Howdy folks,
So I grew up in Washington State, deer and elk hunting in Washington and Idaho. I'm also a life-long houndsman started running bear, bobcat and coon in the early 90s.
Watching the political disasters in Washington State, and seeing the deer and Elk herds plummet, it gave me a good perspective on improper game management.
My wife and I moved to Kentucky in 2021 excited for a new adventures in life. There were two big things I wanted to see and do. First was run bear with my dogs again. And second get involved with the elk in Kentucky. What I found here was not what I was expecting.
Now the elk zone in Kentucky is a big area, 4.4 million acres. 95% of that is privately owned. But the elk live on and thrive on these strip mines. You won't find very many elk at all in the big hardwood forests. They're just isn't any feed under that canopy. So in these open strip mines, there is a vast amount of feed for these animals. Deer, elk and Bear.
What I wasn't expecting, was this insane number of black bears in this area. The kdfw just came out with an estimate of 1,500 black bears in the state. Just in the elk Zone that would be one bear for every 3,000 acres. And they just touted that they think they have 13,000 elk now in the state.
With all the people I've met in Kentucky. All the hunters I've talked to, Facebook groups and everyone I've had any interaction with. Plus with all my personal observations spending hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours out in the Kentucky Appalachian mountains. These numbers could easily be reversed. As of right now Kentucky is looking at the lowest elk harvest since the conception of the elk program. At its peak it was giving out 940 elk tags, with an annual harvest of 600 to 650 elk per year. When the bears came in from virginia, West virginia, and Tennessee. They found this completely undisturbed resource. The calf elk survival rate before the bears showed up was at 90%. Right now it is hovering around 25 to 30%.
Last year out of 500 hunters, there was 187 elk harvested. That was the lowest harvest since 2006. As of right now after the rifle bull season, and the early archery either sex hunt the harvest is sitting at 87 elk. 78 bulls and 9 cows. Kentucky is looking at a harvest of around 125 elk this year.
Coincidentally in 2024 and 2025 hunters have harvested more bear than elk, with an extremely limited season. They only have a 3-day rifle season. The archery season is a joke as well. And a 5-day Hound kill season in Bear Zone 1&2 Where I would say 70% of the bears are. And a 9 day hound kill season in Bear Zone 2.
Where I run bear with my hounds it is extremely common to see four to six bears a day. The most we saw in 2 hours in an evening is 10. I am running my dogs on a 10,000 acre tract of strip mine area. With all of our trail cameras and personal observation 200 bears in that area would be an understatement.
It took me 3 years to see my first elk in Kentucky. This summer I finally saw my first small band of elk, a few cows and young bulls about a dozen. No calves. I have not seen a calf since I moved here. I know where there's about five or six different small groups of elk throughout the mountains that I have hunted in.
This is an incredible psyop coming from the fish and wildlife department in Kentucky. There are so many people with their hands in the pot pertaining to these elk tags that they have completely misrepresented the elk. They have all these programs with large mining properties, where they give out free elk tags so hunters can have access to these lands.
The Rocky mountain Elk foundation really needs to get involved in this situation. The bear population in the next 5 years is going to triple. Every sow has three to four cubs. We have thousands and thousands of trail camera pictures of bears. So does every other guy in these mountains trying to find even a deer still to hunt. The deer have moved out of the mountains. Staying close to the farms, and lowlands away from the bears the best they can.
Hopefully the right person reads this because no one in Kentucky that has any authority is going to do anything about this.
If you think of Kentucky it's like going back to the late '80s or early 90s. If you're used to living in the western or eastern hemisphere of the country. This is a wild place, and very lawless. I believe the corruption in the fishing game department is above and beyond.
Sorry for the long read but hopefully this reaches somebody's attention. Thank you
So I grew up in Washington State, deer and elk hunting in Washington and Idaho. I'm also a life-long houndsman started running bear, bobcat and coon in the early 90s.
Watching the political disasters in Washington State, and seeing the deer and Elk herds plummet, it gave me a good perspective on improper game management.
My wife and I moved to Kentucky in 2021 excited for a new adventures in life. There were two big things I wanted to see and do. First was run bear with my dogs again. And second get involved with the elk in Kentucky. What I found here was not what I was expecting.
Now the elk zone in Kentucky is a big area, 4.4 million acres. 95% of that is privately owned. But the elk live on and thrive on these strip mines. You won't find very many elk at all in the big hardwood forests. They're just isn't any feed under that canopy. So in these open strip mines, there is a vast amount of feed for these animals. Deer, elk and Bear.
What I wasn't expecting, was this insane number of black bears in this area. The kdfw just came out with an estimate of 1,500 black bears in the state. Just in the elk Zone that would be one bear for every 3,000 acres. And they just touted that they think they have 13,000 elk now in the state.
With all the people I've met in Kentucky. All the hunters I've talked to, Facebook groups and everyone I've had any interaction with. Plus with all my personal observations spending hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours out in the Kentucky Appalachian mountains. These numbers could easily be reversed. As of right now Kentucky is looking at the lowest elk harvest since the conception of the elk program. At its peak it was giving out 940 elk tags, with an annual harvest of 600 to 650 elk per year. When the bears came in from virginia, West virginia, and Tennessee. They found this completely undisturbed resource. The calf elk survival rate before the bears showed up was at 90%. Right now it is hovering around 25 to 30%.
Last year out of 500 hunters, there was 187 elk harvested. That was the lowest harvest since 2006. As of right now after the rifle bull season, and the early archery either sex hunt the harvest is sitting at 87 elk. 78 bulls and 9 cows. Kentucky is looking at a harvest of around 125 elk this year.
Coincidentally in 2024 and 2025 hunters have harvested more bear than elk, with an extremely limited season. They only have a 3-day rifle season. The archery season is a joke as well. And a 5-day Hound kill season in Bear Zone 1&2 Where I would say 70% of the bears are. And a 9 day hound kill season in Bear Zone 2.
Where I run bear with my hounds it is extremely common to see four to six bears a day. The most we saw in 2 hours in an evening is 10. I am running my dogs on a 10,000 acre tract of strip mine area. With all of our trail cameras and personal observation 200 bears in that area would be an understatement.
It took me 3 years to see my first elk in Kentucky. This summer I finally saw my first small band of elk, a few cows and young bulls about a dozen. No calves. I have not seen a calf since I moved here. I know where there's about five or six different small groups of elk throughout the mountains that I have hunted in.
This is an incredible psyop coming from the fish and wildlife department in Kentucky. There are so many people with their hands in the pot pertaining to these elk tags that they have completely misrepresented the elk. They have all these programs with large mining properties, where they give out free elk tags so hunters can have access to these lands.
The Rocky mountain Elk foundation really needs to get involved in this situation. The bear population in the next 5 years is going to triple. Every sow has three to four cubs. We have thousands and thousands of trail camera pictures of bears. So does every other guy in these mountains trying to find even a deer still to hunt. The deer have moved out of the mountains. Staying close to the farms, and lowlands away from the bears the best they can.
Hopefully the right person reads this because no one in Kentucky that has any authority is going to do anything about this.
If you think of Kentucky it's like going back to the late '80s or early 90s. If you're used to living in the western or eastern hemisphere of the country. This is a wild place, and very lawless. I believe the corruption in the fishing game department is above and beyond.
Sorry for the long read but hopefully this reaches somebody's attention. Thank you
