NC to hold elk hunts in 2027

Two elk hunts are authorized for 2027

North Carolina will issue a limited number of elk hunting permits during the 2027 hunting season, thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Josh Stein on July 7.

The first elk hunting season since the animals were reintroduced to western North Carolina 25 years ago will use a nontransferable permitting system, and the law calls for two permits to be issued during the first season.

Raffle and auction

The two permits will be issued through a raffle and an auction, with one permit going to a resident through a raffle conducted by the NCWRC. Residents will be able to purchase raffle tickets at $20 per ticket, and each resident can purchase a maximum of 30 tickets. Proceeds from this raffle will go to the NCWRC and the Wildlife Resources Fund. This money will be used for the management and conservation of North Carolina’s elk population.

The other permit will be put into the hands of a non-profit conservation organization, which will be chosen by the NCWRC. The organization will then auction off the permit to the highest bidder.

The conservation organization will be allowed to keep a maximum of 25 percent of the highest bid. The rest of the money will go to the Wildlife Resources Fund, and as mentioned above, will be used in management and conservation efforts of the state’s elk population.

A population of native Eastern elk once roamed North Carolina, but that subspecies was driven to extinction more than a century ago. In 2001 and 2002, NCWRC and the National Park Service released 52 elk of the Manitoban subspecies into the Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ■