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Tag: Elk

Look Up! It’s Elk Survey Season in Michigan

With another successful season in the books for Michigan’s elk hunters, the state’s Department of Natural Resources is getting fired up for survey season. With hunter harvest data compiled, officials with Michigan’s wildlife management department are gassing up aerial vessels and are ready to once again assess the elk population. It Wasn’t Always Done This Way We’ve come a long way since the early 1900s in many ways including the way in which we account for big game animals such as elk. Tracing reintroduction efforts back to 1918, Michigan has worked diligently to not only ensure these animals survive, but thrive. Back then, biologists were dependent on track counts, personal encounters with elk and the information gathered from hunters and residents. As the process evolved, pellet counts were introduced throughout the 1960 to try and determine size and distribution of elk herds. The technique, still employed by many departments across America, was found to be useful but was not believed to be terribly reliable. Between the years of 1975 and 2001, Michigan’s DNR employed the use of both air surveys and snowmobile surveys to aid them in estimating density and populations. In 2006, the DNR went all-in on aerial surveys and to this day rely on fixed-wing aircraft paired and corrected using a sightability model. The Counting Season Aerial surveys of this nature are almost always reserved for the month of January as the conditions on the ground make for great animal spotting conditions. Yesterday, Michigan’s DNR once again took to the skies on the first aerial survey for elk of the 2018 season. Marking the 100-year anniversary of elk in the Wolverine State, biologists hovered around 800 feet and performed the first grid search of the season. Early reports indicated that the crew on board of this year’s inaugural flight spotted roughly 100 elk in its first grid search. Each and every year, DNR personnel cover about 1,000 square miles aboard aircraft during elk survey season. The Numbers In order to plan and allow for the state’s first elk hunting season, officials set a population benchmark of about 1,000 elk. Elk hunts are occurred on an annual basis in Michigan since 1984, albeit, with very variable seasons. Last year’s surveys produced 800 elk sightings and based on the model used by the DNR, led officials to peg the population at around the 1,100-animal mark. This year, officials are looking for more animals, hoping to increase that number of sightings to 900 animals. Total fly-time is estimated to be about nine and a half days and will give DNR researchers the data they need to determine the number of tags allotted for 2018 hunting seasons.

With another successful season in the books for Michigan’s elk hunters, the state’s Department of Natural Resources is getting fired up for survey season. With hunter harvest data compiled, officials with Michigan’s wildlife management department are gassing up aerial vessels and are ready to once again assess the elk population. It Wasn’t Always Done This […]

Healthy California Elk Herds Call for Updated Management Plan

california-spike-elk

Outgrowing original management plans drafted in the 1980s, California wildlife officials are heading back to the drawing board. According to officials with California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, the state’s elk populations have increased from 3,500 to 13,000 over the last four decades. These numbers show the need for a new plan that will continue […]

10-Years of Poaching Leads to Charges for Twin Brothers

warden-shawn-briggs-with-poached-antlers

While seemingly proving science’s theory that twins have near identical brainwave patterns, Montana officials have finally put the hurt on a pair of twin brothers after a lengthy investigation. Trophy-Caliber Charges Concentrating their efforts around a Fergus County ranch, investigators believe the two brothers spent the better part of ten years illegally killing trophy-caliber elk. […]

Soldier’s Elk Head Stolen from Truck While Packing Out Meat

soldier-with-his-bull-elk

It was his first successful elk hunt and one that was unfortunately tainted by the distasteful actions of another individual. After spending a number of days in Colorado’s backcountry, the man was able to have harvested an impressive 6×6 bull elk during the late afternoon hours of October 18. As he began to process the […]

Tennessee’s Record-Breaking Elk Season Draws to a Close

kimberly-mayfield-bull-tennessee

With September in the rear-view, many elk seasons across the country are coming to a close. As many begin to prepare for the whitetail rut activity so commonly associated with the month of November, officials in Tennessee have released the details of this year’s historic elk hunt. The first managed hunt in the Volunteer State […]

South Dakota Officials Propose Increase in Elk Tags to Battle CWD

south-dakota-elk

As the battle against the deadly chronic wasting disease (CWD) heats up in hotspots across America, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department is taking the proper precautions to protect their natural resources. Establishing a new antlerless elk hunting unit in the Custer State Park region, officials believe this will give them additional data […]

Oregon State Police Acquire Photographic Evidence of Poaching Suspects

heppner-poaching-suspects

(RELEASE) – The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying two individuals that were caught on camera on private property. The subjects were contacted and told they were on private property in Morrow County. After the photo was taken, at least 3 elk were illegally killed between […]

Montana Officials Seeking Information Regarding Two Poached Elk

poached-bull-hysham

As most of us eagerly set out into the woods during this cherished time of year, tag in hand, there are still, unfortunately, those that operate with brazen ignorance to both the laws and the management of wildlife. This month, officials with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks made two separate discoveries of illegally killed bull […]

Idaho Elk Mortality Study Takes Crime Scene Investigation Approach

elk-calf-killed-by-wolves

Looking to gain additional insight into both the causes and perpetrators of elk mortality in Idaho’s panhandle region, state biologists look very closely at the clues left at each site. For the past two years, biologists with the Idaho Fish and Game Panhandle Region have been monitoring the activity of elk through the use of […]

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