Lottery open for Virginia's first managed elk hunt

Bull elk approachingImage courtesy of ForestWander (CC BY-SA 3.0)

This fall, Virginia will give five hunters the chance to take home a trophy elk, a bull scoring up to 350+ inches and weighing up to 900 pounds, state wildlife authorities announced.

Currently, elk hunting is barred in the Buchanan, Wise, and Dickenson counties, an area referred to as the ELK Management Zone or EMZ. But this year, Virginia’s Department of Wildlife Resources is hosting its first managed hunt in that area.

Only five permits will be issued to hunt within the EMZ, and those permits will be granted via a lottery that began on February 1 and closes on March 30.

The application for Virginia residents to enter the lottery is $15, and for out-of-state applicants, the fee is $20. Only one application per person is allowed.

Winners will be selected by a randomized computer drawing and notified by May 30. Those who win the lottery will then be required to purchase an elk hunting license, which is $40 for in-state residents and $400 for out-of-state hunters. If the license isn’t purchased within 30 days, that permit will be awarded to an alternate hunter.

The hunting season will run from Saturday, October 8 to Friday, October 20. Only elk with antlers visible above the hairline (bulls) may be taken, and the bag limit is one.

Elk hunting outside the EMZ

Elk can be hunted in any other counties outside of the EMZ by hunters who possess a Virginia deer tag or who are license exempt.

In such cases, hunters must follow deer season regulations, including hunting dates and weapon restrictions, except that any elk (bull or cow) may be taken on any day of an open deer season. The bag limit on elk outside the EMZ is one per day.