FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 9, 2019) — The Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg will host its second annual reveal event to announce winners of the Kentucky elk hunt drawing beginning at noon (Eastern time) Saturday, May 18.
For those unable to attend, the Mountain Arts Center will carry the event live on its Facebook page. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources plans to share the feed on its Facebook page. WPRG TV also will air the event live on its website, WPRG.com, and post replays of the event.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife will post results in each applicant’s “My Profile” page at fw.ky.gov by 5 p.m. Monday, May 20.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife received a record 80,188 applications for its 2019 elk quota hunt. More than 39,000 people from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii applied for the opportunity to hunt elk in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. Seasons range from September through January.
“We’ve seen elk permit applications climb for six years in a row now,” said Gabe Jenkins, deer and elk program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “There is a lot of excitement about Kentucky elk hunting.”
Kentucky offers 594 elk permits through its quota drawing for the 2019 season. This total includes 175 archery/crossbow permits for a bull or cow; 150 firearm permits for bulls; 244 firearm permits for cows; and 25 youth permits. The number of nonresidents drawn may not exceed 10 percent; Kentucky resident will receive at least 90 percent of the quota hunt permits.
The Commonwealth Office of Technology conducts an independent drawing to determine the winners and the type of permit issued. The Lexington-based accounting firm of Blue & Co. will audit and deliver the results, certifying their validity.
Mountain Arts Center Director Joe Campbell said the reveal event will feature food, live music and vendor booths. The event will also include drawings for prizes, gear and tickets to shows at the center. Doors open at 11 a.m. (Eastern) May 18 for the elk reveal. Tickets are $5 a person.
Visit the Mountain Arts Center website at www.macarts.com or call (606) 889-9125 for more information.
Starting at noon, Prestonsburg Mayor Les Stapleton will begin reading the names of the hunters drawn for the bull firearms permit. After a break, Stapleton will reveal the winners of the cow elk firearms permit at 1 p.m., followed by the archery/crossbow winners and youth hunt winners at 2 p.m.
Kentucky began its elk restoration program in 1997. The state now supports the largest elk herd east of the Rocky Mountains.
“People know that Kentucky offers some of the best elk hunting around,” Jenkins said. “We have relatively easy terrain to hunt and navigate as compared to many western states. Our success rates are very good with hundreds of thousands of acres of good public hunting ground and there is a lot of excitement about Kentucky elk hunting.”