Elk hunt drawing

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

I've got the whole week off if need be...but my guide swears up and down that after 7 years of guiding, he's not ever had someone not fill their cow elk tag on the first day he's had them out. So all things said, I'm hoping to have my butt planted in my office chair come Monday morning.

 

I left out a VERY important word in the first sentence there :ohbrother:

[woodsrider]

So what is the cost for a guided elk hunt if you don't mind me asking? And is there a difference for cow versus bull?

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

So what is the cost for a guided elk hunt if you don't mind me asking? And is there a difference for cow versus bull?

 

Well, with in response to your cow/bull question, I didn't see anyone who charged anything different for one versus the other, except for the fact that some of the guides will charge more to skin out a cape, which is obviously going to be more common practice amongst hunters with bull tags. (I'm not planning on mounting my cow if I get one.)

 

As to cost, I don't mind you asking whatsoever. There's a LOT of variance from top to bottom as far as cost is concerned, but it seems to rely mostly on what all is being provided. There are several major decisions you need to make in terms of what you are wanting out of your guide:

 

1) Private guided hunt, or a hunt with numerous hunters. There are apparently guides who will take out several people in the same hunting party, and shot priority is given to individuals in the order in which they booked their hunt. I went with private.

 

2) Lodging included, meals included. Some guides will make hotel arrangements for you, and I even saw a couple who have hunting camps where they'll put up their clients. I opted to go without either. I'm staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Hazard, and I'll have a couple bottles of PowerAid and a couple PB&J's in my hunting pack.

 

3) The amount of field assistance offered by the guide: field dressing, field removal, skinning, quartering, and/or butchering. You can find guides who offer any combination of these services. My hunt includes field dressing, skinning, quartering and field removal, but I'm only planning to have them assist on all of those thing as needed (on the field removal, in particular).

 

 

You can find some guides who will offer to just scout for you - in other words, they scout before you arrive, and then you pay them to tell you when and where to hunt. I didn't really even look into that option.

 

I saw guiding services that ranged from $500 up to $2300. The $500 hunt was a hunt with a hunting party of 3-5 hunters, and offered field removal only. The $2300 was a private hunt with all field assistance included, one night's accommodations at a private hunting camp, and 4 meals - two dinners, a breakfast, and a lunch in the field. I found my guide on a recommendation from a friend who had already gone with him for a successful elk hunt. Low Gap Outfitters. He charges $750, I meet him at his house the morning of the hunt at 4:00, and we leave in his truck from there. Once I've shot the elk, he will do everything required to have the elk in coolers in the back of my truck by the end of that day, and then I'm headed home.

[woodsrider]

Thanks for the run down. What you are doing sounds like the route I would go as well. Man I would love to do this with my bow.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Thanks for the run down. What you are doing sounds like the route I would go as well. Man I would love to do this with my bow.

 

Well the way they do the elk lottery now, you can buy one entry for each drawing: bull firearm, cow firearm, bull archery, and cow archery. The draw each as its own lottery in that order, and if you win, your name is removed from any subsequent lotteries that year. This past year each entry was $10. I only put into the two firearm lotteries, but putting in for archery would double your chances over me...

[woodsrider]

Well the way they do the elk lottery now, you can buy one entry for each drawing: bull firearm, cow firearm, bull archery, and cow archery. The draw each as its own lottery in that order, and if you win, your name is removed from any subsequent lotteries that year. This past year each entry was $10. I only put into the two firearm lotteries, but putting in for archery would double your chances over me...

I've said it before but the fact they allow non resident hunting while limiting the number of residents makes my blood boil. I'm not sure I will ever enter the draw as long as it is setup like that. Guess my wife is right, I'm getting more crotchety as I get older.

[spindoc]

I've said it before but the fact they allow non resident hunting while limiting the number of residents makes my blood boil. I'm not sure I will ever enter the draw as long as it is setup like that. Guess my wife is right, I'm getting more crotchety as I get older.

Same^

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

I've said it before but the fact they allow non resident hunting while limiting the number of residents makes my blood boil. I'm not sure I will ever enter the draw as long as it is setup like that. Guess my wife is right, I'm getting more crotchety as I get older.

 

Same^

 

I certainly can understand the sentiment. For what it's worth, when I went to the KDFWR's information session on elk hunting someone brought up the same point. The wildlife officer in charge of the event addressed that, pointing out that only 10% of the permits are allowed to go to out-of-state hunters (I think it it was 91 this year between bulls and cows). Those folks have to pay between $540 and $690 for their licenses and tags, whereas I had to pay $80. The $55,000 they make on the out-of-state elk hunters pays all of the administrative costs, including literature, mailings, the information sessions they offer, and the elk hunting meet-and-greet event they put on to hook up hunters and guides without having to dip into any of the state's tax dollars. That put a little bit of a more understandable twist on things.

 

Another tidbit he offered was that between the archery and firearm seasons for both bulls and cows combined, they annually have somewhere around 100 of the hunters who draw tags and then don't go through with buying a permit - assumedly opting not to hunt. He said you can almost count on it that those hunters are all Kentucky residents.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Anyway, I'm in my hotel room in Hazard right now, and I've got to get a little shut-eye for my early wake up call in the morning. I'm INCREDIBLY excited, so I have a sneaking suspicion that it's gonna take me a while to actually nod off.

[woodsrider]

I certainly can understand the sentiment. For what it's worth, when I went to the KDFWR's information session on elk hunting someone brought up the same point. The wildlife officer in charge of the event addressed that, pointing out that only 10% of the permits are allowed to go to out-of-state hunters (I think it it was 91 this year between bulls and cows). Those folks have to pay between $540 and $690 for their licenses and tags, whereas I had to pay $80. The $55,000 they make on the out-of-state elk hunters pays all of the administrative costs, including literature, mailings, the information sessions they offer, and the elk hunting meet-and-greet event they put on to hook up hunters and guides without having to dip into any of the state's tax dollars. That put a little bit of a more understandable twist on things.

 

Another tidbit he offered was that between the archery and firearm seasons for both bulls and cows combined, they annually have somewhere around 100 of the hunters who draw tags and then don't go through with buying a permit - assumedly opting not to hunt. He said you can almost count on it that those hunters are all Kentucky residents.

That's a shame so many get picked and don't take advantage. Too bad there isn't a way to put a time period you have to buy the tag or you lose it and they draw another name.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

That's a shame so many get picked and don't take advantage. Too bad there isn't a way to put a time period you have to buy the tag or you lose it and they draw another name.

 

I thought the same. It was back in like May or early June maybe when they publicized who drew tags, so you'd think in that subsequent 5-6 months they could establish a date for folks to voluntarily return their tag for a secondary drawing if they don't plan to use it.

[formerkywrestler]

Update?

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

I'm heading back out as we speak for day number two. Yesterday my outfitter had four hunters out with separate guides. Two hunters to elks...both hunters were handicapped youngsters. VERY cool.

 

We were stalking and watching two herds of approximately 20 elks each throughout the day, but I never has a position for a shot. Watching herds that big of animals that large silently walk, graze and run out in their natural habitat is indescribably awesome to witness in person - particularly while I have an elk tag in the pocket of my vest and a rifle in my hands.

[woodsrider]

I'm heading back out as we speak for day number two. Yesterday my outfitter had four hunters out with separate guides. Two hunters to elks...both hunters were handicapped youngsters. VERY cool.

 

We were stalking and watching two herds of approximately 20 elks each throughout the day, but I never has a position for a shot. Watching herds that big of animals that large silently walk, graze and run out in their natural habitat is indescribably awesome to witness in person - particularly while I have an elk tag in the pocket of my vest and a rifle in my hands.

Just got chills. Hope day two is just as awesome.

 

Also congrats to the two young hunters that filled their tags. That is definitely what it's about.

[dd734]

I'm heading back out as we speak for day number two. Yesterday my outfitter had four hunters out with separate guides. Two hunters to elks...both hunters were handicapped youngsters. VERY cool.

 

We were stalking and watching two herds of approximately 20 elks each throughout the day, but I never has a position for a shot. Watching herds that big of animals that large silently walk, graze and run out in their natural habitat is indescribably awesome to witness in person - particularly while I have an elk tag in the pocket of my vest and a rifle in my hands.

That is too awesome........

You have a fan base pulling for you here........