Program’s aim: help elk herd grow
Comments (...)CLAM LAKE, Wis. – The group of elk drifted out of the wild expanse of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and into a temporary pen made of vinyl and metal panels.
The smell of a free meal was too much to resist.
The animals’ move into the corral was monitored by Department of Natural Resources personnel a few hundred feet away.
With the flip of a remote switch, the door to the pen closed.
The hard work was about to begin.
Wisconsin re-established a wild elk herd in 1995 when it transferred 25 animals from Michigan to the forests and glades near Clam Lake.
Each winter since, researchers have captured some of the animals, mostly to conduct health checks and attach or replace radio collars.
But in a new strategy last winter, a dozen elk were transferred from the main herd as part of an assisted dispersal.
The move is designed to expand the geographic distribution of the herd and reduce the vulnerability of the animals to wolf predation.
A second phase is being conducted this winter.
The objective is to move young adults, ideally 1- and 2-year-olds, that will be more prone to stay in the new area, according to DNR elk biologist Laine Stowell.
Wildlife reintroductions have one thing in common with investment accounts – the numbers are watched closely.
For the Wisconsin elk herd, a threshold of 200 is anticipated.
That’s the point at which a limited hunt for bull elk would be held, helping draw revenue from the sale of applications and licenses. Such a hunt is likely years away.
As of early January, Stowell said the Wisconsin herd had 161 elk, about even with this time last year.
“We’ve had good years and bad years,” Stowell said. “This year is looking like we might not have any increase.”
From 2010 to 2011, the elk herd grew 15%, Stowell said. This year is looking more like 2009-10, in which the herd didn’t grow at all.
The Wisconsin elk herd produced an estimated 33 calves in 2011; about 20 are believed still alive.
The elk reintroduction is a collaborative effort of the Wisconsin DNR, the U.S. Forest Service, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and private individuals, landowners and volunteers.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has contributed $1.8 million directly to the reintroduction and another $2.9 million for land purchases to protect wildlife habitat in Wisconsin elk range, according to club officials. The Wisconsin DNR has spent about $1.5 million, Stowell said.
About $50,000 each biennium goes to UW-Stevens Point for research on the elk range.
Though the herd had increased about six times its original size in 16 years, other states’ reintroductions have far surpassed the Wisconsin herd’s growth.
And the Wisconsin herd has stayed relatively close and concentrated near its original release site. According to the DNR, the herd has utilized less than 10% of the 1,112 square miles of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest designated as elk range.
That’s one of the reasons the DNR decided to conduct the assisted dispersals.
Last year’s move created a “Moose Lake” herd. This year’s move will create a “Moose River” herd, also on Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest land.
Ten of the 12 elk moved last year to Moose Lake are alive; the other two were killed by wolves.
Stowell said the Moose Lake elk stayed close to their release site, achieving at least one objective.
The elk crossing signs and flashing lights installed on Highway 77 west of Clam Lake have helped reduce elk-vehicle collisions.
Annual elk fatalities due to vehicle collisions were 2.9 per 100 elk before the signs and lights were installed. The number dropped to 0.7 per 100 elk in 2011, Stowell said.
The elk most vulnerable to all forms of mortality are calves, which have about a 50% survival rate.
Yearling elk have a 23% mortality rate, according to project records.
The DNR is preparing an addendum to its elk management plan. The modification may allow flexibility to bring more elk into the state or establish herds in other parts of Wisconsin.
Last year Missouri was allowed to transfer elk from the thriving herd in Kentucky. Such transfers had been rare in recent years due to heightened concerns related to chronic wasting disease.
About 140 elk are now near the original release area west of Clam Lake, 10 are in the newly established Moose Lake herd, two are in the acclimation pen at Moose River and the balance in a group that has drifted off and stays near Butternut.
January through May is a critical time for deer and elk as they attempt to survive the stress of winter and avoid predation.
Stowell said it’s too early to predict what will happen. The herd finished the last “elk year” with 151 animals. The elk year ends in May when the new year-class of calves is born.
“This winter started out mild, which was good for the elk,” Stowell said. “We’re hoping we can end up with more than 151, in the black for the year.”
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