The application period for Virginia’s third managed elk hunt runs through March 30, 2024.
Five antlered elk licenses are available for the October 12-18 hunt within the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources’ (DWR) Elk Management Zone of Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise Counties.
Applications require a nonrefundable fee of $15 for Virginia residents and $20 for out-of-state residents. Winners of the elk hunting lottery will then need to buy a special elk hunting license for $40 for in-state residents and $400 for out-of-state residents. The special elk hunting license is not transferable to another individual. Winners of the randomized computer drawing will be notified by May 30th. You can also check the status of your application by visiting your DWR GoOutdoorsVA page.
A single special elk hunting license will be reserved each year as a “conservation license” for a conservation organization to be raffled off. Proceeds from its raffle will be returned to wildlife related habitat or wildlife recreation projects within the Elk Management Zone. The conservation license constitutes a sixth special elk hunting license separate from the five available via the general random lottery. Hunters have both opportunities to enter the general random lottery and buy a raffle ticket for the conservation license.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation raffled off the DWR licenses each of the first two years, generating approximately $148,000 for conservation. RMEF also supplied financial and volunteer support to help DWR successfully restore elk to their historic range in 2012.
(Photo credit: Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources)