Big-game hunting close to home

The last time Jeff Patterson went elk hunting, he spent 25 hours behind the wheel driving to the Rocky Mountains.

He hopes to be able to go elk hunting this fall or winter a little closer to home - about 350 miles from Florence.

Patterson is among thousands of hunters throughout the country who have applied for a permit to go elk hunting in Kentucky.

"It's exciting to think I might be able to hunt elk only five or six hours from here," he said. "It would be really neat if I am able to kill one that close to home."

Since being released in 1997, elk have proliferated throughout the eastern Kentucky mountains.

Dave Baker, a spokesman for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said the agency will issue 1,000 elk permits this year. In 2008, only 400 were issued.

The cost to apply for an elk permit is $10. Those selected in the lottery-style drawing must then pay $365 for a permit for non-residents to go elk hunting in Kentucky.

Baker, editor of the agency's magazine, Kentucky Afield, said 250 of the permits issued for upcoming elk season will be to harvest bulls. The remainder will be for harvesting cows. The reason for increasing the number of permits is to stabilize the state's elk herd, which is the largest east of the Rocky Mountains. Elk hunting was first allowed in 2001.

Baker said Kentucky's elk population has grown quicker than expected. Baker said grassy areas left when strip mines are refilled created prime habitat for elk. The mild weather of the Bluegrass State allows the animals to grow more rapidly than Elk living in western states where deep snow often covered grazing areas during the winter.

"There is a tremendous amount of food available to the elk. They grow very rapidly and the bulls get really big," Baker said. "We've already had several Boone and Crockett-class bulls harvested here."

Gabe Jenkins, a wildlife biologist for the agency, said many hunters who harvest elk in Kentucky had never hunted anything larger than a white-tailed deer before being selected to receive an elk permit. He said most are amazed by the size of the elk.

"When somebody asks me how big the elk are, I tell them to imagine a horse," Jenkins said. "They are as big as horse."

Baker said firearms commonly used for deer hunting can be used for harvesting elk.

He said 30-06, .300 and .270 caliber rifles work well for elk hunting. He recommends practicing shooting at targets 300 yards away or further.

"Typically when you get a shot at an elk, it's going to be a pretty long one," he noted.

Baker said plenty of public land is available for elk hunting in Kentucky. He said Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources biologists can help non-resident hunters locate private land where they can go elk hunting.

He said the success rate for Kentucky elk hunters in 2008 was high. Ninety-six percent of those receiving a bull permit and 88 percent of hunters with a cow permit, had successful hunts.

Jenkins expects more than 30,000 hunters to apply for elk permits. In 2008, applications from as far away as Alaska were received.

Even with the high number of hunters expected to seek elk permits, Florence hunter David Murphy likes the odds. Baker said in 2008, about one out of every 90 hunters who applied for an elk permit received one.

Murphy has applied for a Kentucky elk permit. He likes the thought of being able to leave home on Friday afternoon, harvest an elk on Saturday morning and be back in the Shoals on Saturday night.

Tennessee also will have an elk hunting season this year.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will begin accepting applications Wednesday for the four elk permit it will distribute this year. It is the first Tennessee elk season in nearly 150 years.

Those selected for the Tennessee permit will hunt elk Oct. 19-23 at North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area north of Knoxville.

The cost to apply for a Tennessee elk permit is $10.

Daryl Ratajczak, big game program coordinator for the Tennessee wildlife agency, expects more than 20,000 hunters will apply for the elk permits.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@TimesDaily.com.

How to apply

To apply for a permit to go elk hunting in Kentucky go to fw.ky.gov/elklottery.asp on the Internet. You must have Social Security number and credit card to apply. The deadline to apply is April 31. For more details call (800) 858-1549

To apply for a permit to go elk hunting in Tennessee, visit any Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency license agent or visit tnelkhunt.org. Internet users must have a Social Security or diver's license number and a credit card to apply. Applications accepted April 1-May 31. For more details call (615) 781-6621.