Elk Advisory Committee Recomendations

So basically to improve habitat, they need to log more, establish more aspen, and address weeds? Are those even viable options? Seems they've been trying to log more and run into lots of road blocks. The corp timberland in the areas I spent time seemed to get cut as soon as it was ready to and the checkerboard boundaries were typically very visually obvious because of that.

Hunter hours have been steadily decreasing out there if I understand it right.

I don't think it's that simple, but yes, cutting some conifers and restoring habitat resiliency is a part of it. The great burn created ecological conditions that allowed elk numbers to explode post fire, and the continues logging allowed those conditions to continue. Most of the writings and field notes pre-burn show that elk were not in abundance in those areas pre-market days.
There's a growing body of science that shows habitat conditions relative to forage quality have been going downhill in the panhandle of ID, which is pretty similar to R1. That habitat degradation means elk go into winter in less than optimal condition to survive predation pressures, meaning they are more likely to die by tooth or starvation. That's more than a simple condition of too many trees, but an issue of soil quality and reduced nutritional content within native food sources.

The elk symposium this weekend will have presentations from Idaho Game & Fish researcher Jon Horne & an overview of current research on the habitat issue from Craig Jourdonnais (former FWP bio & current MPG Ranch lead researcher). We'll also have Ken Hamlin who wrote the 2005 EMP to talk about the social aspects of long seasons and what that means for elk selecting unavailable habitats. I think it's going to be a good panel. If you can't make it, you can still watch through the livestream.
 
Thanks for the thoughtful and insightful responses @Ben Lamb

Hard to conceptualize habitat being that different than 20 years ago but I could see the following circumstances adding up:
-logging on USFS being heavy through the 80's, I can see how it would be early successional growth through the 90s and bringing a good elk population into the early 2000's.
-By early mid first decade of 2000's the forest is growing more mature with less good forage, hunter knowledge/efficiency/intensity may be increasing, and wolf/griz recovery is in full swing on top of healthy black bear and lion populations
- Now - forest habitat conditions have mostly just declined for the past 20 years, predator pressure has been consistent, hunters are more efficient than ever even if the success rates dont show with the elk #'s currently in the shitter. 2015, 2017, 2021 did have significant fires, not sure how helpful they were for elk habitat because I haven't hunted there recently.

Where I hunted (Thompson falls to Libby east of cabinets) I didn't see anything that suggested winter range development was a big factor. I could see it being more common issue once you get east towards Kalispell?
 
Thanks for the thoughtful and insightful responses @Ben Lamb

Hard to conceptualize habitat being that different than 20 years ago but I could see the following circumstances adding up:
-logging on USFS being heavy through the 80's, I can see how it would be early successional growth through the 90s and bringing a good elk population into the early 2000's.
-By early mid first decade of 2000's the forest is growing more mature with less good forage, hunter knowledge/efficiency/intensity may be increasing, and wolf/griz recovery is in full swing on top of healthy black bear and lion populations
- Now - forest habitat conditions have mostly just declined for the past 20 years, predator pressure has been consistent, hunters are more efficient than ever even if the success rates dont show with the elk #'s currently in the shitter. 2015, 2017, 2021 did have significant fires, not sure how helpful they were for elk habitat because I haven't hunted there recently.

Where I hunted (Thompson falls to Libby east of cabinets) I didn't see anything that suggested winter range development was a big factor. I could see it being more common issue once you get east towards Kalispell?


@ Thompson Falls area the foothills and valley floor is definitely becoming more fragmented. Areas where elk moved down a few hundred or a couple thousand feet to spend the winter are cut into 5-10 ranchettes with increasing frequency.

Also, wolves have influenced elk to select the valley floor and foothills more than ever. Wandering raghorn bulls, ranchettes, and every homeowner with an elk tag in his pocket doesn’t improve the bull/cow ratios or improve the age class of bulls.
 

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