Kentucky Elk hunting....Anybody???

There are two main types of elk...Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain. 1100 lbs IS BIG for Rocky Mountain elk but Rosevelt Elk can and will come in at up to 1200 lbs. Cows are more like 400 to 600 lbs.
1. Make sure you are prepared to penetrate an animal THAT size for an ethical kill. MUCH bigger then a whitetail. You will be fine with your bow or smoke pole but beware of quartering and "longer" shots.
2. Make SURE that you save the ivory whistler teeth...VERY cool trophy out of a cow or bull!
3. Elk are migratory nomads....Usually they have 20 square miles that they wander (I would guess that it helps a heard to NOT over graze a particular area?) any way where they are today and where they are next week will be differant. start scouting early and find a heard or two...follow them as often as possible so that you will know WHERE they will be on opening morning ( you can with stelth "put them to bed" the night before)...
4. Try and know thier exit trails...can be pretty predictable if not spooked and they almost ALWAYS follow the lead cow...watch her and try to take her, she will be one of the biggest cows there, but if not they should be lined up behind her single file untill the bulls bring up the rear.
5. Lastly elk, in steep country, CAN be run to ground...thier lung to weight ratio does NOT favor LONG, HARD runing(I never did it as I was a smoker when I was young enough to do it) but ive seen it done..You got to be IN SHAPE so you decide if you want to try THAT if all else fails...you'll need to be able to track as well cuz they will out run you easily for awhile BUT 10 to 40 animals THAT size do make a track when on the go.

Good luck and we'll be looking for pictures!

Drinking again, eh Watts? :grin:

 

[luieb45]

What's wrong with being a modern bowhunter?

 

[luieb45]

What's wrong with being a modern bowhunter?

 

[rabjr]

I think you'll find he was just glad to hear the guy would be trying with a primitive weapon and not a modern one, which he has every right to do but we here tend to appropriate more those who hunt with primitive weapons. :thumbsup:

 

[TNflintlock]

There are elk in Kentucky? :shocked2: :shocked2: :shocked2: :shocked2: :shocked2: :shocked2:

Kentucky and Tennessee both re-introduced elk several years ago. Kentucky has had a few elk hunts now and Tennessee is having its first this year with 5 Bull Elk permits being drawn by lottery. According to the NPS the last native elk killed in TN was in the 1850's.

The re-introduction in the two states were a joint effort between both states and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. There are two different areas where elk have been re-introduced:
1) Land Between the Lakes Park which is shared by both states has a small herd but hunting is not allowed
2) Eastern portion of the states - Daniel Boone National Forest in KY and in Royal Blue WMA and adjacent private lands in TN.

North Carolina also has re-introduced elk into part of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park but with limited success.

As usual someone forgot to tell the animals to state within park and WMA boundaries and so some KY elk have round up in TN and vis-versa.