Elk plan looks to build on successful reintroduction
As hard as it may be for some contemporary Wisconsinites to believe, just 26 years ago no wild elk lived in the state.
So many things have changed in our world over that time.
One of the unquestionable positives is the reintroduction of the big, handsome native ungulate to the Badger State.
It became official May 17, 1995, when Gov. Tommy Thompson opened a gate and 25 elk bounded into the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest near Clam Lake.
I wasn't there in person; the crowd was restricted to limit stress on the animals.
I was about 15 miles away at Whiskey Jack Camp on Moose Lake.
But I've always felt like I was at the release because of first-hand accounts told by my late, great friend Bernie Lemon of New Berlin, a passionate supporter and fund-raiser for the elk reintroduction who was standing next to the governor as the new herd punched its first tracks into Wisconsin soil.
“Tears of joy ran down my face,” Bernie said of his reaction that day.
Bernie was joined by American Indian representatives, Department of Natural Resources officials, UW-Stevens Point researchers, U.S. Forest Service staff, members of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and a select
few others.
Over the next several years, I made many trips to the area hoping to see elk. It was a rare thrill to see one of the animals roaming near Clam Lake.
Even the finding of elk droppings — Lemon called them “rubies” — was momentous. I was present at a 1997 RMEF fundraising banquet when, in a spontaneous eruption of support, Wisconsin elk scat was auctioned off for hundreds of dollars.
In the mid- to late 1990s I also frequently accompanied UW-Stevens Point researchers led by professor Ray Anderson on forays into the forest to track radio-collared elk.
At the time, the graduate students used jerry-rigged pick-up trucks with large antennas cut through the roofs to chart the movements of the animals.
In those early days residents in Glidden and Clam Lake always greeted the sight of the unique trucks with a wave and a smile.
And the elk? They’ve been embraced by the public even more enthusiastically.
The animals provided a new tourism draw to northern Wisconsin.
Over the years I’ve also made trips into the fields and forests near Clam Lake in late spring to capture elk calves for collaring and in fall to hear and view bulls bugling.
The initial reintroduction, which was actually an experiment monitored by UW-Stevens Point, was deemed a success and the DNR began full-time management in 1999.
And as you are likely aware, citizens in central Wisconsin lobbied for a second herd, which led to the 2016 transfer of additional elk to public land near Black River Falls.
So 26 years after the initial reintroduction, the Badger State has about 300 elk in the northern herd and 98 in the central herd, according to DNR estimates.
Gone for more than a century due to unregulated hunting and habitat loss, the wapiti is back. If you haven’t made an effort to view wild elk in Wisconsin, I highly recommend you put it on your bucket list.
This time it looks like the native species’ return will last. But that, of course, will depend on human tolerance and support.
To that end, the DNR is in the midst of updating the Wisconsin elk management plan.
The agency has released a draft of its
A bull, cow and calf elk browse through woods near Clam Lake. Wild elk were reintroduced into Wisconsin in 1995.
proposal to cover elk work in the state from 2020-30.
The report is packed with historical, cultural and biological information as well as a look to the future. In my opinion, it’s a continuation of some of the finest DNR work conducted in the last quarter century.
Data show the herd near Clam Lake has grown at an average annual rate of 10% since 1995, while the animals near Black River Falls have increased 15% each year.
The leading cause of mortality to elk in the northern herd has been predation by wolves, but bears also have taken elk, and humans, through vehicle collisions, poaching and hunting, are also notable sources of elk deaths.
Despite all of this, Wisconsin elk have shown long-term increases. The DNR expects that to continue.
That’s cause for celebration as well as a need to update management for the species.
The new document was developed by members of the Wisconsin DNR Elk Advisory Committee, which includes DNR staff and representatives from key stakeholder groups and partner agencies, including American Indian tribes and the RMEF.
The draft proposes five main changes, said Scott Roepke, DNR elk biologist based in Black River Falls:
Rename the elk ranges to the Northern Elk Management Zone and the Central Elk Management Zone. The references to Clam Lake and Black River Falls currently used are too specific and
the new names help recognize the growing range of the animals.
Increase the size of the central elk zone from 252 square miles to 367 square miles. The 1620-square-mile northern zone would remain unchanged in size.
Reduce the central zone’s elk population goal from 390 to 300 elk. The northern elk population goal would remain at 1,400.
Create elk hunting units within each elk management zone. The northern zone would have seven units and the central zone would have three, with three more on land adjacent to the zone. The units would be numbered 1 through 13.
Modify the elk hunting season framework eliminating the date split and instead offering a continuous 58- to 65-day season starting in mid-October. The other hunting rules would stay the same, including the “any weapon” season, limit of one tag in a hunter’s life and random lottery for the tags. Only resident hunters can apply.
Overall, the DNR draft plan acknowledges “Wisconsin’s elk population is no longer a geographically isolated novelty, but an established and growing herd of increasing ecological, social and economic importance.”
The changes are designed to give the DNR more flexibility to manage elk in the two ranges, Roepke said. As an example, if hunting had put too much pressure on mature bulls near Clam Lake (proposed as unit 2), the DNR could prohibit tags in that unit until the population rebounded.
Or, if elk were causing agricultural damage outside of the designated range in central Wisconsin, the agency could offer tags in the appropriate units to help reduce elk numbers there.
The tightly-controlled elk hunting season initiated in 2018 has contributed to the success of the state’s elk program. Over the first two years elk hunting application fees generated about $427,000 in revenue that is statutorily earmarked for elk management and research in Wisconsin.
In addition, more than $1 million in habitat improvement projects, primarily funded through donations from the RMEF, have not only benefitted elk but also white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse and many non-game species such as golden-winged warblers.
Conflicts with human interests led to the DNR’s recommendation to reduce the elk population goal in the central herd.
“As the elk population grows in number and expands in range, so do their associated challenges and opportunities,” Roepke said. “We’re still relatively new at it, but we’re adapting and learning and the plan includes elements we expect will help us over the next phase of elk expansion.”
Roepke said the DNR hopes to have the final draft of the plan ready in midFebruary, then hold public hearings on proposed rule changes in late February.
If that goes according to schedule, the plan and rule changes would be presented in April for consideration by the Natural Resources Board.
Any new elk hunting regulations likely won’t take effect until 2022.
Elk are here to stay in the Badger State. In the absence of my friend Bernie, and in gratitude for all who have made the Wisconsin elk reintroduction a success, allow me to cry a little happiness.
To learn more or comment: The draft Wisconsin elk management plan is available for public review on the DNR’s website at dnr.wi.gov.
You may also register to attend a virtual public meeting on the plan scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday via Zoom. The event will include DNR presentations on the history, status and proposed changes to elk management in Wisconsin, as well as the opportunity for the public to ask questions to agency staff.
Finally, the public may submit comments on Wisconsin’s updated elk management plan through Jan. 23.
Comments may be submitted by email at elkplan@wisconsin.gov or by mail at Wisconsin DNR, Attn: Scott Roepke, 910 Highway 54E, Black River Falls, WI 54615.