Drawing completed for elk hunting areas

Those drawn for a 2014 Kentucky elk hunt can now go online to [URL="http://www.fw.ky.gov"]www.fw.ky.gov[/URL] to see their assigned hunting area.

Kentucky’s popular quota elk hunts are carried out in two stages: initial selection then a second random drawing to determine the hunting area.

Kentucky has five hunting areas within its 16-county elk restoration zone in the southeastern part of the state. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is sending letters to hunters this week to notify each person of their assigned hunting area.

Hunters may also go online to check this information. Applicants must provide their 19-digit confirmation number or their Social Security number and birth date to check the assignment.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is issuing 1,000 general quota hunt permits this year, along with 10 youth-only permits. The department received nearly 70,000 applications from as far away as Hawaii, Texas and Canada for the 2014 elk hunt.

Archery season for bull elk opens Sept. 20. Firearms seasons for bull elk are held in October while firearms seasons for cow elk are held in December. Hunters may go online to the department website for specific season dates.

Kentucky began its elk restoration program in 1997. Hunting began in 2001 with the issuance of 12 permits. Since that time, Kentucky’s elk herd has grown past 10,000, making it the largest east of the Rocky Mountains.