Yellowstone Elk Count

[Elkmagnet]

If the heard is below objectives. And the calf recruitment is below objectives you should have lights and sirens going off.

 

[tjones]

Only HD310 is below objective as of last survey.

 

[Big Fin]

Well, good thing I didn't bet any "dollars to doughnuts" or I would be paying some bets on this one. The survery did get completed. Here are the results:

March 27, 2012

News Release from the Northern Yellowstone Cooperative Wildlife Working Group

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (contact: Karen Loveless, 406/333-4211)
National Park Service (contact: Doug Smith, 307/344-2242)
U.S. Forest Service (contact: Rachel Feigley, USFS Livingston Office)
U.S. Geological Survey (contact: Paul Cross, 406/994-6908)

2011-2012 Winter Count of Northern Yellowstone Elk

The Northern Yellowstone Cooperative Wildlife Working Group conducted its annual winter survey of the Northern Yellowstone elk population on March 7, 2012. The survey, using three airplanes, was conducted by staff from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and the National Park Service. Staff counted 4,174 elk, including 1,440 elk (34%) inside Yellowstone National Park and on Deckard Flats south of Bear Creek and 2,734 elk (66%) elsewhere north of the park. Survey conditions were favorable across the region with fresh snow and good visibility.

The count of 4,174 elk at the close of the 2012 winter season was ten percent lower than the 2011 winter count of 4635. Looking back further, between the winters of 2007 and the end of winter 2010, elk numbers ranged from 6,070 to 7,109.

The Working Group will continue to monitor trends of the northern Yellowstone elk population and evaluate the relative contribution of various components of mortality, including predation, environmental factors, and hunting. The Working Group was formed in 1974 to cooperatively preserve and protect the long-term integrity of the northern Yellowstone winter range for wildlife species by increasing our scientific knowledge of the species and their habitats, promoting prudent land management activities, and encouraging an interagency approach to answering questions and solving problems. The Working Group is comprised of resource managers and biologists from the Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, National Park Service (Yellowstone National Park), U.S. Forest Service (Gallatin National Forest), and U.S. Geological Survey-Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman.

Not surprising results.

 

[P&Y]

Thanks for the info Fin.

 

[Bambistew]

With the mild winter, do you think more elk stayed in the park?

 

[TOM IN TENNESSEE]

If they did, they probably got et by wolves and "endangered" Griz....

 

[Elkmagnet]

Anyone else see a trend? Sickening.

 

[shoots-straight]

Do they have that broke down per HD?

 

[Ben Lamb]

With the mild winter, do you think more elk stayed in the park?

This, and a number of other variables that a count doesn't give. A count is static, populations are dynamic.

I'd like to see what the long term carrying capacity is for the herd. That 12,000 number was way, way over objective and probably not sustainable long term. Wolves probably have helped that crash come along, but so have a number of other issues.

 

[IdahoHombre]

This, and a number of other variables that a count doesn't give. A count is static, populations are dynamic.

I'd like to see what the long term carrying capacity is for the herd. That 12,000 number was way, way over objective and probably not sustainable long term. Wolves probably have helped that crash come along, but so have a number of other issues.

Agreed. The 2007 levels of around 7,000 seem about right to my conscience. It will be interesting to see how the ecology of all this plays out. I just hope in the end it doesn't mean virtually ZERO elk.

IF&G has discontinued cow tags for the Teton Zone for the upcoming year, which were basically elk migrating into Idaho from Yellowstone. A good rule of thumb to gauge these sort of management decisions is this. If hunting is restricted, there's usually science saying the predation is too high. If the culprit to declining populations is habitat, more liberal hunting is allowed to get down to true carrying capacity.

And as an interesting ecological twist, the wolves are having gang wars this year due to a lack of snowfall. Which means the bison are harder to hunt. Once one pack starts encroaching on another pack's happy hunting grounds, things get deadly...

http://idahoman.com/wolves-killing-each-other/

 

[Art Vandeley]

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/ar...06/Major-Yellowstone-elk-herd-keeps-declining


Anyone else read this article today? Absolutely ridiculous.

“That’s some bad news, a 25 percent decline last year and 10 percent this year. But the elk are looking really good,” Smith said. “This was one of the hardest winters we’ve had in decades ... We’ve got a leaner, meaner elk herd.”

Cool

 

[spook12]

At this pace it wont be long and they will be on the Endangered Species list !