Kentucky elk season 2026: dates and free maps

Season dates

Archery and crossbow, either sex (first period): Saturday, September 12 to Friday, September 25, 2026
Source: Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources
Firearms, bull: Saturday, September 26 to Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Week 1 Sept. 26-30, week 2 Oct. 3-7. Permits by drawing.
Source: Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources
Firearms, cow: Saturday, November 28, 2026 to Wednesday, January 6, 2027
Week 1 Nov. 28-Dec. 2, 2026, week 2 Jan. 2-6, 2027.
Source: Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources
Archery and crossbow, either sex (second period): Saturday, December 5 to Friday, December 11, 2026
Source: Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources

Checked on the agency's site November 6, 2026. Licenses, units, bag limits and shooting hours differ, and dates can vary by unit: the regulations are what count, so read them before you go.

Legal shooting hours for big game in Kentucky, generally: 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.

Elk hunting covers a lot of ground, far from roads and cell service. Download the maps for your unit ahead of time and Cartahaven shows your GPS position on them offline, so you know which side of a boundary you are on and how to get back to camp.

Kentucky elk hunting units and deer zones Open the map app

Free public land maps in Kentucky

Kentucky USGS topo maps (779)
Kentucky historical topo maps (137)
Kentucky Forest Service FSTopo maps (125)
Kentucky national park maps (4)
Kentucky national forest maps (2)

All free maps in Kentucky

Before you go

Cartahaven is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources. Season dates come from the agency pages linked above.