June 8, 2023 at 1:43 p.m.
Natural Resources Board hears update on elk herd in Wisconsin
Quota set at 8 bulls for 2023 season
Natural Resources Board hears update on elk herd in Wisconsin
History of elk in Wisconsin
Spiegel started his presentation with a history of elk in the state. While 50 of Wisconsin's 72 counties were originally home to elk, they were extirpated in the 1880s through unrestricted hunting. In 1913 and again in 1917, the state received elk from Yellowstone National Park. They were kept captive until 1932, when it became apparent they would be difficult to sustain due to economic reasons. Those elk, too, were lost by the 1950s, again, due to unregulated hunting.
In 1989, the DNR and the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point were given the opportunity to conduct an experiment to discern if elk could be successful on the landscape in Wisconsin. The State of Michigan, which had also started an elk program in the early 1900s with elk from Yellowstone, donated 25 elk to this research in Wisconsin. Seven bulls and 178 cow elk were released in the Clam Lake area. By 1999, the herd had doubled, according to Spiegel. At that time the DNR assumed management of the species within the state.
In 2000, the Clam Lake Elk Herd Management Plan was written. It designated the upper two-thirds of the current range as elk range. The goal was to build the population to 1,400 animals.
One year later the Black River Elk Management Plan was created. The goal for this herd was 390 elk at that time. With the finding of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the southern part of the state, however, estimates became halted, Spiegel explained. The year 2012 saw an update to both management plans. The Clam Lake plan included an expansion into what is currently considered elk range in that area.
More elk were brought into the state in 2015-16. This was the beginning of a five year agreement with the State of Kentucky and 73 elk were brought in to the Black River elk herd at that time. Ninety-one elk were released into the Clam Lake herd to supplement that population in 2017 and 2019.
Current estimates
Spiegel also provided current estimates to the board as well. The pre-calving estimate for the northern elk herd is 271. Post calving, he expected that number to rise to approximately 355, with the addition of an estimated 85 calves.
In the central herd, Spiegel said, there were 130 elk. This moved the post calving range to 155-160. Both herds are showing continued upward growth trend, he said.
Hunting seasons
The first elk hunt took place in the fall of 2018 through a lottery system, which is still in use today. In that first year, there was a rule stating that five percent of the 200 elk must be harvested in a bull-only hunt. That meant a quota of 10 animals that year. Half of the harvest, which would take place in the northern herd, would be allotted for tribal declaration, which also continues today and is stipulated by the tribes' treaty rights.
In 2019, the five- percent harvest rule was removed. Now, Spiegel said, science is used in the discussion and quota setting for the elk hunt season.
From 2018 to 2022, one of the available tags was raffled off by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which has been integral in elk management in Wisconsin. That accounted for 11,646 raffle tickets being sold in those five years. The Project Allocation Committee grant from the Foundation has accounted for $75,000 to $100,000 in elk projects within the state annually.
With partners such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, as well as the work of the state and others, Spiegel said the overall feeling is that the elk program is sustainable in Wisconsin.
From the DNR and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation standpoint, he said, they were playing the "hunting is conversation" card with seven of every 10 dollars in application sales being earmarked for elk management and research within the state. Through all of the years there have been over 140,000 applicants hoping to draw an elk tag. In recent years, he said, applications have ranged in the mid 20,000s.
In total, 39 elk have been harvested since the hunting season was established. Of those, 12 bulls were taken by state hunters and 18 by tribal members. In 2019, the first female harvested an elk, Spiegel said. In 2022 the first elk was taken using modern day archery equipment. In both 2020 and 2022, two females drew a tag and both harvested their first ever animal in those hunts.
The quota process
The quota setting process uses several facets of data collection as well as population modeling and quota projections. Aerial surveys have been important in the winter months, where large, dark elk show up well against the white backdrop of the snow, Spiegel said.
Elk managers also utilize the Snapshot Wisconsin Program in understanding where elk are and where they may be moving. Using this system of trail cameras in and near elk range, wildlife managers are able to pinpoint specific animals, Spiegel said, as most have distinctive features and antlers. Observations and field surveys have also been used to show population numbers, which helps to determine the quota for each year's hunt.
The 2023 quota
Using all of this information, Spiegel said, the quota for the 2023 elk hunt was set at 8 bulls. This means four state hunters and four tribal hunters will have a chance to bag an elk this fall. Spiegel also went over objectives for the elk herd with the board as well.
The first objective is to maintain a bull to cow ratio of 40:100 or better.
The hope is also to increase the bull population to ensure there would still be enough bulls for the number of cow elk in each herd so numbers of elk could continue to increase. Spiegel said this is the delicate balance between ensuring those numbers while providing some hunting opportunities.
Increasing the mature bull population is also one objective of the current management plans. This, he said, was important for both hunters and non-hunting recreation. Overall, the objective is to maintain at least 10% more population growth over a two-year period.
Board member concerns
Board member Sandra Dee Naas asked about elk and their potential impact to deer populations. Spiegel said this was not seen as a concern and there were no studies where adverse impacts on white-tailed deer were seen due to elk presence. Elk have a much wider range than deer and can move overnight. They are primarily grazers, and even when browsing, they browse at a different level than deer would. These two things, he said, leave available forage for deer. Elk do not continuously graze in the same place.
Spiegel said a damage abatement and claims program was in place in Ashland County as well as other counties within elk range. He said he works closely with farmers who have been impacted by elk and mentioned one specifically in Rusk County that had seen significant damage in recent years. There were 40 elk impacting that property and now there are only eight, with the other 32 being moved over the past few years.
Board chair Bill Smith asked about the Winter Severity Index and how that might affect some of the elk in the northern herd. Spiegel said this winter was one that created a discussion about the index in the elk advisory committee when looking at setting the quota. There is some uncertainty, he said, about how winter severity might affect elk. In the 2013-14 winter, there was a significant impact to calving, adult cow elk and yearlings.
The same impacts were not being seen this year, but one calf did die and a couple of female elk were seen to be in bad shape, all related to to the severity of this past winter.
The Office of Applied Science, he said, has been charged with assessing the correlation factor between elk mortality and the Winter Severity Index.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].
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