The elk are out there.
But so far none of the Missouri hunters has been able to get close enough to take one with an arrow.
“This is not a canned hunt behind a fence,” notes Aaron Hildreth, an elk specialist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. “These are wild animals, and they can move where they want to go.”
Missouri’s first-ever official elk hunt began Saturday, with an archery season that ends Sunday. A rifle elk season is scheduled Dec. 12-20.
Hildreth said four of the five hunters lucky enough to draw MDC’s first elk permits have been in the field with their bows.