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What happend to the wolves eating all the Elk?
Elk herd numbers at all-time high; record year possible
By JARED MILLER
Ravalli Republic
HAMILTON – A strong elk harvest in the Bitterroot Valley depends on four criteria.
Herd numbers must be strong. Hunter numbers must be high. Land must be accessible. And the weather must be wet and cold.
If all those variables come together, hunters will be successful, and freezers will be full. But subtract even one, and the hunt will be as flat as it was last year, and the two previous years, experts say.
The harvest this year, which begins Sunday, has the potential to be awesome, officials have said. But it will depend on the presence of all four criteria.
Here’s how they look so far:
Elk herds in the Bitterroot are running at an all-time high. As usual, hunters are expected to turn out by the thousands. And land access is good. The wild card – as has been the case in recent years – will be the weather.
“Generally speaking in the Bitterroot Valley, the worse the weather is the better the harvest will be,” said Bill Thomas of Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks.
Bitterroot elk herds are migratory, and require significant snow and cold temperatures to force them from the high elevations, Thomas said.
“If we were to get a foot of snow, and it was ten below zero, it would be a terrific elk harvest,” said John Vore, Bitterroot area biologist for Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks.
Weather patterns should shift from the recent summer-like conditions to cool temperatures by Wednesday, but so far forecasters aren’t predicting particularly bitter weather for opening day, said Eric Boldt, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Missoula.
It’s too early to tell about weather for the rest of the season.
At no time in history have there been more elk in the Bitterroot than now. A spring head count revealed 7,723 elk – about 1,200 more than the previous record set two years ago. And biologists used a direct head count to arrive at that figure. Many animals are missed.
“Elk are certainly at a historic high, and probably an all time high – even more than in pre-Columbian times,” Vore said.
Numbers of mule deer are also high, Vore said. And whitetail deer are at a near record.
The reason for bountiful elk numbers are many, officials said.
The population began to rise in the 1980s after the state reduced the female elk harvest. Previously, hunters were allowed to harvest elk of either sex. Today, the general season allows hunters to harvest male elk with certain restrictions on age.
A succession of mild winters and resulting poor hunting conditions have contributed to a high survival rate among bull elk, Vore said.
Also, land that was once open to hunters is now privately owned and closed. Hunting is the primary tool to manage herd numbers.
“Back in 1975 or 1980, who would have dreamt that we would be counting 7,700 elk?” Vore said.
Elk herds are so robust, that the state has issued 200 special permits for antlerless elk, called A-9 permits. And Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks has proposed an increase in the number of permits sold next year.
Vore said scientists would like to see the total elk population in the valley drop by about 2,000.
“We don’t want them out of balance with food supplies, we don’t want them causing game damage to agricultural operations, and we don’t want them wasted by dying in the winter of natural causes,” Thomas said. “We would rather have them go home and be in people’s freezers.”
Thousands of hunters are expected to show up this season to test their skills against the Bitterroot’s growing elk herd.
If last year’s numbers are any indication, about 9,000 hunters will be on the hunt. Vore said he expects to see 1,000 or more hunters through the Darby check station alone.
As time has proven, the same criteria required to bring elk to the hunters are not required to bring hunters to the elk.
Hunter turnout will be strong no matter what the weather conditions, Thomas said.
“Hunters have experienced some difficult weather conditions that were not conducive to hunting the last several years,” he said. “And yet they are such an optimistic bunch. They will be out there.”
Elk herd numbers at all-time high; record year possible
By JARED MILLER
Ravalli Republic
HAMILTON – A strong elk harvest in the Bitterroot Valley depends on four criteria.
Herd numbers must be strong. Hunter numbers must be high. Land must be accessible. And the weather must be wet and cold.
If all those variables come together, hunters will be successful, and freezers will be full. But subtract even one, and the hunt will be as flat as it was last year, and the two previous years, experts say.
The harvest this year, which begins Sunday, has the potential to be awesome, officials have said. But it will depend on the presence of all four criteria.
Here’s how they look so far:
Elk herds in the Bitterroot are running at an all-time high. As usual, hunters are expected to turn out by the thousands. And land access is good. The wild card – as has been the case in recent years – will be the weather.
“Generally speaking in the Bitterroot Valley, the worse the weather is the better the harvest will be,” said Bill Thomas of Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks.
Bitterroot elk herds are migratory, and require significant snow and cold temperatures to force them from the high elevations, Thomas said.
“If we were to get a foot of snow, and it was ten below zero, it would be a terrific elk harvest,” said John Vore, Bitterroot area biologist for Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks.
Weather patterns should shift from the recent summer-like conditions to cool temperatures by Wednesday, but so far forecasters aren’t predicting particularly bitter weather for opening day, said Eric Boldt, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Missoula.
It’s too early to tell about weather for the rest of the season.
At no time in history have there been more elk in the Bitterroot than now. A spring head count revealed 7,723 elk – about 1,200 more than the previous record set two years ago. And biologists used a direct head count to arrive at that figure. Many animals are missed.
“Elk are certainly at a historic high, and probably an all time high – even more than in pre-Columbian times,” Vore said.
Numbers of mule deer are also high, Vore said. And whitetail deer are at a near record.
The reason for bountiful elk numbers are many, officials said.
The population began to rise in the 1980s after the state reduced the female elk harvest. Previously, hunters were allowed to harvest elk of either sex. Today, the general season allows hunters to harvest male elk with certain restrictions on age.
A succession of mild winters and resulting poor hunting conditions have contributed to a high survival rate among bull elk, Vore said.
Also, land that was once open to hunters is now privately owned and closed. Hunting is the primary tool to manage herd numbers.
“Back in 1975 or 1980, who would have dreamt that we would be counting 7,700 elk?” Vore said.
Elk herds are so robust, that the state has issued 200 special permits for antlerless elk, called A-9 permits. And Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks has proposed an increase in the number of permits sold next year.
Vore said scientists would like to see the total elk population in the valley drop by about 2,000.
“We don’t want them out of balance with food supplies, we don’t want them causing game damage to agricultural operations, and we don’t want them wasted by dying in the winter of natural causes,” Thomas said. “We would rather have them go home and be in people’s freezers.”
Thousands of hunters are expected to show up this season to test their skills against the Bitterroot’s growing elk herd.
If last year’s numbers are any indication, about 9,000 hunters will be on the hunt. Vore said he expects to see 1,000 or more hunters through the Darby check station alone.
As time has proven, the same criteria required to bring elk to the hunters are not required to bring hunters to the elk.
Hunter turnout will be strong no matter what the weather conditions, Thomas said.
“Hunters have experienced some difficult weather conditions that were not conducive to hunting the last several years,” he said. “And yet they are such an optimistic bunch. They will be out there.”
