Sitka Gear Turkey Tool Belt

1st Elk Hunt - Drew a KY tag

samking7185

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Oct 5, 2017
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I've never been elk hunting before, and I had been thinking my first elk tag would be an OTC out west somewhere. But some how I lucked out and drew an archery bull tag on my first application in Kentucky!

Is there anyone here who has been on this hunt before and can give me some insights on the LEA's and all that?

I'm definitely more of a DIY guy so I'm going to give it a shot by myself. I realize this is may be a once in a lifetime tag but I like the challenge.

Thanks in advance for any tips
 
That's awesome. I didn't draw. If I recall correctly, the public areas have harvest stats, etc on the Kentucky website.
 
From everything I understand, the hunting has gotten a lot harder. The herds don't act like cattle grazing mine reclamation sites anymore. They act like a prey species that seeks to avoid humans. The western strategies are good background into elk needs, etc., but spot and stalk is hard in the heavy timber of east Kentucky.

There's a lot of good information on the KDFWR page: https://fw.ky.gov/Hunt/Pages/Elk-Info.aspx. I'd try to digest all of it.

If you don't draw an LEA, reach out to Gabe Jenkins, KDFWR elk coordinator. I've heard others say he's helped them find private land.

Most importantly, start training now. You're going to need to get your body in peak shape.
 
From everything I understand, the hunting has gotten a lot harder. The herds don't act like cattle grazing mine reclamation sites anymore. They act like a prey species that seeks to avoid humans. The western strategies are good background into elk needs, etc., but spot and stalk is hard in the heavy timber of east Kentucky.

There's a lot of good information on the KDFWR page: https://fw.ky.gov/Hunt/Pages/Elk-Info.aspx. I'd try to digest all of it.

If you don't draw an LEA, reach out to Gabe Jenkins, KDFWR elk coordinator. I've heard others say he's helped them find private land.

Most importantly, start training now. You're going to need to get your body in peak shape.

Thanks for the info... Ya i've been pouring over the info KDFWR has on their website. I've done some hiking in that area and my main concern is how thick it is down there. Spot and stalk will definitely be a challenge. Most of the outside resources I've found are from the early days of elk hunting in KY so they all talk about it like it's shooting fish in a barrel haha.

And I plan on doing plenty of training and shooting to prepare. I drew the tag last week, already loaded down my pack and went on a training hike this weekend haha. I will not fail for lack of effort lol
 
I drew last year give me a call and I'll go over it with you after hunting ky I'd rather hunt out west 4074841400
 
Congrats you beat some terrible odds on that tag. Where are you driving from to hunt. I live just about an hour out of the elk zones. I'd love to get over there someday. Keep us posted on your scouting and the hunt. You won't find many guys that's drawn that tag here maybe one or two NR.
 
Elk hunting in Kentucky has certainly become more challenging... in some areas. Places with a higher presence of guides have definitely seen the most extreme changes, IMO. Try to pick an LEA with more public areas and fewer permits allocated. I'd recommend Middlesboro as my first choice, but P-burg is phenomenal (I would argue hardest LEA to get), and Tug Fork is good too, but access is sometimes frustrating on a particular tract (Bevin's Branch).

There are some really nice areas in the At-large area as well. PM me and we can discuss further.
 
Elk hunting in Kentucky has certainly become more challenging... in some areas. Places with a higher presence of guides have definitely seen the most extreme changes, IMO. Try to pick an LEA with more public areas and fewer permits allocated. I'd recommend Middlesboro as my first choice, but P-burg is phenomenal (I would argue hardest LEA to get), and Tug Fork is good too, but access is sometimes frustrating on a particular tract (Bevin's Branch).

There are some really nice areas in the At-large area as well. PM me and we can discuss further.

Take this advice to the bank. You don't want to get locked into just any LEA when you could have a better hunt in the at-large area or on one of the voucher properties.
 
Congrats you beat some terrible odds on that tag. Where are you driving from to hunt. I live just about an hour out of the elk zones. I'd love to get over there someday. Keep us posted on your scouting and the hunt. You won't find many guys that's drawn that tag here maybe one or two NR.

I live around Lexington so I'm not too far away. I haven't been able to find much info about elk hunting here, maybe I'll make a new post about my experiences as I go thru the process.
 
Elk hunting in Kentucky has certainly become more challenging... in some areas. Places with a higher presence of guides have definitely seen the most extreme changes, IMO. Try to pick an LEA with more public areas and fewer permits allocated. I'd recommend Middlesboro as my first choice, but P-burg is phenomenal (I would argue hardest LEA to get), and Tug Fork is good too, but access is sometimes frustrating on a particular tract (Bevin's Branch).

There are some really nice areas in the At-large area as well. PM me and we can discuss further.

Thanks! I'll reach out to you
 
Take this advice to the bank. You don't want to get locked into just any LEA when you could have a better hunt in the at-large area or on one of the voucher properties.

Ya this has been stressing me out... I've changed my LEA selection about 5 times already haha
 
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