A St. Thomas resident is one of five hunters in Missouri who will be part of the first elk hunt offered in the state in recent history.
Michael Buschjost's name was drawn for an antlered-elk general permit. He and the other four hunters drawn were among 19,215 who applied to hunt antlered elk in Missouri in October.
Buschjost and the other four hunters can purchase their elk-hunting permit for $50. Then they will each be able to harvest one bull elk that has at least one antler being a minimum of 6 inches long. The five hunters may hunt using archery methods Oct. 17-25 and firearms methods Dec. 12-20. Each permit is valid for the archery and firearms portions of the elk-hunting season.
Buschjost, 39, told Missouri Department of Conservation officials his passion is bowhunting and he has hunted elk in Montana, Colorado and Wyoming, killing two bulls and a cow elk from those efforts. Buschjost said he plans to take his three children with him to scout the area before the season opens.
The general permits may be used within Carter, Reynolds or Shannon counties.
Elk are a native species in Missouri but were hunted to extinction in the state through unregulated hunting during the late 1800s, according to MDC. This fall's hunt comes after years of restoration efforts of the native species by the Conservation Department, numerous partners including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and many supporters including local communities and area landowners.