Elk Tour Offered To Local Youth

Youth ages 8–18 can register to attend a specially arranged tour, hosted by Young Outdoorsmen United, of Missouri’s new restoration elk population on Nov. 4-5 at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s 23,763-acre Peck Ranch Wildlife Conservation and Research Center.

The center is located in northwest Carter County and eastern Shannon County near Van Buren. Interested youth can submit name, age, phone number and mailing address to info@young outdoormenunited.com by Nov. 1. All participating youth must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

The two-day tour will include a private tour of the facility by Missouri Department of Conservation elk biologist David Hasenbeck. As part of the tour, Hasenbeck will demonstrate the use of telemetry equipment to locate radio-collared elk, allowing the group to view the elk at close range. The guests will return at daybreak the following morning with the possibility of finding the heard again in hope of hearing male elk make the bugling mating call.

Participants will depart from Anderson the morning of Saturday, Nov. 4, and will return midafternoon Sunday, Nov. 5. Another activity planned on the outing for the youth is a visit to Ozark National Scenic riverways, operated by the National Park Service. Specific sights are Rocky Falls, Alley Springs, and a boat tour of the Current River, followed by a fish fry.

The number of participants is limited due to space and funding restrictions. Overnight accommodations have been arranged and paid by Young Outdoorsmen United. Each visitor will be responsible for their own transportation, (car-pooling is suggested), plus snacks, and drinks (excluding fishfry meal). The participants will depart, travel, and return as a group.

Once found throughout most of Missouri, elk disappeared from the state about 150 years ago because of over hunting and habitat loss. In 2011, the Missouri Department of Conservation began restoring the species, using elk trapped in Kentucky. The Conservation Department brought in additional shipments of elk for a total of just over than 100 released. They thrived, producing calves that enlarged the herd to about 180 today. The goal is to have a population of some 500 animals, which could take up to 20 years at the current growth rate. The Conservation Department is managing the elk as a game animal, meaning hunting seasons may be established when numbers increase.