The 15 hunters who will participate in the 2019 Tennessee Elk Hunts were announced Friday, Aug. 16, during the meeting of the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission. One of the participants includes the winner of the Tennessee elk raffle permit.
A total of 8,201 persons registered for the opportunity to participate in this year’s hunts. Tennessee began its elk hunt in 2009 with the participants selected from a computer draw.
The elk tag raffle saw 56,405 tickets sold, an increase of 33,921 from last year’s inaugural raffle. The raffle grossed more than $677,000, almost doubling last year’s total.
Selected to participate in the archery-only hunt Sept. 28-Oct. 4 are Lennon Haggard (Lexington), Charles Lambert (Nolensville), Hunter Luna (Charlotte), Matthew Smith (Whitwell), Johnathon Sullivan (Hilham), Jacob Swafford (Knoxville), and Daniel Webb (Bells).
The gun, muzzleloader, or archery equipment hunt will be held Oct. 12-18. Participants will include John Barron (Lewisburg), Josepth Bumpus (Dickson), John Combs (Harrison), Jeffrey Miller (La Follette), Kevin Pebley (Rocky Top), and Tyson Weller (Henning).
The seventh permit was presented to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation. Dennis Freidline, of Frankfort, Ind., is the grand prizewinner of the TWRF raffle drawing, and will participate in the Oct. 12-18 hunt. Other raffle winners who will receive prize packages include are Conner Campbell (Centerville), Philip Jacobs (Dickson), Gregory James (Pleasant View), and DeWayne Raines (Knoxville).
The youth tag permit winner is Jacob R. Clark, of Dayton). This was the eighth year for the youth tag drawing, for youth ages 13-16. There were 341 applicants for the youth hunt, which will be held Oct. 5-11.
All hunt permits are valid on the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area and can also be used with landowner permission on private lands within the Elk Restoration Zone in Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Morgan, and Scott counties.
