The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has reported that Missouri hunters harvested one bull elk during the archery elk hunting season, which ran from October 15 through October 23, and two bull elk during the firearms portion which ran from December 10 through December 18.

The three Missouri hunters were each selected for one of five elk permits issued in 2022 through a random drawing of 9,684 applicants.

Elk are a native species in Missouri but were wiped out in the state in the late 1800s due to unregulated hunting. Missouri’s first elk hunt in 2020 came after years of restoration efforts by MDC, numerous partners inluding the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and many supporters including local communities and area landowners.

To learn more about elk hunting in Missouri you can visit the MDC website at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/elk.