LA FOLLETTE-It didn't take Parrottsville's Craig Gardner long to harvest his elk.

History was made on a frosty morning after the first elk hunt began in Tennessee in almost 150 years as three hunters recorded their respective places in the history book.

Charles "Chuck" Flynn from the Rockford community in Blount County  has been confirmed as the first person to legally harvest an elk in Tennessee since documentation from Obion County in 1865. Two other hunters, Craig Gardner of Parrottsville, and Ronald Woodard of Oak Ridge quickly followed suit Monday morning.

Flynn, a life-long sportsman, made his shot from about 100 yards on his second shot attempt shortly after 7:30 a.m. as the elk stood in an open field. He was accompanied by long-time friends Frank Whaley and Calvin Hines. Harold Knight and David Hale from Knight and Hale Game Calls shot video for their TV program. Eric Anderson served as guide.

"A lot of people I talked to thought there was no way the average man was going to get drawn for this," said Flynn. "There are a lot of people who have been involved with bringing these elk here that deserve to hunt them more than I do. But TWRA has made the commitment to the hunters of this state to work for the hunters. And for the average Joe like me to have this opportunity is a real tribute to TWRA and what they're doing for hunters in this state."

Flynn had spent the past several months making several scouting trips to his hunting zone of more than 8,000 acres. At the zone drawing held in July, Flynn was the first name to be drawn and made his selection, holding permit number 0001.

Woodard recorded his harvest from 236 yards and Gardner from 205 yards. All three elk were harvested in an approximate 30-minute span.

The trio was among the four hunters who were selected June 9 in a computer drawing from almost 13,000 entries. The fifth and final permit was presented to the high bidder in an auction to benefit the state's elk restoration program.

Ed Carter, Executive Director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, was on hand at the operation base early Monday morning to receive the news. "I wouldn't have missed this moment for anything. Our agency personnel and partners have put so much effort into making this possible. I'm so proud that we have a growing population of elk not only for viewing, but one that can provide this opportunity to our hunters." he said. "The electricity in the air at camp last night was similar to the excitement just prior to kickoff at Neyland Stadium."

TWRA partnered with other conservation organizations such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, The Tennessee Wildlife Federation, the Campbell Outdoor Recreation Association and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation to reintroduce elk to the state. This effort began with the first elk release held on December 19, 2000, that put 50 free ranging elk from Elk Island National Park, Alberta, Canada on the Royal Blue Wildlife Management area. Since then, additional animals have been supplied from Land Between The Lakes and Elk Island. The estimated population now stands at more than 300.

"When we began the elk program, we had two objectives, one was to have an elk herd to provide wildlife viewing opportunities and the second was to have a huntable population," said Greg Wathen, TWRA Wildlife Division Chief. "We have always intended to have these animals be hunted. It's been nine years since our first release and we didn't want to wait too long before we started hunting. We feel we have a substantial population and believe we will be able to hunt these animals from here on out."