Alaska
Elk Population: Etolin (GMU 3): 300-400
Kodiak Archipelago (GMU 8): N/A
Bull/Cow Ratios: GMU 3: 19/100
Nonresidents: $85 license, $300 elk permit
Hunter Success: GMU 3: 13 percent, GMU 8: N/A
 
Last year, we reported plenty of unknowns for Alaska’s GMU 3, but this year, state wildlife biologists have filled in those blanks thanks in part to RMEF grants for radiotelemetry work. Biologists have monitored elk in Unit 3 for information on population dynamics, movement and habitat selection. Most elk in Unit 3 reside within the formidable South Etolin Island Wilderness on Etolin Island. This is about as rough and wild as elk country gets. Heavy seas, woolly forest and many small squiggly lines crammed together on the topo map combine to keep success rates here low. Oh, and you’ll be sharing the woods with the world’s most massive brown bears. Forty-eight hunters braved the bush to kill six bulls last season. On the bright side, calf recruitment is good at 51 calves to every 100 cows, and there are some heavy-antlered bulls out there.
 
Numbers for GMU 8 on the Kodiak Archipelago were unavailable at press time, but the area has yielded some very impressive Roosevelt’s bulls in the past few years.

Visit www.wildlife.alaska.gov

Alberta
Elk Population: 33,000
Bull/Cow Ratios: N/A
Nonresidents: $255/must hire a guide
Hunter Success: N/A

It was a long, tough winter in the north country, but most elk proved equal to it, especially those that snuck onto ag land in the cover of darkness. Populations in the foothills of the Rockies, especially west of Rocky Mountain House, felt the combined impact of months of deep snow and predation by wolves, mountain lions and grizzlies. Opportunities continue to expand as elk pioneer new territory in the prairies and aspen parklands to the south and east, with some very respectable bulls among them. Meat hunters will have their best shot if they look to hunt areas around agricultural zones where liberal permits for cows are available. Most ranchers greet responsible cow hunters with open arms.
 
Outfitters receive roughly 10 percent of the draw tags. If you don’t live in the province, they’re your best (and only) ticket to some of Canada’s finest elk hunting.

Visit www.srd.alberta.ca

Arizona
Elk Population: 25,000–35,000
Bull:Cow Ratio: 35/100
Nonresidents: $151 hunting license (nonrefundable) plus $595 elk permit
Hunter Success: 31 percent general (rifle), 39 percent muzzleloader, 24 percent archery

At press time, the Wallow fire had burned over 520,000 acres of some of the world’s most famous elk country in the eastern portion of the state, primarily in Units 1 and 27. The former is an “alternative management unit” where the state manages for higher bull:cow ratios and older bulls, which means a tougher draw. A silver lining? After the Rodeo-Chediski fire in 2002 that burned 722 square miles, high-quality forage sprang from the ashes, bringing booming elk populations and stupendous antler growth in that area. Who knows, maybe Units 1 and 27 will see even more monster bulls running around thanks to the fires.
 
Elk distribution in Arizona runs just northwest of Flagstaff southeast to the New Mexico border. An escarpment that defines the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau, the Mogollon Rim (pronounced muggy-OWN) encompasses much of their habitat. Why should you care? Elk love the ponderosa pine forests found on the rugged and gorgeous plateau.  A mild winter meant low stress on elk, but also led to a dry spring—hence the massive wildfires. Monsoons typically arrive in July, bringing moisture, relief and a final nutrient flush for growing antlers and calves. Arizona Game and Fish Department’s “Hunt Arizona” offers a great resource on harvest data, drawing odds and hunting pressure.

Visit www.azgfd.gov

Arkansas
Elk Population: 440
Bull/Cow Ratio: 40/100
Nonresidents: Auction and landowner tags
Hunter Success: 63 percent

In the only state where you can hunt elk and alligators, Arkansas serves up its elk tags to residents for free. And with roughly 300,000 resident whitetail hunters—and some very large bulls—you’d think more than 5,900 would apply for 27 public land elk tags. The good news: better odds for you elk hunters. The bad news: still a long shot at over 200-to-one. 
 
As with many states east of the Rockies, Arkansas has plenty of suitable elk habitat; it’s the “social carrying capacity” (read landowner tolerance) that keeps the population down. To help ease tensions, managers expanded landowner permits to a five-county area last year, with 23 permits issued under a quota system. Anyone who owns property within an Arkansas elk county, whether or not they are a resident, qualifies for the landowner tag pool. Nonresidents who buy a lifetime license are eligible to apply for the elk drawing.
 
Public land hunters will be happy to know that land managers on the Ozark National Forest adjacent to the Gene Rush WMA continue to partner with RMEF and the National Wild Turkey Federation to create wildlife-friendly openings through prescribed burns and thinning. The goal is to attract elk deeper into the national forest to utilize thousands of acres of public land there.

Visit www.agfc.com

British Columbia
Elk Population: 63,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 25-30/100
Nonresidents: $180 hunting license, plus $250 for elk permit Must hire a guide
Hunter Success: N/A

Even with a massive snowpack this past winter, BC still has more elk than all the other Canadian provinces combined. Rocky Mountain elk herds are thriving, with the agricultural zones in the Peace River region a great bet if you just want some of the tastiest meat around. For a true backcountry elk hunting experience, look to the Omineca region in north-central BC, though you may have to muscle the massive moose out of the way for your shot at an elk. If you’ve always dreamed of hunting a trophy Roosevelt’s bull and you’re willing to brave the thick nasties endemic to the coast, the stars are aligned for a great season.
 
Because regs are revised every two years, no limits or quotas have changed since last season, and limited-entry tags are still a tough draw at roughly 35:1. But outfitters are allotted a percentage of those tags and you can bypass the long odds by booking a hunt. As a nonresident, you have no choice but to hire a guide. But there are some great ones, and your entire cost for licenses and permits is a relative bargain at $430.

Visit www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw

California
Elk Population: 11,400 (1,500 Rocky Mountain; 6,000 Roosevelt’s; 3,900 tule)
Bull/Cow Ratios: 20/100 to 90/100
Nonresidents: $151 hunting license (nonrefundable to enter drawing) plus $1,200 elk permit.
Hunter Success: 75 percent

The West’s best hunter success rates and world-class bulls of all three sub-species await those who beat tag lottery odds ranging from 100:1 to 1,000:1. In fact, California Fish and Game elk coordinator Joe Hobbs believes this could be the year one or both tule world records are broken. While hunters killed some very fine tules last year, the largest brutes remain on the hoof in the East Park Reservoir and Grizzly Island units. Good spring rains should have racks in prime shape this fall.
 
Those seeking a more challenging hunt, a true backcountry experience and a trophy Roosevelt’s elk can have it all in the gorgeous Marble Mountain Wilderness. Lying in the state’s northwest corner, the Marbles offer 35 bull tags, 10 antlerless and 5 late-season muzzleloader/archery either-sex tags. Those without double-digit preference points have a real shot here as 10 of those tags (9 bull and one cow) are randomly drawn while the other 30 are weighted for preference points.    
 
Due east near where the state meets Oregon and Nevada, you can find Rocky Mountain bulls that rival the biggest anywhere on the continent.
 
If you don’t want to wait and you’re willing to shell out the cash, the state auctions one tag for Grizzly Island and one multiple-zone tag, with several others offered by RMEF at Elk Camp. If odds and auctions aren’t your thing, private landowners receive a limited number of tags to do with as they please. 
 
New this year, the Owens Valley Fundraising Elk Tag is now a raffle tag instead of going to the highest bidder at auction as it has in years past. Anyone can put in for as many chances as they like at $5.40 a pop.   
 
To help out tule elk and other wildlife, the RMEF funded projects to create permanent water holes on the now public Payne Ranch tucked in the folds of the coastal range north of San Francisco. Wildlife flock to the water sources during the heat of summer.

Visit www.dfg.ca.gov

Colorado
Elk Population: 283,400
Bull/Cow Ratio: 32/100
Nonresidents: cow: $354; any elk: $554
Hunter Success: 22 percent

With more than 23 million acres of public land, over-the-counter bull tags (OTC), and an informative call-center staffed with live human beings who actually hunt, Colorado is bending sideways to get you to their elk—and they have almost twice as many as any other state.
 
Rifle tags for bull elk in the 2nd and 3rd season are unlimited and sold at outlets all over the state. Leftover tags went on sale August 9, and it’s likely some are still available. OTC rifle tags for cows will be limited, but that’s not the case for OTC antlerless archery where the northwest and southeast corners are wide open for you. The past few years have been particularly moist with heavy snows and wet springs, which have kept hillsides green and forage lush. Translation: dispersed elk, consistent survival rates and robust antler growth. Camping out over a waterhole may not be your best strategy, but elk are plentiful. Get off the beaten path and cover some country with your binos and your boots. When you do get into elk, chances are they are going to be fat and happy.
 
Even when elk have plenty of native forage, they may still stroll onto private ag lands, which is why the RMEF is helping fund a new research project to map elk movements and habitat use. The data will allow biologists to maximize hunting as a management tool in Delores, Montezuma and San Miguel counties. Locations will be recorded three times a day for two years. This data will shed light on seasonal habitat use and migration patterns, and how best to provide hunting opportunities to help control crop depredation. For valuable last-minute hunting information

Visit http://wildlife.state.co.us/hunting

Idaho
Elk Population: 103,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 23/100
Nonresidents: license $155, tag $417
Hunter Success: 19 percent

The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness holds some of the most remote and rugged elk country in North America. If it has long been your stomping grounds as an elk hunter—or even just a dreamed-of destination—these are hard times. Hammered by wolf predation and exacerbated by a long slide in forage quality, elk populations remain far below management objectives in the Lolo and Selway elk management zones and slightly below objectives in the Sawtooth elk zone. Cow elk harvest opportunity has been virtually nonexistent in the Lolo zone for the last 10 years and has been dramatically curtailed in the Sawtooth as well.
 
The classic elk country of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness has also become a far stingier place since the reintroduction of wolves there in 1995. But it’s not all bad news. Elsewhere, elk numbers are solid, with populations at or above objectives in 20 of 29 elk hunt zones. The statewide population actually broke a long plummet and rebounded 2,000 animals from last year. That growth likely came, at least in part, from fewer hunters. Tag sales went from 92,565 in 2008 to 84,765 in 2010–a decline of about 8 percent.
 
To help struggling ungulate populations, the Elk Foundation helped fund prescribed burns on 15,000 acres in the Clearwater and Nez Perce national forests to enhance both winter and summer forage. All told, the RMEF has now protected and enhanced more than 340,000 acres of vital elk habitat across Idaho.
 
In 2010, a wet spring and cooler than normal summer provided ample rain for plenty of forage, sending elk into winter in good health. That was a real good thing, because last winter turned out to be one of the toughest in memory. Craig White, DFG wildlife staff biologist said, “It has been a long winter, but for the most part, elk went into the winter in good shape and have fared well throughout Idaho.”
 
Hunters seeking greater abundance should look to the southern and western portions of the state. In front range mountain areas, elk have traded the rugged backcountry for ag lands and Fish and Game has responded with liberal tags. Take Unit 54 in the Owyhee-South Hills Zone. Hunters can now chase antlerless elk August 1 through December there. The state conducted its first modern, fair chase wolf hunt in 2009. Litigation derailed the hunt last fall, but in April Congressional action removed gray wolves from the Endangered Species List in Idaho and Montana. The state plans to hold an aggressive wolf hunt this fall, though a lawsuit is pending. At press time, the wolf hunt is still on and quotas and tag prices are yet to be finalized.

Visit fishandgame.idaho.gov

Kansas
Elk Population: 250-275
Bull/Cow Ratio: 40/100
Nonresidents: Tenant permits and one Commissioner’s Permit, usually sold at auction
Hunter Success: 36 percent

This past season was a tough one for Kansas elk hunters. On Fort Riley where most of the state’s elk roam, hunters had their second-lowest success rate since the hunt began there in 1987. Being a military installation, the Fort posts a number of special restrictions, such as requiring hunters to be off the base one hour after sunset—not ideal for a successful evening hunt. And of course, numerous sections of land are closed daily, lest one be strafed by a gun-ship. Luckily, the area is big enough that elk don’t get caught in the crossfire, says Matt Peek, elk program coordinator. This year 10 either-sex and 15 antlerless tags will be available on the 100,000-acre Fort. Mammoth bulls exist, but vegetation is much thicker than you might imagine and as last year proved, they don’t come easily. 
 
The state’s other main elk herd roams the opposite corner far to the southwest in the Cimarron National Grasslands. The Grasslands themselves are closed to hunting, but over-the-counter unlimited permits are available for surrounding lands. The key is all those lands are private, so it’s imperative to secure landowner permission before setting out. Peek says they hope to see elk populations around the Cimarron Grasslands, currently at 50, increase over time.

Visit www.kdwp.state.ks.us

Kentucky
Elk Population: 10,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 35-40/100
Nonresidents: $10 to apply, $130 for hunting license, $365 for permit
Hunter Success: 65 percent

If it’s not careful, Kentucky’s elk hunt may soon eclipse Wildcat basketball in terms of popularity. Every year, tag applications jump by the tens of thousands. In 2010, more than 45,000 applications flooded state offices, with over 16,000 of those from nonresidents. In 2011, 61,500 applications streamed in, with nearly 19,000 non-residents vying for 10 percent of the 800 permits—the same number of permits allotted as last year. That’s the good news. The bad news? Your odds just got worse. But no worries, there’s more good news. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is working to give hunters more of what they want with a few specific reg changes.
 
This year instead of being thrown into a take-what-you-get pool, hunters can specifically apply for a bull or a cow tag, and select archery or firearms since there are now designated seasons for both weapons. Say you want to apply to hunt a bull with a bow and/or a cow with a rifle? No problem. Hunters can put in for up to two hunts this year, but can only be drawn for one. Managers also dropped the 4-point or better antler restrictions.
 
Success rates fell 15 percent this past season as the acorn crop was big and the elk stayed in the hardwoods and out of openings. To further toughen the hunting, ice- and snow-storms accompanied some opening weekends. But with a calf recruitment ratio of roughly 85/100, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife biologist Dan Crank says nearly 2,000 calves hit the ground annually. That means plenty of elk to go around. So if you pull a tag, you’ve already beaten the toughest odds. Now, go get your elk.

Visit www.fw.ky.gov

Manitoba
Elk Population: 6,100
Bull/Cow Ratio: 45/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 20-60 percent for rifle/ 5-10 percent for archers

All elk hunting is by permit only (and you have to live in the province to draw one), and those tags are avidly sought. Whether the province is home to it’s own distinctive sub-species of Manitoban elk depends on whether you adhere to the lumper or a splitter school of taxonomy, but one thing’s for sure: some very large bulls roam this country. The Duck Mountain, Interlake and Porcupine regions are all consistent producers, but tags come tough. The province has numerous elk seasons running from late August through December. If you’re lucky enough to hold a tag, be sure you know the score for your unit.

Visit www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/hunting/

Michigan
Elk Population: 780
Bull/Cow Ratio: 60/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 70-90 percent

Managers have the elk population right where they want it given current available habitat and they’re in maintenance mode now, which explains why available elk permits dropped by roughly 30 percent this season. At the same time, applications were down slightly, with 35,000 people vying for 55 any-elk and 100 antlerless tags. Permits are awarded to hunters using a weighted drawing system. Hunters receive one additional chance for future drawings each year they apply for an elk license but are not selected. First time applicants face a .04 percent chance of drawing.
 
The good news is habitat and forage in the core elk range is improving as managers have begun actively rotating timber harvest. In the past, timber harvest in the core elk range happened all at once, resulting in even-age stands of older timber and little understory forage for elk and deer. Improved habitat on public land should ultimately mean more elk and more hunter opportunity. What more could you ask for? 
 
The biggest regulation change this year is the elimination of the October elk season. Now, the September hunts will target private land outside the core range, and a week-long December hunt will focus on elk in the core range. An advisory team, which includes a representative from RMEF, recently completed a report suggesting management strategies to the DNR. Managers are still working on revisions to the state’s elk management plan that should be finalized by the 2011 season.

Visit www.michigan.gov/dnrhunting

Minnesota
Elk Population: 175
Bull/Cow Ratio: 50/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 72 percent

With only a dozen elk tags available and less than 1,000 applicants in 2010, managers here needed a way to get more hunters interested in applying for the $250 once-in-a-lifetime tag. Enter Ryan Muirhead. He staked his claim on a massive 458 4/8-bull as it died of pneumonia, (see page 90) and word got out that Minnesota can grow some massive bulls.
 
The state has two herds, with the bulk of them moving back and forth across the Canadian border. Managers counted 35-40 elk in the Grygla herd—a couple more than what the management plan calls for, and 141 elk in the “border herd.”

Visit www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/elk

Montana
Elk Population: 150,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 5-25/100
Nonresidents: $812
Hunter Success: 16 percent

The biggest news for nonresident elk hunters this year is the 37 percent jump in the price of an out-of-state elk permit. Why? In a ballot initiative last November, Montana voters abolished 5,500 outfitter-sponsored licenses, which guaranteed tags when hunters used an outfitter. The state was forced to raise permit prices to offset the lost revenue. If you happened to draw a bull tag for the Bear Paws or Big Snowies, you’ll almost certainly consider it money well spent, as the bulls there grow old and big. As for new opportunities, last year the Elk Foundation helped forever protect a 27,000-acre sweep of rich grassland and timber in the Deer Lodge Valley. It’s now the Spotted Dog Wildlife Management Area and open for the public to hunt, fish and hike. So far, the RMEF has conserved more than 550,000 acres of great Big Sky elk country. 
 
Much of the state saw near-record snowfall, with some parts of central and eastern Montana buried for almost 6 months. Deer didn’t fare well with drifts deep enough to cover an F-250, and pronghorn were especially hard hit, but elk in the legendary Missouri River Breaks came through just fine.
 
Statewide, elk populations held steady at 150,000, but wolves have taken a brutal toll on some herds. In the Danaher Basin of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, cow/calf ratios are 9/100, down from a long-term average of 24/100. Herds in the West Fork of the Bitterroot and the lower Clark Fork watershed are in steep decline, and the Northern Yellowstone herd continues its plummet, with numbers down still another 1,400 animals from last year’s counts.
 
Hunters will be smart to look toward Region 3 in the southwest, which yields almost 50 percent of the annual elk harvest, including some incredible bulls. There is plenty of wilderness there, but also lots of high-dollar private ranches with great elk habitat. Some allow public hunting, most don’t. By season’s end, many elk crowd onto these areas. Be sure to check the regs and find out which ranches are enrolled in the state’s access program known as Block Management (BMA). Most of the eight million acres of BMA lands are in the eastern portion of the state, where there are plenty of elk and fewer predators.
 
Barring another courtroom setback, Montana is on track to hold its second fair chase wolf hunt (the first was in 2009). The state has set a 220-wolf quota, with the general rifle season for wolves running October 22-December 31. (There are specific sub-quotas in 19 hunting units, so be sure you know the status before you go.) Licenses should go on sale in August.

Visit www.fwp.mt.gov

Nebraska
Elk Population: 2,300
Bull/Cow Ratio: 50/50
Residents only
Hunter Success: 61 percent

A whole lot of western Nebraska is still native grassland and could support a bunch of elk. With mountain lions and black bears rarely sighted, four-legged predators aren’t really an issue. It really all comes down to landowner tolerance, says Kit Hams, big game program coordinator. To keep landowners happy when elk take a chunk of their alfalfa, they are allotted one-third of all elk tags.
 
This year, both landowners and the general public will have the best opportunity in a decade with 294 tags, up 22 from last year. In 2010, 2,040 hunters applied for a relatively good chance for a bull permit at 1:29. Cow hunters fared even better at 1:6.
 
For public-land hunters, the rugged Pine Ridge in the northern panhandle offers a unique hunting opportunity as three units there hold more than half the state’s elk herd, two-thirds of the total permit allocation and more than 100,000 acres of public land that holds elk. The Elk Foundation has worked aggressively to secure key habitat and provide greater opportunity, permanently protecting more than 17,000 acres of prime elk country over the past decade. It’s all now open to the public.

Visit www.outdoornebraska.ne.gov/hunting

Nevada
Elk Population: 13,500
Bull/Cow Ratio: 32/100
Nonresidents: $142 hunting license plus $1,200 tag
Hunter Success: 47 percent

If you did well at the tables then you may want to take your luck and your winnings to apply for an elk permit—you’re gonna need them both. Odds for nonresidents pulling a tag in 2009 were 1:44, and tags will cost you well over a grand, which is a steal compared to the 89 private landowner tags that sold for more than $7,800 on average last year. Let’s say you do pony up the coin and draw a public-land tag. Then your odds just got a whole lot sweeter. Last season, 66 percent of bulls killed were six-points or better, many of them jaw-droppers.
 
Nevada’s herd has grown dramatically over the past three years, swelling by 10 percent this year alone. That’s great news for residents who get 4,600 tags—a good thousand more than last year. For nonresidents, the numbers aren’t so rosy; you’re allotted 133. Fear not nonresident. Buy yourself a winter place in Vegas (prices are pretty good right now) and apply as a resident.

Visit www.ndow.org/hunt

New Mexico
Elk Population: 75,000-95,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 40-45/100
Nonresidents: $555 standard bull, $780 quality bull
Hunter Success:  33 percent

You have to admit, New Mexico has it all plus a few, including oryx and ibex. And if it’s elk you’re after, the Land of Enchantment has plenty of those, and some of America’s finest. A mild winter with monsoons on the way should have elk in top shape this fall. The state is split roughly into 30 percent “quality” units (big bulls, small odds) and 70 percent “opportunity,” though that’s not to say there aren’t 350-class bulls among those easier-to-draw units. You just have to work for them.
 
New reg changes this year give hunters a little more time to get their bull. Shooting hours were expanded to 30 minutes before sunrise and after sunset. Hunters looking for plenty of opportunity should focus on the north-central units including Unit 36 where elk herds continue to grow and managers have issued more permits. For last-minute non-resident hunters with cash to spend, landowner tags are your ticket.

Visit www.wildlife.state.nm.us
 
North Dakota
Elk Population: 1,200
Bull/Cow Ratio: N/A
Nonresidents: One raffle tag available
Hunter Success: 49 percent

For the past few years, North Dakota has had far more elk than managers wanted. That changed last fall and winter as volunteer “hunters” took to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) to cull (read kill) 406 elk out of an estimated 950. Managers still hope to get numbers down under 400 there and will likely hold another shoot this year. For the rest of the state’s elk and fair-chase hunters, things are pretty much status-quo, save for a brutal winter that started November 20 and didn’t let up until April. Elk fared well, but deer and pronghorn took a hit. Outside of TRNP, elk can be found in the northeast corner and along the west-central border, with estimated numbers at around 450. Other small herds are scattered in pockets throughout the state. This year, managers will issue 500 tags—355 any-sex and 145 antlerless tags.

Visit www.gf.nd.gov/hunting

Oklahoma
Elk Population: 2,200
Bull/Cow Ratio: N/A
Nonresidents: $306
Hunter Success: N/A

Landowners in Oklahoma are the big winners when it comes to hunting elk. With only 85 public-land permits (down from 330 last year), residents looking to pull one of these once-in-a-lifetime tags have less than a 1 percent chance. But if you own some land that elk enjoy, the state holds an open season on elk on private lands, meaning there is no quota on private-land for elk. If you were among the 99 percent unsuccessful, you might still be able to find a landowner, work out an access fee, buy your tag online and hunt Okie elk.
 
The best public elk hunting opportunity is on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge where hunters get 2 ½ days to tag their elk. A few small herds are scattered in the northeast and southeast corners as well with one permit available in each of those areas.

Visit www.wildlifedepartment.com

Ontario
Elk Population: 700
Bull/Cow Ratio: 30/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: N/A

Due Thirteen years after the RMEF helped reintroduce elk to Ontario, the province will hold its first modern elk hunt. Anywhere between 300-775 elk reside in the Bancroft/North Hastings area in the southern end of the province where the hunt will take place. In the late 1990s, with funding help from the Elk Foundation and others, elk were transplanted from Alberta and released into the Nipissing/French River, Bancroft/North Hastings, North Shore of Lake Huron, and Lake of the Woods areas. Wolf predation and poaching took their toll on early survival. But now, lucky hunters will hold 24 bull tags and 46 cow tags for the late-September hunt.

Visit www.ontario.ca/hunting

Oregon
Elk Population: 125,000 (65,000 Rocky Mountain, 60,000 Roosevelt’s)
Bull/Cow Ratio: 19/100 Rocky Mountain, 13/100 Roosevelt’s
Nonresidents: license $141, tag: $501
Hunter Success: 16 percent Rocky Mountain, 12 percent Roosevelt’s

Oregon’s harvest reports date back before America’s entry into WWII. In 1940, 6,152 hunters killed 2,529 elk for a 41 percent success rate. Consider that in 2009, 113,265 hunters killed 14,070 elk for a 12 percent success rate. Makes you wonder how those old-timers were able to eclipse the current success rate with open-sighted rifles, wool shirts, rain slickers and logging boots. Granted, the glory days had fewer restrictions and way less hunting pressure. But with more hunters comes a few more rules, including this season as hunters 17 and under are required to wear a hunter orange hat or vest when hunting any big game with any firearm. If wearing orange bums young hunters, tell them to chill: an extended season (Aug. 1-Dec. 31) youth elk hunt will continue again this year.
 
There are no longer archery elk hunting opportunities during the late season, except for a new draw-only archery hunt in the northwest. But this year archery equipment is allowed during rifle seasons.  
 
Much of eastern Oregon saw record snowfall in the mountains. Elk were fat and happy going into it, and biologists are hopeful they came out unscathed.
 
Bowhunters can prowl most of the east side with only a general tag, but for rifle hunters, nearly everything east of the Cascades is permit-only, save for a second-season rifle hunt in a few units of the northeast. If you’re tagless, though, fear not. Roosevelt’s elk tags are still over-the-counter (except for the far northwest corner and the far southwest corner), herds remain strong and there are some beasts on the hoof.
 
Elk hunters along the eastern and northern border will be competing with three known wolf packs: the Imnaha (eight wolves, with more pups likely); the Wenaha (six wolves) and Walla Walla (three wolves). The Walla Walla pack is new and wildlife managers are still trying to determine their range, which may lie primarily in Washington. The state again offers its interactive map system (www.oregonhuntingmap.com), which details contours, Forest Service roads and trails, wildlife management units, hunting access areas—with descriptions of the areas—and more.

Visit www.dfw.state.or.us

Pennsylvania
Elk Population: 750
Bull/Cow ratio: 28/100
Nonresidents: $250 for elk tag; $101 for license
Hunter success: 80 percent

Last year, we reported Pennsylvania as a sleeper state for record-book bulls, with several non-typicals taping over 420. Lo and behold, they just broke their own record for typical bulls with one killed last fall scoring just over 387. At only five years old, imagine if he’d had just a couple more years on him? It’s now fair to say that the state could indeed produce a bull that breaks not only state but world records.
 
Alongside antler size, elk populations and hunter opportunity continue to grow as well. With the herd up 7 percent over last year, the state is offering 10 more antlerless tags for a total of 18 bull permits and 38 antlerless. Odds for drawing remain slim (around 1:1000), but if you do pull the coveted tag, the state boasts the highest success rate in North America.
 
Nonresidents have a shot at those elk for a very reasonable price: $10 application fee and $351 for license and tag. And more than half of the elk live on over a million acres of public land. That’s a lot of opportunity, especially for those willing to hoof it into some of the elks’ more rugged strongholds. If you do strike out during the regular season, the state holds an extended season for any elk that stray from the elk management area, which keeps farmers happy and any unpunched tag holders even happier with one more shot at a record-book bull.

Visit www.pgc.state.pa.us

Saskatchewan
Elk Population: 16,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 20/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 23 percent

With 4.5 people for every square mile, this province gives hunters room to roam. Last year, the province saw only 8,400 elk hunters compared to 50,000 hunters chasing its whitetails. In the south where most people live and farm, elk populations are on the rise and each year seems to bring new hunting opportunities there. New in 2011 are antlerless seasons in zones 21, north of Regina, and 52, south of Prince Albert.
 
It was a tough winter across much of the province, and the central and northeast areas saw high deer mortality and some elk mortality. Near the town of Hudson Bay, though, where the prairie meets the forest, managers have implemented a bulls-only season, followed by an either-sex season—all of which can be had with over-the-counter tags.

Visit http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/hunting

South Dakota
Elk Population: 3,200
Bull/Cow Ratio: 34/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 53 percent

So The Black Hills are the beacon for most of the state’s elk hunters. There are several small prairie herds scattered elsewhere in the state, but the Hills is where managers want to see the herd grow to roughly 4,000. They aim to increase hunter opportunity in the long-term … which means decreased hunter opportunity in the short-term. To boost herd numbers, managers cut any-elk rifle tags by 25 to 470. Antlerless tags took an even bigger hit, dropping from 570 last year to 395.
 
To get a better handle on cow and calf elk survival along with causes of specific mortality and calf recruitment, researchers are working on a four-year study that uses implanted transmitters inside pregnant cow elk that emit an altered frequency when they come out with the newborn calves. Researchers zoom in to collar the calves within 24 hours of being born. Thanks to funding from the RMEF, they’ve been able to collar 30 so far.

Visit www.sdgfp.info/wildlife/hunting

Tennessee
Elk Population: 300-400
Bull/Cow Ratio: N/A
Nonresidents: 1 permit to nonresidents and 1 auction tag
Hunter Success: 60 percent

As Tennessee’s elk population holds steady, managers are working to expand their range while improving the lands they already call home, including the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Here managers are working to burn 10,000 acres in 10 years to invigorate hardwood forests and provide better forage for everything from cerulean warblers to elk. The RMEF has already helped enhance 3,000 acres of prime habitat on the North Cumberland.
 
If you do happen to draw one of the four permits, you’ll have a designated 8,000-acre zone to hunt all by your lonesome. Last year, two hunters failed to fill their tags and helped boost herd numbers even more, which is fine with Steve Bennett, elk restoration project coordinator. The ultimate goal is still to see the herd reach 2,000 animals. Keeping the hunt permits conservative and pouring on the habitat work will speed growth toward that goal.

Visit www.state.tn.us/twra/elkmain.html

Utah
Elk Population:
Elk Population: 72,500
Bull/Cow Ratio: N/A
Nonresidents: $80 hunting license, plus permit (cost ranges from $280 to $1,500 depending on gender and unit)
Hunter Success: 17 percent

It’s no secret that Utah has accounted for a staggering number of record-book bulls over the past decade. The fact that the overall population continues to grow as well is testament to good management. Biologists survey herd populations every three years here and the numbers are trending north, which translates into 1,200 more cow tags and 1,250 more spike permits this fall. Odds are still tough for limited-entry tags. Residents are looking at 1:16 odds. Nonresidents get 10 percent of available rifle tags, which means 1:44 chances, but do note that archery tags are unlimited for nonresidents.
 
The state’s largest herds are found in the Wasatch, Plateau and Fish Lake units, which should produce some serious antler growth as this year saw a particularly wet spring.

Visit wildlife.utah.gov/hunting/biggame

Washington
Elk Population: 55,000-60,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 12-20/100
Nonresidents: $434—will rise to $497 before season starts
Hunter Success: 8 percent general/ 39 percent for special limited-entry permits

The state’s elk population is divided about evenly between Roosevelt’s in the west and Rocky Mountain elk to the east. Managers help spread hunter densities and opportunities by making hunters choose east or west, and they wind up split about 50/50 as well.
 
In the famous Blue Mountains of southeast Washington, resident and nonresident hunters alike will find over-the-counter spike tags readily available. Highly–prized permits for branch-antlered bulls will be far tougher to come by. We reported last year that the Yakima herd was struggling, and managers cut permit numbers. It appears they are doing better than expected and this year features increased antlerless permits for the area. Over on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest where Mount St. Helens blew its top 31 years ago managers are still trying to knock down herd numbers with increased special permits for antlerless elk.
 
On the coast, Roosevelt’s elk will be sliding between clearcuts and dense thickets on either end of the day. As always, hunting here will be tough and most likely wet, but those who bring home a mahogany-stained rack (and enough organic, free-range meat to fill any freezer) will have ample reason to be proud. Both nonresident and resident hunters should take note that elk tag fees will jump nearly 15 percent effective September 1 to help cover budget shortfalls.  
 
Wolves from Idaho and British Columbia have now established three confirmed packs in the state, with two or three additional packs suspected but unconfirmed. After years of study and reams of public input, the state hopes to finally adopt a wolf management plan by the end of December.

Visit www.wdfw.wa.gov/hunting
 
Wyoming
Elk Population 120,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 23/100
Nonresidents: $591 for permit/$302 for cow-calf permit/ $1071 for special permit
Hunter Success: 44 percent

It’s Some of the best hunter success rates in the West combined with high elk densities and surplus tags make Wyoming a great bet for filling the freezer. Last year, hunters harvested 25,600 elk, up from a five-year average of 21,000. Biologists say mature bulls continue to thrive in most hunting units and the state is still over-objective. Unfortunately, many of those elk hole up on private ranches with steep access fees during the fall.
 
To get hunters to the elk, managers have created a new hunter management program. Last year a pilot program started in the North Laramie Peak area; this fall it will be in the Cody area as well. An agency representative acts as a middle-man between hunters and landowners. If a landowner has some elk he doesn’t want around, he calls up the rep, who then calls huntes to take care of the problem. Interested hunters should look on the Wyoming Game and Fish website to sign up.
 
The dark exception to what should otherwise be a banner year for elk hunting in Wyoming is the state’s northwest corner in and around Yellowstone National Park. Elk populations in the Clark’s Fork and Cody herds are still down significantly due to predation and poor habitat conditions. The Jackson herd that summers in Yellowstone is well off the mark, which is why managers are being conservative on tags there. Roughly half the units just outside the Park (75,55,52) have set quotas while the rest of the units save for 72 that is closed, are limited to antlered elk only.  To help boost herd numbers in the northwest, the RMEF helped fund calf-recruitment surveys and a study on wolf predation and elk nutrition in that area. The Elk Foundation also provided funds to help purchase a conservation easement on 19,000 acres of key elk habitat along the Green River near Pinedale, forever protecting it from development and opening it to public access.

Visit gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/hunting

Yukon Territory
Elk Population: 250-300
Bull/Cow Ratio: 24/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 52 percent

This fall, Yukon’s wall-hanger bulls can rest easier as wildlife managers will issue only antlerless permits inside the elk management zone. With two distinct herds, Takhini and Braeburn, the territory held its first elk hunt in a quarter-century in 2009, and followed it with a second hunt last year. Those hunts were overwhelmingly successful—too successful. Hunters have been stoked to find massive bulls and have had a 73 percent success rate on bulls, and a 31 percent success rate on cows. So this year managers are offering cow-only permits to lighten the pressure on bulls while knocking herd numbers down to management objective (about 100 fewer animals than are now in the Takhini herd). The target bull/cow ratio for the area is 50/100.
 
A total of 72 permits for the month-long season are issued via lottery, with eight additional going to First Nations. While the herds see low calf-recruitment at a 16/100 calf/cow ratio, the good news is elk are roaming into the Territory’s northeastern corner from British Columbia. How many stick around is anyone’s guess.

Visit www.environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca