Yea deer are practically extinct up here
Cheers for your deer hunting.
It is interesting, considering all the effort Wisconsin DNR biologists and our RMEF money placed to assist your state rebuild the elk potential.
1995 - 25 Elk were re-introduced.
1998 - Dr. Anderson (leading Biologist) projected within 11 years - Elk would number 500.
2010 - Elk numbered 131 - the goal yet to achieve the 200 elk bench mark to begin a first ever extremely limited elk hunt. Those most involved shared their frustration and said they were disappointed in the effort's result thus far. One biologist stated it was a
"one step forward, two steps back" due to the
number one cause of depredation... Wolves with Bears as a distant number two and vehicle collisions as number three.
2015 - 130 Elk with the DNR, Tribal Staff, and RMEF hard at preserving the elk. Hope for 35 calves born... Still working off 20+ years ago of constant human support from the original reintroduction of Elk. The constant human effort to disburse the elk as that seems to reduce the wolves and bears kill rate.
In fact, they went further to share that wolves were making it a more difficult challenge as now the mortality rate of elk increased due to wolves changing their tactics from going after bulls to specifically targeting cows and even more specific, cows carrying and calves.
Forward onto this year... Finally they believe this year they will crest the magical number, 200 with the calves born
AND a second reintroduction of elk from Kentucky. Due to the frequent Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation members financial support (of which I and many here are proud members) and the RMEF Wisconsin volunteers, RMEF will be allotted 1 tag to raffle off, I believe only available to Wisconsin Residents though I could be wrong, Tribal involvement around the Clam Lake area will receive the majority of tags with a few available to Wisconsin residents.
A total of TEN tags. This is a great step and a means to generate funding to continue their heavy support for these elk. If I read correctly, outside the one tag for RMEF to raffle, There are a total of nine tags. Pretty cool.
It is amazing, the intense assistance by WI DNR, Tribal and RMEF efforts... 1995 to present and it may break the 200# mark, finally!
Regarding the evolved wolf tactics used where DNR biologist have identified the specific targeting of cows and cows carrying, here is their quote;
Stowell says they have also seen a shift in how wolves are targeting elk. From 2003 to 2008, elk mortality from wolves was 80 percent male and 20 percent female elk, and the males were mostly older calves or young bulls. "Now it seems the wolves have developed skills in testing and picking out vulnerable calves and cows and are apparently leaving the bulls alone," said Stowell. He reports that during the past two years, 10 of the 19 elk killed by wolves have been female and six of those were of breeding age.
In May of 2009, for example, three cows were killed by wolves, all with a 92 percent likelihood of being pregnant. That summer three calves – all one to two months old – and two yearlings and a 16- to 17-year-old cow were killed by wolves. The trend is especially troubling for biologists who value cows based on their potential for producing calves and increasing the herd.
Wolves are darn smart! I hope the funding continues. If I understand correctly, $7 of each $10 per drawing goes directly to the ELK human support. I fear the day that funding gets siphoned off to other WI gov't entities, etc.
Take into account within Wisconsin, the large quantity of livestock killed by wolves and as an example, 47 hunting dogs killed just in 2017 alone has sparked a vital need to crack down on the wolf count.
Hopefully the increased pressure will reduce the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife's, et al's crappy judicial obstructionism death grip. About time to kick them to the curb!
Best to you, Northwoods Labs and your Elk reintroduction! As a proud member of RMEF - I sure hope our efforts were not done in vain with WI DNR budget cuts that may harm the intense ELK / human involvement. It is the only aspect keeping those elk slowly recovering. Without humans dispersing the elk to reduce the mortality rate attributed to wolves and bears, the elk, I fear will fizzle away. Too much human effort to see this crap out. They need to aggressively counter the wolves and bears assault on their rebuild.
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. Oh well, I guess it's over for you. Elk hunting is over. There is no point in it any longer. Hang'em up and just chatter about it on the internet, eh?
