Lost Creek Ridge - Elk

Lost Creek Ridge offers 116 acres of private elk hunting for drawn Kentucky quota permit holders in the Ned and Lost Creek area of Breathitt County. The property sits inside Kentucky's elk zone, home to the largest elk herd in the eastern United States, and gives a drawn hunter private ground in Elk Hunting Unit 4.
The land is steep Appalachian hardwood country with benches, ridgelines, and drainages that elk use for cover and travel. The September archery and bull seasons fall during the rut, when bulls are bugling and coming to calls, and the cow seasons in late fall and winter offer a quieter, colder hunt. Elk move through this part of Breathitt County, though how often they use any one property varies through the year.
Only one party of up to two hunters is on the property at a time, and private ground is a real advantage in a state where much of the public elk land sees heavy pressure. The acreage covers two tracts of 98 and 18 acres, each with a designated parking spot. ATVs are permitted on approved routes and may be used for retrieval.
This listing is for hunters who already hold a Kentucky quota elk permit. You will need a bull firearm, cow firearm, or either sex archery/crossbow permit, an assignment to Elk Hunting Unit 4, and a Kentucky hunting license. Hunts run five days, priced per hunter, with lodging and food in Hazard.

Kentucky's elk herd numbers more than 10,000 animals across the 16 county elk zone in the southeastern part of the state, and Breathitt County lies in the heart of that range.
Elk in these mountains use timbered slopes and benches for cover and move through drainages and along ridgelines between feeding areas. On Lost Creek Ridge, that hardwood cover and broken terrain give a drawn hunter room to call, set up, and hunt without competing with other grou

After your hunt, you will be sent an automated Harvest Report. To assist Infinite Outdoors in maintaining the quality of properties, and continue to put conservation at the forefront, we require that the harvest report be completely filled out and returned. Failure to fill out the harvest report within 2 weeks of the hunt taking place will result in a $25 fine. If you are unsuccessful in filling your tag, Infinite Outdoors still needs to have that information provided to them. This is how we will make changes to future year’s harvest quotas and continue to be the most well managed access and conservation platform in the country.

Elk permits in Kentucky are awarded through an annual random drawing with three permit types: bull firearm, cow firearm, and either sex archery/crossbow. Each application costs $10, and you can apply for more than one type, but you can only be drawn for one permit per year.
Drawn hunters choose their Elk Hunting Unit in a second drawing. To hunt this property, select Unit 4. You will also need a Kentucky hunting license, and hunter orange is required during firearm elk seasons. Hunters drawn for a quota elk permit must wait three years before applying again. Check the current application period at fw.ky.gov.

No draw required. You will need a Kentucky hunting license and a bear permit, both sold over the counter at fw.ky.gov or through a license vendor. Nonresidents are welcome.
The limit is one bear of either sex per hunter per license year. Baiting and feeding bears is illegal in Kentucky. Harvested bears must be telechecked. Hunter orange rules apply during firearm seasons.

Kentucky's elk draw is a true random lottery with no preference points, so every applicant has the same chance each year.
Published 2025 odds: bull firearm 1 in 159 for residents and 1 in 1,487 for nonresidents; cow firearm 1 in 89 and 1 in 747; either sex archery/crossbow 1 in 78 and 1 in 952. Up to 10% of permits go to nonresidents.

Your reservation fee is due at booking and is non-refundable. 50% of the outdoorsman fee is charged two weeks after Kentucky posts elk draw results, and the remaining 50% is charged one month before your hunt. If you are not drawn, contact Infinite Outdoors. Bookings made after the draw payment date has passed are processed on the first of the year.

If you cancel before your deposit is processed, Infinite Outdoors will handle your cancellation right away. Once your deposit has been processed, Infinite Outdoors will work to reschedule your hunt for a different season or year. Refunds are not guaranteed. The reservation fee is non-refundable.

If there is a lapse in availability, please do not be discouraged to reach out to IO. All calendars are set and managed by landowners, and unavailability is set by them. However, IO is willing to reach out on your behalf, to check on available dates. Other reasons for unavailable dates include biologist recommended hunter/harvest quotas that landowners implement, as well as state season dates not being released.

You are not legally allowed to access the property, for any adventure, prior to your selected access day. If you try to access the property at all before your selected date(s), without prior approval from IO, you will be subject to trespassing and punishments therein