DNR: 2024 elk hunt application winners announced

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that eight Wisconsin residents won a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hunt elk during the 2024 elk season, which opens Saturday, Oct. 12.

Four winners will be able to hunt in the Black River Elk Zone for the first time since elk were reintroduced to the state.

The application period was open from April 10 to May 31, 2024, and the DNR randomly selected the winners from more than 25,000 applicants. The drawing is random, with all applicants having an equal chance of selection.

The DNR received applications from 17,761 hunters for the Clam Lake Elk Zone and the winning applicants are from Green Bay, Madison, Hortonville and Birchwood. The DNR received 7,750 applications from hunters for the Black River Elk Zone and the winning applicants are from Athens, Wisconsin Rapids, Tomah and the Waupun area.

All winners must participate in a Wisconsin elk hunter education course before obtaining an elk hunting license. The class covers Wisconsin elk history, hunting regulations, biology, behavior and hunting techniques.

The DNR approved an eight-bull harvest quota for the Clam Lake Elk Zone and a four-bull harvest for the inaugural season in the Black River Elk Zone and presented the harvest quotas to the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board in May. Per treaty rights, the Ojibwe tribes may declare up to four bulls of the eight-bull harvest quota within the Ceded Territory, which includes the Clam Lake Elk Zone.

The DNR thanks everyone who applied for this year’s elk licenses. Applications contribute directly to the future of the state’s elk population. For each $10 application fee, $7 goes directly toward elk management, habitat restoration and research.

For more information on the elk hunt, visit the DNR’s Elk Hunting webpage.