I bought six sets of tickets this year, for rifle bull, rifle cow, and archery bull/cow.

I have put in every year, as has LHeym.

So glad Kentucky even has a draw for elk. Are they Rocky Mountain elk?

^
The original herd were transplants of Rocky Mountain Elk.

I saw a video of a KY elk hunt not long ago. Due to the thickness of the vegetation, it is more like hunting buffalo in the jesse, than classic elk hunting.

BH63

I submitted our donations for my oldest son and myself. You never know unless your name is in the hat.

I made my donation. I actually got drew twice. Once, in college studying for the LSAT so I did not get to go for a bull.

Then in 2014 for a cow. I got to go on that one and took a fat cow. It was a high temp of 17 in the middle of the day who knows how cold at night. It was a cold year. We lived off beef jerky and dried fruit.

Coming over a steep ridge, it stepped down into a flat where the sides of a steep reclaim came together. My brother was over my shoulder and above me due to the rise.

I had stopped and was glassing some close thick cover, “Is that an elk?”

“Where?”

“To the right.” I turned my head like a hawk to the right, so I was looking directly in front of me. I forget what they put back when they reclaim, but it is a thick woody grass, particularly in winter. I could see the ears, nose, and and upper throat.

“That is an elk.” I brought my Swarovski scoped 375 Ruger African up with the deceleration. I still could not see anything but her face in that stuff.

I heard my brother mouth, “Shoot her.”

“I can’t!”

He replied too loudly, “Why not!”

She is 20 yards away, the scope is set for 200 hundred and all I can see is her nose.” I was careful to speak noticeably quieter to give him a hint. I saw here stop picking and bird dogging the little hill we were on. “Do not look at her.” I turned my face out of the scope, so I would not be looking at her.

I saw her out of my peripheral vision twitch. I came back on the scope hoping the turn would open an angle. She turned so sharp that nothing came wide. She just switched ends and was gone.

We took off running. I circling to get around to see the down the slope and up the other side. My brother straight after her. In retrospect we should have just eased on up. I saw her break for the other side of the slope down into the V of the two slopes. I came to my brother.

She came out of the V and stopped. I guess she thought she was safe down in the hollow. In the early fall, she would have been. I brought the reticle to her. She was maybe 60 yards away. I heard my brother instruct me, “Shoot.”

I placed the reticle on her neck and the sear slipped from under the trigger. The rifle came up out of recoil, but I saw her collapse at the bottom of the scope. I brought the rifle back down by running the bolt. The 270 grain interlock had finished the story.

I figure it was just after 12 p.m. when we first walked up on her. I started ham and egger breaking her down skinning down one side of the spine to quarter her. My brother nicked back to being up the truck. I checked my watch when I started. It read 1:OO p.m. on the nose. I looked again when we put the ribs in the bed of the truck 3:00 p.m. I think I did a pretty good job never have doing that before, but you could not use the hide after I got done butchering for a backskin.

We hunted what was then called the Straight Creek Limited Entry Area. We started in Bell County and nicked into Harlan on the day I shot her.

Now the bad ending. It was 11:OO p.m. I had got my gear put away, rifle clean, and into some easy clothes. My brother and biology mom who meet us at my home had left. I was half asleep on the couch with the fire place going with no noisy electronics on and a glass of 12 year Van Winle in my hand. The first call came in.

Down in Tennessee, just across the line, they had found a guy very drunk and delirious walking the road and was taking him to the hospital. They did not know where my second youngest brother was. We were hoping this young man was my brother. My brother was 18. We had, had words about his life choices and behavior. I had saw him the week before at a funeral. I refused to speak to him. I dismissed the call. He was out acting
stupid again.

No word came. I decided to call. I was told the person at the hospital was not my brother. His car had been found on fire. No one could say that my brother was not in the car. The Tennessee State Police and local sheriff’s office were looking. I knew. He was in the car. I got off the phone and called my brother who had made it back to town, and told him to comeback to my house. I thought best to tell him looking at him. We then headed for a childhood home.

He had left the road. His side of the car centered a tree. The engine compartment was punched in on top of him. The fire was undesrible and still in full force when my brother and I arrived at the site. My brother could not be positively identified for 14 days. The passenger side was not affected by the collision. This allowed the passager to get out before the fire fully engulfed the car. The passenger was 21. He left my brother, and was so drunk he could not communicate anything about where my brother was or what happened. He was found walking a mile up the road when a driver nearly ran him over.

Before my talk deteriorated, I had invited that brother with us on this hunt. He was suppose to be on his way back to disseal mechanic school. Instead he was partying across the line.

The FWhave changed all the post draw, area drawing. I have no idea where is still good or how to get there since these changes. My luck I will get drawn, and put in for an area that has not had elk on public land in 10 years out of ignorance. If that is not clear. You have draw a tag. Then put in for an area, and draw an area. The area draws are very much first come and first served.

The draw is on the front end of May 15. So, keep an eye out.

My name is in the hat for all tags...not been lucky enough to draw. But I usually get to watch the elk in my front yard Oct-March!

The thick stuff on the old strip mine is Autumn Olive trees! They grow thick for sure. But not all elk are on the strip jobs....

I’ll try to post a pic of a few.

Good luck to all who entered.