elk populatios

[ann brezinski]

I daw that yellow stone is looseing a lot of game because of the wolves.the other states are also having same problem..what are you as hunters out there seeing?
gary b

 

[Mram10us]

Depends on who's numbers you believe. Lots of write-ups by biologists (majority are non hunters) v ranchers and hunting clubs.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I daw that yellow stone is looseing a lot of game because of the wolves.the other states are also having same problem..what are you as hunters out there seeing?
gary b

Numbers WAY down in idaho.

 

[Hespco]

Have been hunting SW Colorado for many years. Numbers here definitely down. Areas where I have always seen elk are not even showing sign like droppings or tracks. Barren. Now there is a group wanting to put a initiative on next Nov. ballot to reintroduce the wolf to Colorado. Their ignorance is profound. Would they want wolfs in their neighborhood? Of course not but OK to put them in someone else's back yard.

 

[billcaldwell]

I think the elk are getting wolf smart(er). Now they stay pretty close to rough, steep, nasty terrain where the wolves can't travel well. We hunt in Idaho, and before the Canadian wolf introduction in 1995, we hunted in Bear Valley. I would keep a running total of the number of elk I saw, and I would usually see 400 to 600 elk in the month long season. As soon as they released the wolves, the elk numbers plummeted. 1998 was our last year in Bear Valley, and that year I counted 32 elk..........no bulls, no calves, and the cows we did see were running with their mouths open. I believe the elk numbers are still only about 5 percent of the population during the good times. We still travel through Bear Valley on our way to fish for trout at Deadwood Reservoir in late October. We see occasional elk tracks in the snow, but there are always wolf tracks following them. My youngest son killed a black wolf there in 2009, the first year they could be legally hunted.

Now we hunt in rough, steep, nasty terrain, and our group of hunters usually get 2 or 3 bulls every year. That's among 6 or seven hunters. The elk have changed their habits because of the wolves. They used to have their escape routes pretty well figured, until the wolves entered the equation. Now their escape routes have a much larger selection of rough, steep, and nasty. A bunch of elk can blow through a huge area of dead-fall like the wind. But wolves get hung up. That's why the elk numbers in Bear Valley plummeted. The whole valley was pretty high, above 4500 feet, but it is mostly gentle rolling meadows with timber thickets scattered throughout.

For me, elk hunting is a passion that I enjoy every year. We just get over the counter tags and get after it. Knowing the country is probably the most important thing. Close friends and family put in a lot of work to make hunting season a very special time.My wife is holding out for a big bull, but I'll shoot any legal bull. luckily, both of our two sons have become excellent hunters and usually pass on younger bulls. I just had a new 338 Norma built, and I can't wait to hunt with it next fall. It's a 500 yard grouse gun, and a 1200 yard elk rifle.

I guess my point is, wolves suck, but we still kill as many elk as we always have. It's just harder, and takes more work. So get a tag, and get after it!

 

[Catahoula]

Numbers WAY down in idaho.

I live in Idaho and we have elk everywhere. I have never seen as many elk as I did this last fall.

 

[Mram10us]

I live in Idaho and we have elk everywhere. I have never seen as many elk as I did this last fall.

Born and raised here in Idaho and I can tell you I've seen WAY more deer and elk in the past. Numbers are definitely down.

 

[ClearCreek]

Where I live in Wyoming there is no shortage of elk, in fact we can't get enough killed and they cause issues with landowners.

ClearCreek

 

[Plinker147]

In NM elk numbers are increasing in all areas except the MT Taylor herd, that's cuz it's high regulated and everything's a draw. Our wolf numbers aren't high enough to affect the Gila herd YET!!!

 

[dmj]

Here in Oregon the numbers are down dramatically. At least the areas that I run around in. Which is Eastern Oregon. Places that I use to see 25-100 elk a day I'm lucky to see that many in a season. Mostly talking about archery season. Like some I think it has a lot to do with the wolves. May be wrong but sure seems to me like the number of elk started to decline when the wolves started to show up.

 

[Mc Fraser]

I don't believe the statement that wolves are the reason why elk population is down. Like any other habitat, if the population of a species drops drastically usually it's something else. A healthy habitat is a stable habitat.
I would first look at the management program.

 

[Pulpwood]

Have been hunting SW Colorado for many years. Numbers here definitely down. Areas where I have always seen elk are not even showing sign like droppings or tracks. Barren. Now there is a group wanting to put a initiative on next Nov. ballot to reintroduce the wolf to Colorado. Their ignorance is profound. Would they want wolfs in their neighborhood? Of course not but OK to put them in someone else's back yard.

I actually thought Co was smarter than that if they stock wolves in Co they will reduce their CASH COW !

 

[Black Tail Hunter]

I don't believe the statement that wolves are the reason why elk population is down. Like any other habitat, if the population of a species drops drastically usually it's something else. A healthy habitat is a stable habitat.
I would first look at the management program.

The management problem in Oregon currently is with cougars. I don't think the wolf numbers in Oregon are high enough yet to have a drastic affect on the elk. Since they banned hound hunting for big cats in the 90's the cougars go pretty much unchecked, and the cat numbers are way higher than ODFW lets on. In areas where ODFW has done cat reduction programs the elk populations have rebounded.

Of course, it is just a matter of time before the wolf numbers are high enough to start impacting game but they are still getting established. They started by planting them in NE Oregon and I have heard they are now in the Coast Mountains where I live. So they are certainly on the move and growing their territory. I guess time will tell what actual impact they have but I'm sure they will take their toll on an already stressed population of game animals here in Oregon.

 

[Backcountry sports]

I think the elk are getting wolf smart(er). Now they stay pretty close to rough, steep, nasty terrain where the wolves can't travel well. We hunt in Idaho, and before the Canadian wolf introduction in 1995, we hunted in Bear Valley. I would keep a running total of the number of elk I saw, and I would usually see 400 to 600 elk in the month long season. As soon as they released the wolves, the elk numbers plummeted. 1998 was our last year in Bear Valley, and that year I counted 32 elk..........no bulls, no calves, and the cows we did see were running with their mouths open. I believe the elk numbers are still only about 5 percent of the population during the good times. We still travel through Bear Valley on our way to fish for trout at Deadwood Reservoir in late October. We see occasional elk tracks in the snow, but there are always wolf tracks following them. My youngest son killed a black wolf there in 2009, the first year they could be legally hunted.

Now we hunt in rough, steep, nasty terrain, and our group of hunters usually get 2 or 3 bulls every year. That's among 6 or seven hunters. The elk have changed their habits because of the wolves. They used to have their escape routes pretty well figured, until the wolves entered the equation. Now their escape routes have a much larger selection of rough, steep, and nasty. A bunch of elk can blow through a huge area of dead-fall like the wind. But wolves get hung up. That's why the elk numbers in Bear Valley plummeted. The whole valley was pretty high, above 4500 feet, but it is mostly gentle rolling meadows with timber thickets scattered throughout.

For me, elk hunting is a passion that I enjoy every year. We just get over the counter tags and get after it. Knowing the country is probably the most important thing. Close friends and family put in a lot of work to make hunting season a very special time.My wife is holding out for a big bull, but I'll shoot any legal bull. luckily, both of our two sons have become excellent hunters and usually pass on younger bulls. I just had a new 338 Norma built, and I can't wait to hunt with it next fall. It's a 500 yard grouse gun, and a 1200 yard elk rifle.

I guess my point is, wolves suck, but we still kill as many elk as we always have. It's just harder, and takes more work. So get a tag, and get after it!