Kentucky Elk ES-ARCH — ES-ARCH

Either-sex archery/crossbow elk quota hunt

What you may take
Either-sex archery/crossbow elk quota hunt
Weapon
Archery
Archery gear only — no rifle season on this license.
Where
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Seasons (2026)
Sep 12–25, 2026 · Dec 5–11, 2026
Tags (2025)
170
nonresidents capped at 10%

Showing nonresident results. Switch to resident

Odds by point level — 2025 draw · 2026 draw pending — showing 2025 odds

Prior-draw probability for a first-choice nonresident applicant. tags. Source: Kentucky Elk Report 2025... · printed p.5 (Odds table); quota: prin....

Points Your chance Applicants Drawn
0 <1%

The agency's own published drawing odds for this pool. Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources publishes no per-level applicant counts for this hunt. How we compute these.

What it costs (2026 nonresident fees)

Cash to apply
$10
Out of pocket if unsuccessful
$10
Total if drawn
$720
Refunded if unsuccessful
$0

At the 2025 odds, expected cost per hunt-year ranges from $10,233.81 (enough points to draw) to $10,233.81 (lowest published odds).

Elk quota hunt application (per permit type; nonrefundable) · paid at application $10 source
Statewide hunting license (nonresident) — required to hunt, not to apply · paid if drawn $160 source
Quota either-sex archery/crossbow elk permit (nonresident) · paid if drawn $550 source

Next application window: opens Aug 1, closes Apr 30, 2027.

Point creep & years to draw

No points in this draw — every applicant has the same chance each year, so there is no cut to creep and nothing to build toward.

Seasons (2026)

Split 1: Sep 12–25, 2026 p. Elk Permit Seasons table
Split 2: Dec 5–11, 2026 p. Elk Permit Seasons table

Year by year

The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year.

Year Tags Applicants Applicants per tag Points needed Published odds Source
2026 170 Apply for the Kentucky Elk Hunt... · permit breakdown paragraph
2025 170 <1% Kentucky Elk Report 2025... · printed p.5 (Odds table); quota: prin...
2024 170 <1% Kentucky Elk Report 2024... · printed p.5 (Odds table); quota: prin...
2023 175 <1% Kentucky Elk Report 2023... · printed p.5 (Odds table); quota: prin...
2022 175 <1% Kentucky Elk Report 2022... · printed p.4 (Odds table); quota: prin...
2021 175 <1% Kentucky Elk Report 2021... · printed p.5 (Odds table); quota: prin...
Spot a data error on this page? Tell us.

Every report is checked against the agency source before we change anything.

How to read these numbers

Every percentage on this page is a prior-draw probability: the chance an applicant with that many points would have drawn in the draw year shown, computed from the agency's published results. It is not a forecast — quotas, applicant numbers, and point creep change every year. Every figure links to the agency document it came from. Where a state does not publish a number, we show a dash, never a zero. Hunts with fewer than five tags show counts instead of percentages. Fees show the fee year used. Read the methodology for the engine details.

Not an application service

This page is informational only. Draw rules, quotas, fees, and deadlines are set by the state agency and change by commission action — confirm everything on the agency's own site before you apply, and apply through the agency, not here. We disclaim all liability for reliance on this page.