The return of elk hunting in Virginia is expected to draw many people to the Commonwealth in 2022. And soon, hunters will have a shot at drawing for a chance to pursue Virginia bulls.
The Department of Wildlife Resources recently announced formal guidelines for participating in the state’s inaugural elk hunt lottery.
The agency hopes to lure applicants from near and far with the chance of a lifetime to hunt elk “scoring as high as 350+ inches” and weighing upwards of 900 pounds.
And the bulls are there. During the state’s most recent early muzzleloader season, resident deer hunter Richard Bryson legally tagged a 5 x 6, 700-pound bull elk outside of the state’s Elk Management Zone (EMZ). According to the state Department of Wildlife, while elk hunting has previously been prohibited in the EMZ, elk can legally be hunted in the rest of Virginia.