Full metal jacket and tracer bullets are prohibited. For archers using a crossbow, longbow, recurve, or compound bow, there is no draw weight limit, but you must hunt with a fixed blade or mechanical broadhead that has a cutting edge at least 7/8” wide. Any legal elk hunting weapon may be used during rifle season dates.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources may award up to ten either-sex elk permits to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations each year. These permits are valid on any public or private property (with permission) in the elk management zone. All funds generated from the transfer of the permit must be used to benefit conservation in Kentucky.
Landowner-Cooperator permits are transferable, either-sex elk hunting permits given to landowners who allow public hunting on their property. The KDFWR issues one permit for every 5,000 acres enrolled. These permits may only be used on property the landowner has enrolled into the program. If you’re not lucky enough to draw a tag but still want to hunt elk in Kentucky, give us a call. We work with some of the best outfitters Kentucky has to offer, and a landowner tag may be a good option for you.
All elk hunters must report their harvest via the Telecheck Review system. Hunters must call 800-245-4263 or go online to fw.ky.gov and report harvest by midnight of the day of recovery. All elk hunters must also complete and submit a post-season elk hunting survey no later than the last day of February of the following year.
Kentucky’s elk restoration program ran from December 1997 through March 2002. During that time, they transplanted 1,550 free-ranging elk from across multiple western states, including New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, North Dakota, Kansas, and Utah (where the majority of the elk were captured). Release sites were located in Harlan, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Martin, Perry, and Pike counties. The Elk Restoration Zone covers sixteen counties in the southeast corner of the state, accounting for approximately 4.1 million acres.
The current elk population in Kentucky is estimated at over 10,000 animals, which is the highest elk population of any state east of the Mississippi River. The first elk hunt in Kentucky was conducted in 2001. Six bulls and six cows were harvested, with all hunters filling their permits. The same number of permits was issued in 2002 and 2003. Elk populations grew fast enough that by 2004, the number of permits was increased to forty. Beginning that year, legal deer hunters were allowed to harvest elk outside the Elk Restoration Zone in order to control populations in both agricultural and poor habitat areas. The number of elk permits has increased nearly every year, showing that Kentucky’s elk restoration program has been a great success.
Within the Elk Restoration Zone, hunters simply apply for one or all of the three permit categories: bull firearm, archery/crossbow either-sex, or cow firearm. There are 500 permits available through the drawing for the 2026 elk hunting season: 140 bull firearm permits, 164 cow firearm permits, 170 either-sex archery/crossbow permits, and 26 either-sex youth permits.
After the draw, successful applicants can apply in an additional drawing for their choice of six limited-entry elk hunting units. If their preferred units are taken when their application is drawn, the hunter will be assigned to one of the remaining units. Once a unit assignment is made, it is the hunter’s responsibility to find a place to hunt within their unit on open public land or on private land with landowner permission.
Sixteen counties make up the limited-entry units for Kentucky elk draw hunts: Bell, Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Perry, Pike, and Whitley. Limited-entry unit permit holders can only hunt within the specific unit they have drawn an access permit for. Terrain varies from unit to unit, with southern units along the Virginia border offering more rugged, higher elevation topography. Each unit will have accessible and huntable populations of elk. Most hunters seem to focus on reclaimed strip mines where visibility is better and terrain is fairly mild. Accessibility factors the hunt units varies slightly, but the KDFWR tries to distribute unit boundaries so that each one has reasonable access to hunting property.
The odds of drawing an elk tag in Kentucky are low, but applying is cheap and there’s no point system, so you have as good a chance as the next applicant. Most of the bull-only or either-sex elk season dates are near the rut, making for a fun experience, and Kentucky produces bulls topping the 350” mark every year. Give us a call if you are lucky enough to draw a coveted Kentucky elk tag, and we’ll put you in touch with the best elk outfitters in the state.
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| Elk Drawing Application (per drawing) | $10 |
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| Hunting License | $169.12 |
| Youth Hunting License (12-15 years old) | $10.57 |
| Elk Antlered/Either-Sex Permit | $581.35 |
| Elk Antlerless Permit | $422.80 |
| Elk Either-Sex Youth Permit | $211.40 |
Kentucky Elk Hunting Articles from Huntin' Fool Magazine
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