WISCONSIN ELK STUDY PROGRESS REPORT NO.8

The 1995 Rifle Deer Season passed without elk mortality but not without incident. On Friday, the day before the season opened, approximately 70 deer camps and private landowners were contacted by U.S. Forest Service personnel and the research team to remind them about elk being present. During the season, researchers were in the field daily, monitoring the activity of all radio-tagged elk and contacting hunters on, and adjacent to the study area. We did not encounter a single hunter who was not aware of elk study in the area where they were hunting; nearly all expressed concern about the danger to the experimental elk herd and related their precautionary measures. To the distinct credit of the deer hunters in the Clam Lake area, no elk were killed and only one sustained what appears to be a minor wound from an over-anxious and somewhat careless hunter Wednesday morning, 22 November. The wounded cow (No.01) had spent all summer in the southern part of the study area between Snoose and Black Lake. During that time, she made several trips south, to where she was wounded by a stander during a deer drive near Blaisdell Lake. The shooter recognized his mistake and quickly notified Wisconsin DNR Law Enforcement personnel. Their subsequent field investigation revealed that the wound was probably superficial and the elk was very likely to survive. The incident remains under investigation.

The 2 oldest bulls, Nos. 07 and 23, moved significant distances (5-7 miles on some days) during the deer season. No. 7 is now near the east edge of the Study Area and No. 23 appears to be headed back to the release site. Cow No. 21 is still traveling on the west edge of the study area; her calf was seen with her in her present location and - The Hurley Lady is still near Hurley where she is becoming a more regular visitor to our bait for potential trapping and return to the release site in the future. The attached map shows the current location of each elk as of 26 November - 73% of the original reintroduced herd is within a 3-mile radius of the release site. This does not included calves of the year which dropped to 3 in number as of 1 week before the deer season. The total number of project elk known to be alive at this time is 26.

Winter is setting in and this poses the next real test for the experimental herd. Most wildlife fares well during the summer months when food and cover are ample. The critical pinch-period occurs in late winter when food is scarce, the environment hostile, and most wildlife mortality occurs.

Daily monitoring of radio-tagged elk movements will continue throughout the winter months. Food habit and physiological condition studies will be initiated. Elk response to winter activities on the Forest, such as snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and hunting, will also be monitored.

Bottom line at this time - very encouraging.