The elk archery-only hunt will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 6, with the seven participants who were announced at the August meeting of the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Selected to participate in the archery-only hunt were Johnny Lankford Delaney (Chattanooga), Edgar Michael Galaway (Brighton), William C. Harris (Smithville), Jimmy E. Hilliard (Maryville), Brandon T. Metcalf (Greeneville), Matthew Douglas Meyer (Knoxville), and Larry Wayne Rosenbaum (Dickson).
Similar to 2016, all hunt permits are valid on the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area and can also be used on private lands (with landowner permission) within the Elk Restoration Zone in Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Morgan and Scott counties.
In addition to the archery only hunt, there will be seven hunters participating in the Oct. 14-20 hunt where gun, muzzleloader, or archery equipment can be used. Selected to participate were James L. Blackwell (Chattanooga), Doug C. Gouger (Jasper), Kimberly Ann Mayfield (Etowah), Gary W. Ownby (Clinton), Floyd Eugene Roach (Knoxville), and Darvis Gary White (Greeneville).
The seventh permit was presented to a non-governmental organizational, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation. The permit was auctioned with a bid of $13,000 by Alabama resident Tim Fisk. Fund-raising proceeds from the auctioned tag are designated for the elk restoration program.
The youth tag permit winner is Reed A. Johnson (Manchester). This will be the sixth year for the tag which is designated for youth ages 13-16. The TFWC voted to allow a full week for the youth participant for the first time this year, rather than a two-day weekend hunt. It will be held Oct. 7-13.
Since the historic first managed hunt in 2009, 33 elk have been legally harvested. There were two elk successfully harvested during the 2016 Tennessee elk hunts at the North Cumberland WMA and surrounding private lands.