Elk once roamed what is now modern day Tennessee in abundance but they disappeared in the mid-1800s as colonists pushed their way westward into America.
In 2000, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other partners worked together to bring them back by conducting a series of small releases. In 2009, the TWRA announced Tennessee’s first elk hunt in nearly 150 years. Today, there are an estimated 400 elk in the Volunteer State.
The application period is now open for the state’s ninth gun elk hunt to be held October 14-20, 2017. Seven hunters will take part. Additionally, 2017 will be the second year for an archery-only elk hunt with seven permits added. And for the sixth year, a Young Sportsman Elk Hunt will take place. Those applying must be ages 13-16 years old and a resident of Tennessee at the time of the hunt.
Entries must be submitted before midnight (CDT) July 26.
(Photo courtesy: Andy Rookard/Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)