It is a fact that where wolves are concentrated, the elk herds continue to be heavily impacted and calf recruitment rates are alarming.

However, we believe the forecast is a valuable service to our members, and we will continue to provide agency data through this forecast.

 — David Allen,
      RMEF President & CEO

Alaska
Elk Population: Kodiak Archipelago (GMU 8)—650 Etolin (GMU 3)—Not available
Bull/Cow Ratios: Not available
Nonresidents: $85 hunting license plus $300 elk tag, and must hire a guide
Hunter Success: GMU 8—17 percent, GMU 3—5 percent
 
Think you’re tough? Resume chest-thumping only after you’ve hunted GMU 3’s South Etolin Wilderness for a week in southeast Alaska. Rainfall exceeds 90 inches per year and the thick cover hides some of the world’s largest brown bears. Recent success rates hover around 5 percent with an annual average of six bulls killed for the entire unit. While bulls in the lower 48 average 700 pounds, bulls here can get up to 1,300. Consider yourself successful just for giving it a try. Zarembo Island northwest of Etolin has remained closed to hunting since 2006 because of low elk numbers. 

For GMU 8 in southern Alaska, the odds are considerably better at 17 percent, though rest assured you’ll be hunting the fringes of hypothermia. Managers are trying to grow the herd to around 800-1,000 animals. Not bad when you consider in 1929 only eight elk were imported to the area from Washington’s Hoh Valley.

Fifteen years ago, these big-bodied bulls had comparatively tiny antlers. That all changed when herd numbers crashed with the winter of 1998-99. Lower herd numbers allowed more forage to flourish, and bulls took advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet. Now, GMU 8 in southern Alaska gives you a shot at some mighty big Roosevelt’s. Area biologist Larry van Deale says some recent trophies would have made the record books had the hunters cared to enter them.

Visit www.wildlife.alaska.gov.

Alberta
Elk Population: 33,000
Bull/Cow Ratios: Not available
Nonresidents: $255/must hire a guide
Hunter Success: Not available

In the eyes of the record books, elk here live in the shadow of the province’s monster whitetails and beastly bruins. Yet there are opportunities for some fine elk hunting as elk expand east and south onto the prairies and parkland. As they migrate, managers establish more hunting opportunities—last year alone saw three new areas open to elk hunting. Some of the biggest bulls are in these new units. The northern-most units have hunts well into January, and landowners typically welcome responsible cow hunters with open arms.

The best (and only) shot for a nonresident is to go through an outfitter, as they are allotted roughly 10 percent of draw tags.

Visit www.srd.alberta.ca.

Arizona
Elk Population: 25,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 34/100
Nonresidents: $121 hunting license (nonrefundable to enter drawing) plus $595 elk permit.
Hunter Success: 30 percent

This mega-bull state allows hunters the chance to chase elk 365 days per year—and you don’t need a Governor’s tag to do it. These over-the-counter hunts are designed to help keep elk numbers in check where they are less-than-desirable, like the North Kaibab Plateau. One catch, though—there are generally not a lot of elk in these areas and hunt success is low, but at least you don’t have to blow any bonus points on the hunts.

For hunters looking for more traditional seasons, opportunities abound. Even though the state claims 25,000 elk, its mesas and arroyos could be hiding upwards of 40,000, says Brian Wakeling, Arizona’s game branch chief. They conduct elk counts in August and September, and the thick tree cover makes it tough to get accurate counts with aerial surveys. Overlooked elk means better odds of success for you.

With abundant moisture this winter and little winterkill, elk herds are flourishing. Last year saw little daylight rut activity, with bulls bugling only by moonlight, which held bowhunter success to around 25 percent. Logic says those big bulls that survived merely got bigger for this season. Also bettering your odds is Fish and Game’s goal to get bull/cow ratios down to 25/100 to create more hunter opportunity. That translates into more bull tags. 

A great resource on Arizona harvest data, drawing odds and hunting pressure is “Hunt Arizona” available on the department’s website at www.azgfd.gov.

Arkansas
Elk Population: 500
Bull/Cow Ratio: 40/100
Nonresidents: varies for private landowner tags and three auction tags
Hunter Success: 42 percent

With most states, the seasons play a role in elk health, and in Arkansas it’s no different. But it’s the summer not the winter that can put a beating on elk. The heat of summer will push elk onto private land where often they are not welcome. Yet with good spring rains providing high-quality forage on public land this year, the elk would rather just stay where they’re welcome.

When Arkansas held its first elk hunting season in 1998, hunter success was close to 100 percent. Now, those elk are far wilier and their access to public land continues to expand, including 3,000 acres purchased in 2008 by Game and Fish with help from the RMEF. Located between the Gene Rush Wildlife Management Area and Buffalo National River, the property was at first slow to attract elk, but now, 20 percent of the state’s elk have been observed there.

Out-of-state hunters have a couple options: either buy an auction tag or contact a landowner for access. For the latter, hunters must receive written permission from the landowner to hunt their private property, and can only hunt there. Available tags remain the same as last year: 29 public-land tags (8 bull, 16 antlerless, 2 either-sex youth tags, plus 3 either-sex auction tags).

Visit www.agfc.com.

British Columbia
Elk Population: 50,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 20/100
Nonresidents: $189 hunting license, plus $262.50 for elk permit. Must hire a guide.
Hunter Success: Not available

With 15 big game species to hunt, this province is a hunter’s paradise, boasting a thriving population of Rocky Mountain elk and some of the biggest Roosevelt’s bulls in the world, says Stephen MacIver, wildlife regulations officer. To hunt Roosies or Rocky Mountain elk in the province, one must first hurdle the odds of drawing a limited-entry tag. The odds are roughly 35:1. But, anyone, including nonresidents, can hire a guide, and lucky for you, guides are allotted a percentage of the tags.

If you watched the Olympics, you have an idea of what the winter was like for the entire province—mild. And that’s good news for elk. Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast in the far west have strong populations of Roosevelt’s. For Rocky Mountain elk, your best bet would be the Kootenay region in the southeast, which boasts the province’s highest success rates. Most of the area requires a minimum of six tines or more on one antler. So many bulls live long enough to reach their full antler-growth potential. Another good option is the agricultural zones in the Peace River region.

Visit www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw. 

California
Elk Population: 1,500 Rocky Mountains,  6,000 Roosevelt’s, 3,900 tules
Bull/Cow Ratios: 20/100 to 90/100
Nonresidents: $145 hunting license (nonrefundable to enter drawing) plus $1,173 elk permit.
Hunter Success: 75 percent

Conditions are ripe for a world-record tule, says Joe Hobbs, California Fish and Game elk coordinator. For the East Park Reservoir Unit, good spring rains this year and a low harvest of old bulls last year have left the environment in top shape for antler growth. That’s the good news. The bad news? Your odds of drawing a bull tag there are 1 in 350. If you’re feeling really lucky, apply for Grizzly Island with bulls just as big and draw odds more than twice as bad (1 in 1,000). To add insult to injury, only one nonresident tag can be issued through the draw annually.

But other chances abound if you’re willing to shell out the cash for a number of auction tags: one for Grizzly Island, one for Owens Valley, a multiple zone tag, and tags offered by RMEF at Elk Camp. If odds and auctions aren’t your thing, private landowners receive a limited number of hunts to do with as they please, like sell it to you.

Forest fires over the past few years have herds in other parts of the state doing very well. The Marble Mountains unit in the northwest—much of it in the spectacular Marble Mountain Wilderness—is one of those areas, with 35 bull tags, 10 antlerless and 5 late-season muzzleloader/archery either-sex tags. It’s also an area worth looking into if you’re a first-time applicant, as 10 of those tags (9 bull, 1 either-sex) are randomly drawn, while the other 30 are based on preference points. Odds there hover around 2 percent— 8 percent if you have max points.

If the odds have you down, this might help. Talks are in the works to reestablish a free-ranging herd on 200,000 acres of grassland in the Central Valley. Plans are still in the feasibility stage, but that could mean more habitat, more elk and more elk hunting opportunity. In the northeast corner, elk that walked in  from Oregon and Nevada are now thriving, including some of the biggest bulls in America. To help ease a sometimes thirsty transition onto the Modoc National Forest, the RMEF helped pay for and install four 1,800-gallon wildlife guzzlers, which will improve year-round habitat in an area that already has one of the most sought-after elk permits in the state.

Visit www.dfg.ca.gov.

Colorado
Elk Population: 286,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 30/100
Nonresidents: cow—$354/ any elk—$544
Hunter Success: 23 percent

Let’s be honest, the land of the fourteeners is the land of plenty for elk and elk hunters, but it isn’t currently known for producing behemoth bulls. But that could be a different story this hunting season. The past two falls have been cursed with warm weather, leaving elk up high and the ground firecracker dry. In the northwest where many of the really big bulls roam, elk migration didn’t even begin until after regular rifle seasons were over. Couple that with abundant spring and summer moisture producing high-quality forage, and you have the perfect setup for high-quality bulls. Of course, you’re not going to be alone, as the state sees more than 200,000 hunters afield.

Those more than happy simply to go elk hunting and take home a couple hundred pounds of the world’s finest meat will notice the $100 fee increase for cow tags. Why? Elk populations have been carefully trimmed to at or near objectives in many places in the state. Colorado DOW has also recommended cutting 1,500 cow/either-sex rifle tags across the state. Places where herds remain above objective, such as the Gunnison Basin, will see more rifle tags available. For archery hunters there, over-the-counter licenses for units 54, 55 and 551 have been nixed. It’s all limited-entry now, as masses of bowhunters were pushing the elk onto private ranches where they remained the rest of the season. 

In the west on the Uncomphagre Plateau, (GMU 61 to the west and 62 to the east) the best of both worlds awaits hunters. GMU 61 is a limited-draw area, while 62 sees quite a lot of hunters in this over-the-counter area. To help ensure the area stays full of elk and hunter opportunity, the Elk Foundation helped fund a habitat enhancement project, removing dense stands of pinyons and junipers. The scrubby pines proliferate due to fire suppression and choke out native grasses.

To get you started on the hunt or to jumpstart your to-do list for this season, check out DOW’s elk hunting videos on the web: http://wildlife.state.co.us/NewsMedia/Videos.

Idaho
Elk Population: 101,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 25/100
Nonresidents: license $155, tag $417
Hunter Success: 20 percent

Since 2007, Idaho’s elk population has fallen by 24,000. And for the second year in a row, out-of-state tag revenues in the state have mirrored that trend. Hunters list wolves, the economy and nonresident tag prices as factors. This isn’t ideal for state wildlife coffers, but it could be ideal if you’re looking for elk hunting all to yourself.

Wolves have hit elk populations in the classic elk country of the Lolo, Sawtooth and Selway areas hard, and the state has capped tags. Bull:cow and cow:calf ratios are in tough shape, and the statewide population could fall below 100,000 for the first time in decades. But the declines are by no means across the board. Elk populations are at or above objectives in 22 of 29 elk hunt zones. And a mild winter boosted cow and calf elk survival rates across most of the state.

It’s no secret that wolves can hammer elk populations, but the most lasting damage is done by the jaws of subdivisions and mini-malls devouring habitat. When conservation-minded landowners want to see their land protected, the Elk Foundation is there to help. Donna Standley’s 350-acre ranch in the northern panhandle provides year-round elk habitat and she wanted to see it stay that way forever. So in 2009, she placed her property in a conservation easement with the RMEF. 

Those elk populations around Donna’s ranch, and along the western and southern borders of the state, continue to be strong. The Beaverhead, Lemhi, Island Park, Teton, Snake River, Palisades and Tex Creek zones all have healthy herds and offer the kind of elk hunting Idaho is famous for.

Visit fishandgame.idaho.gov.

Kansas
Elk Population: 250-275
Bull/Cow Ratio: 40/100
Nonresidents: Private landowner permits and one Commissioner’s Permit, usually sold at auction
Hunter Success: 75 percent either sex, 50 anterless

Known for basketball, tornados and Toto, the sunflower state can now add unlimited over-the-counter (OTC), either-sex tags to the mix. That’s right, in certain counties across the state, namely those not adjacent to Fort Riley or Cimarron National Grasslands, any resident can purchase OTC tags, hook up with a landowner and hunt elk. Landowners in Hamilton County in western Kansas voiced concern over crop depredation, and biologists responded with the liberal permits. Will they wipe out the elk? “Not likely,” says Matt Peek, elk program coordinator. “Even though there’s been some crop damage, we expect hunter access to be pretty limited. One should definitely have a place to hunt before buying the permit.”  

Care to play the odds with a once-in-a-lifetime tag? More than half the state’s elk reside on and around 100,000-acre Fort Riley, which allows hunting: 12 either-sex (up 4 from last year) and 15 antlerless permits. Kansas is home to some brutes, but the hunts aren’t a shoe-in. There’s a lot of very thick cover, and the elk take full advantage of the bombing “impact zone” that is closed to access. Elk do leave the Fort and wander adjacent private land, and landowners can receive hunt-own-land permits for any AWOL elk.

Visit www.kdwp.state.ks.us.

Kentucky
Elk Population: 10,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 35-40/100
Nonresidents: $10 to apply, $365 for permit, $130 for hunting license
Hunter Success: 80 percent

Talk about one popular elk hunt. This year the Bluegrass state’s wapiti hunt was so popular that applicants from all 50 states applied, including the District of Columbia. That’s a great vote of confidence for the East’s biggest herd, but it means the odds of drawing got even longer for nonresidents: 1:200. For Kentuckians, they’re competing against 29,000 other hunters for 720 tags—far better odds at 1:42. Of course, you can just plop down some major coin for one of 10 Commissioner’s Tags that are either raffled or auctioned. The state also offers 25 tags to landowners with at least 5,000 acres, many of whom are mining or timber companies. Occasionally they’ll auction them as well.

Permit numbers in the state have been on a roller-coaster the past few years. Last year, permits rocketed up 50 percent to 1,000 tags. Hunters had 60 percent success on cows and 91 percent on bulls. So, managers reined in the number of permits this year back to 800, in hopes of beefing up the population.

Visit www.kdfwr.state.ky.us.

Manitoba
Elk Population: 6,500
Bull/Cow Ratio: 35-45/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 20 percent

So, you want to hunt elk in Manitoba, eh? Unless you have a pocketful of loonies, forget about it—residents only here. But the good news: they love their elk. “It’s the most desired species to hunt,” says Ken Rebizant, provincial big game manager. Traditional strongholds such as the Porcupine, Interlake and Duck Mountain regions are going to have elk, and big ones, but they’re tough draws, as the province has no over-the-counter tags. But, since bovine tuberculosis has impacted the Riding Mountain herd, provoking managers to reduce herd numbers, interest in the area has waned. That may be all you need to finally draw.

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

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

For years, the state has tried to get its elk numbers down around 800, and now it seems managers have succeeded. The tendency for elk to wreak havoc on some ag operations in the northern lower peninsula had managers working hard to reduce the herd. Now that they’ve hit their mark, Michigan will offer 230 tags, 150 less than last year. 

This year, the state will offer 75 any-elk tags with 155 antlerless. In 2009, 39,000 hunters applied. This year, odds are likely to be even tougher. But hey, someone has to draw. Might as well be you. The either-sex tag is a once-in-a-lifetime tag, while drawing an anterless tag will have you waiting a decade to apply again.

For an extra opportunity, prospective elk hunters may apply for the second-ever Pure Michigan Hunt drawing. Individuals may apply as many times as they wish between March 1, 2010, and December 31, 2010, and three hunters will be eligible to participate in all of Michigan’s limited-access hunts in 2011, including elk. Residents and nonresidents may apply, though under current Michigan statute an elk license may not be purchased by nonresidents. 

Managers are working on revisions to a state management plan that should be finalized for the 2011 season.

Visit www.michigan.gov/dnrhunting.

Minnesota
Elk Population: 170
Bull/Cow Ratio: 50/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 79 percent

The Land of 10,000 lakes has a love/hate relationship with its elk. Hunters and wildlife
watchers love ‘em. Farmers, not so much. Managers have been trying to lure elk off private land in the state’s northwest corner by mechanically treating brush and burning portions of the 32,000-acre Wapiti Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and the 31,000-acre Beaches Lake WMA. They’ve also been planting food plots inside these WMAs. Still, depredation management and escaped game farm elk mingling with wild elk have caused one herd to be eliminated and hurt overall population growth.

Despite the tough times, there are still enough elk for a small hunting season. This year, Minnesota will issue 11 once-in-a-lifetime tags for two separate seasons. Last year, 2,072 applicants put their name in for 30 permits. The state tries to alleviate some landowner angst by giving them 20 percent of the available tags. 

Last year, managers were able to work out a five-year management plan, which calls for 30-38 elk in the Grygla herd, 20-30 animals in the Kittson Central herd and a currently undetermined number in the Caribou-Vita herd. Discussions are being held between the state DNR and Manitoba Conservation regarding population goals for the Caribou-Vita herd, which freely travels across the border.

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

Montana
Elk Population: 150,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 5-25/100
Nonresidents: $593
Hunter Success: 22 percent

There are plenty of elk in many pockets of Big Sky country. In fact, Montana continues to boast the second highest elk population of any state by a margin of 30,000 animals. But some populations have plummeted in the past five years. The northern Yellowstone herd is down to 6,000 animals from 19,000 in 1996. Areas north of Yellowstone National Park have seen permits cut and over-the-counter tags change to a draw. Populations in the West Fork of the Bitterroot River and the lower Clark Fork River are 60 percent below objective, with just 7 calves per 100 cows. All antlerless tags have been cut, and bulls will be hard to come by. Elk populations are well below objectives throughout much of Region 1 in the northwest. Hunters will find elk widely dispersed and wary throughout their traditional ranges in the western third of the state where wolves howl.

But the farther one goes east of the Continental Divide, the more elk appear. Most of the eastern portion of the state is 20 percent above population objectives. And the Elk Foundation is doing its part to ensure those herds continue to flourish. The RMEF helped fund prescribed burns in the rangeland and timbered coulees of the Musselshell Breaks in 2009 to improve forage on BLM land for elk and other wildlife. In ranges like the Tobacco Roots and Gravellys, elk populations are healthy. Hunters venturing into antelope country might do well to explore the Little Belt Mountains for elk. Also be on the lookout for new Elk B tags sold over the counter in some units with too many elk.

The big bulls are most definitely out there. A mild winter and moist spring should make for optimum antler growth. But it’s doubtful they’re going to run in front of your truck. Lace up those boots, hump a few miles in, and you’ll encounter elk on their terms.

Visit www.fwp.mt.gov.

Nebraska
Elk Population: 2,400
Bull/Cow Ratio: Not available
Residents only
Hunter Success: 80 percent bulls/58 cows

The state’s elk herds are still growing consistently around 15-20 percent every year. Luckily, the public land that accommodates them is growing as well, including the 4,800-acre Montz Ranch and the 5,700-acre Carter Canyon Ranch, both just west of the Wildcat Hills WMA. RMEF monies went to help permanently protect both areas in the past three years and open them for public hunting.

As herd numbers grow, opportunities to hunt grow with them, but only if you’re a resident. This year, the state will issue 272 tags, up 40 from last year, with 98 bull and 174 cow permits. To continue promoting strong landowner relations, one-third of those permits are available to private landowners in a drawing and non-transferable.

Visit www.ngpc.state.ne.us/hunting.

Nevada
Elk Population: 12,300 
Bull/Cow Ratio: 32/100
Nonresidents: $142 hunting license plus $1,200 tag
Hunter Success: 44 percent

This year’s “baby boomer” award goes to the land of craps tables and bordellos. In the past two years, the elk population there has grown nearly 30 percent. The opportunities for hunters to chase them have followed suit. A few hundred tags more than last year will be issued this season, for a total of 3,350. Ten percent of those tags go to nonresidents who are looking at pretty decent 1:44 odds to draw a bull tag.

Elk herds here grow as sagebrush and bitterbrush succumb to drought and wildfire. Then grass takes their place. The mule deer aren’t happy about it, but the elk love it. The quality of bulls in the harvest remains high with more than 67 percent of bulls reported being six points or better. Landowners seem content as well. The state’s Elk Management on Private Lands Program distributed 66 tags to property owners to do with as they wish. Estimated revenue generated from those tags topped nearly $500,000 for the landowners. So if you don’t draw in the lottery, you can always track down a landowner—though they may not take plastic.

Visit www.ndow.org/hunt.

New Mexico
Elk Population: 75,000-95,000 
Bull/Cow Ratio: 42/100
Nonresidents: $27 nonrefundable fee to enter drawing,
plus $562 standard bull tag, $787 quality bull tag
Hunter Success: 30 percent

With a little bit of everything, the Land of Enchantment allows hunters to stalk alpine elk during a blizzard or drop down to the Chihuahuan desert and sweat it out chasing wapiti through mirages. Most hunters though seem content enough to stay nestled right in-between in the mixed conifer and pinyon-juniper stands.

Last year’s harvest tallies were average, and the state picked up great winter moisture. The hills greened up nicely this spring, providing herds plenty of forage.

Out-of-staters looking to hunt here will find no over-the-counter tags. Those who didn’t draw may be able to contact a landowner for one of their tags (be ready to write a fairly hefty check). The state has no bonus or preference point system, so—love it or hate it—every year, everyone has the same chance. Residents get the bulk of the tags, 78 percent.

The state’s units are broken into “quality” and “opportunity” hunts. The former will get you a better chance at bigger bulls, but odds are steep. You can only apply for three units in one season. Looking for close to a sure thing? The state offers four Enhancement Tags. Some go to raffles, others go to auction. Money from the tags goes back on the ground for landscape-level projects, like those found on the Gila in the southwest. The Gila elk herds make up around 20,000 elk, and the RMEF is pitching in funds to help the Forest Service return fire to nearly 95,000 acres. Doing so will remove understory debris, improving the forage in this quality- management unit regularly producing bruiser bulls.

Visit www.wildlife.state.nm.us.
 
North Dakota
Elk Population: 2,000 
Bull/Cow Ratio: Not available
Nonresidents: One auction tag available
Hunter Success: 42 percent

Big news this year is the potential for culling elk inside Theodore Roosevelt National Park using park volunteers. With 950 elk, the park is looking to control elk populations, possibly killing 275 elk for the next five years to get populations between 100-400.

For the rest of the state’s elk, things are pretty much status-quo. Managers issued 561 tags—with 245 any-sex and 315 antlerless tags, the same as last year. Almost all hunting is now in the western Badlands, but elk may be moving south from Canada into the Turtle Mountains in the state’s north-central portion. No hunting is currently permitted there, but in the future anything can happen with the right habitat.

Visit www.gf.nd.gov/hunting.

Oklahoma
Elk Population: 2,300 
Bull/Cow Ratio: Not available
Nonresidents: $306
Hunter Success: Not available

Landowner tolerance and limited-but-suitable habitat are keeping the Sooner state’s elk populations holding steady. This also means that the number of permits to hunt public land still hovers around 330.

The odds of pulling one of these tags is dismal, at less than 1 percent. Plus, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime tag. Now for the good news. If you do draw, there are some truly fine Okie bulls.

Nonresidents looking to hunt here might do best to purchase a tag and then find a landowner who wants elk out of his winter wheat. While elk stay in the hills during the rut, the onset of winter brings them into ag country and into range. For cow hunts, seasons are extended well into December and January when elk tend to munch on private crops.

Visit www.wildlifedepartment.com/regs/elkseason.htm.

Oregon
Elk Population: 120,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 15/100
Nonresidents: license $140, tag: $500
Hunter Success: 13 percent

Due to budget constraints, biologists aren’t exactly sure how many elk they have as aerial surveys have been limited. But they think herd populations are stable. And this year, managers plan to issue nearly 1,000 more permits than last season.

Rocky Mountain elk dominate the east side of the Cascades while Roosevelt’s reign to the west. Most hunting in the steep and dark west is open to all comers with over-the-counter tags, while eastern Oregon is draw-only for rifle hunters. Bowhunters can still hunt most of the east side with a general tag. Those eastern elk have some new neighbors, as a couple wolf packs have established themselves in the northeast corner. Individual wolves are also dispersing into the state from Idaho.

A great new resource for both resident and nonresident hunters is an interactive map system (www.oregonhuntingmap.com). The map not only provides contours, Forest Service roads and trails, it also allows you to readily locate all the state’s wildlife management units and hunting access areas. It even includes a write-up for all access areas, along with a hunting report. Let’s hope every state gets on board with this one.

Visit www.dfw.state.or.us.

Pennsylvania
Elk Population: 700
Bull/Cow Ratio: 28/100
Nonresidents: $250 for elk tag; $101 for general license
Hunter Success: 94 percent bull/73 percent cow

To be blunt, the Quaker State has been growing some absolute toads. In 2006, a hunter killed a 4252⁄8 nontypical, while just last year a hunter killed a 4236⁄8 nontypical. Both bulls were around 6 years old. Records remain to be shattered if a bull can tack on a few extra years.

Managers are currently revising the state’s elk management plan to determine how many elk habitat and society will support. In the meantime, 51 tags will again be issued this season, with 18 bull/33 cow. Odds? Around a quarter of a percent. But nonresidents are welcome to apply. And there’s always one auction tag every year.

The state’s elk management area is split roughly 50/50 public/private, and at more than 2.5 million acres that’s a lot of room to roam, with most elk in Elk and Clearfield counties.

Visit www.pgc.state.pa.us.

Saskatchewan
Elk Population: 15,000-16,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 20/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 20 percent

Landowner tolerance for elk dictates seasons in this province. In the south where there is a lot of private farmland and the only predator carries a rifle, you’ll find ample antlerless quotas meant to get elk off the crops and into freezers. If you want a bull, this just might be your year. With so much open ag land, bulls are easy to spot. To help them gain a little antler weight, managers only allow them to be hunted every third year—which has produced some 400-inch monsters. Moose Mountain Provincial Park in the southeast corner is home to 1,400 elk and has seen numbers gaining strength in the past decade. This is a draw-only unit, open to either-sex, and also has outstanding bulls.

For challenging over-the-counter hunts, the north-central and western regions offer forests and meadow fringes that hide elk and plenty of their predators. All zones are bull-only or either-sex; check the regulations. You may want to bring your elk-in-heat/mosquito repellent for bow season—it starts August 20.

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

South Dakota
Elk Population: 5,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 75/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 50 percent

So you want to hunt elk in South Dakota? If you don’t live there, better stick to pheasants, as elk tags are only available to residents. But as game managers look to build up herd numbers, you never know what the future may hold.

The state’s largest herd in the Black Hills National Forest numbered as many as 5,000 animals back in 2003. Aggressive management knocked that number down to the current 3,000. Public attitudes have shifted and there is once again a cry for more elk and more hunting opportunity. To reach a goal of 4,000 in the Hills, managers have had to cut rifle tags again this year to 1,065—a drop of 300 from last year. It’s all a means to an end, though, as “hunters want more elk, and I want more elk,” says Ted Benzon, big game biologist.

As part of a 12,000-acre, landscape-scale effort in the Black Hills, the Elk Foundation is working with landowners to protect their land from development. In 2010, the RMEF completed a 9-year effort to acquire 2,400 acres of private land adjacent to the Black Hills National Forest and Wind Cave National Park from willing landowners and transfer it to the Forest Service, forever protecting the finest elk country in the state snd creating 2,400 acres of new public land.

Unit 2, the state’s biggest unit, is managed as a trophy area. A third of the bulls killed are 6-points or better, some of them massive. In the past, the average has been 40-50 percent, and that’s what managers want to see again. Residents’ odds of hunting a bull in the Black Hills are a solid 1:10. If you pull a tag, make the most of it, as you have to wait nine years to apply again.

Want to hunt elk in your home state this year? Put in for a cow hunt as your first choice; you’ll get the tag.

Visit www.sdgfp.info/wildlife/hunting.

Tennessee
Elk Population: 400
Bull/Cow Ratio: Not available
Nonresidents: $10 fee to enter drawing, $300 if drawn
Hunter Success: 100 percent

Elk came home to Tennessee back in 2000, thanks in large part to the Elk Foundation and its volunteers. At the time, the elk had roughly 50,000 acres of public land on which to live. By 2003, thanks to efforts of RMEF and others, that land exploded by 74,000 acres, providing nearly 140,000 contiguous public acres for elk to roam. Now, the herd is growing, and hunters are happy to chase them.

“We want to grow this elk herd, and add more hunters,” says Steve Bennett, elk restoration project coordinator. The herd seems to be cooperating. Last year, five lucky hunters participated in the state’s first sanctioned elk hunt, taking five elk, four on the first day. State wildlife managers hope to see the herd reach 2,000 animals within the next two decades. The herd population is up 100 from last year, and as it continues to grow the 150,000-acre North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area may not be quite big enough to support them.

That’s why managers like Bennett are working with private landowners within the 670,000-acre “elk zone” to literally mend fences and win support for these sometimes burdensome beasts.

But for now, the biggest hurdle for hunters is drawing a tag. You have a .03 percent chance of drawing (only one nonresident can draw). Or there is a single either-sex tag available by auction. But once you have the tag, the sky’s the limit. Each hunter has roughly 8,000 acres of public land designated all to themselves for the four-day October hunt.

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

Utah
Elk Population: 68,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 15-80/100
Nonresidents: $65 hunting license, plus $388 general tag, $795 limited-entry tag, or $1,500 premium limited-entry tag
Hunter Success: 17 percent

Statewide, hunters kill bulls that average around 6½ years. At that age, you’re looking at a jaw-dropping wall-hanger or a nice-sized bull; it all depends on what the elk have been eating. Luckily, Utah has seen good moisture this past winter and spring, keeping the hills green and lush. Translation: healthy brutes with big headgear.

Before you start packing the truck, odds of drawing a limited-entry tag are going to be tough. Odds for residents to pull a limited-entry tag are 1:16. Nonresidents, 1:44. But as the state’s herd slowly grows, so grows tag availability. Consider that in 2003, there were around 60,000 elk and 86 nonresident, limited-entry tags. Now, with 68,000 elk there are three times as many tags available.

It’s going to be a tough draw for the most popular units, such as San Juan and Fillmore Pahvant, but there are over-the-counter options out there, especially for archery hunters who are willing to hike into wilderness. With an any-bull tag in their pocket, hardcore backcountry archers just might find the big boys without the big crowds.

Visit wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/hunting.html.

Washington
Elk Population: 55,000-60,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 12 to 20/100 in most units
Nonresidents: $432
Hunter Success: 8 percent

With more hunters per elk than any other state, you’d think the state’s woods would be overrun. Well, if you’re hunting near a road, they probably are. Venture five miles behind a gate or into wilderness, and chances are you’ll have the place all to yourself—except for all the elk of course. Managers help control densities by making hunters choose either westside Roosevelt’s or eastside Rocky Mountain elk. Both hunters and elk are split about 50/50.

Generally, herd numbers are stable this season, as they are coming off a very mild winter. Traditionally an elk stronghold, the Yakima herd has seen a drop in recruitment, thus special permits for both branch-antlered bulls and cows have been cut 30-40 percent. Good news, though, for that herd and others in the area between Yakima and Wenatchee. Thanks in part to facilitation from the Elk Foundation, the state swapped 21,000 acres of checkboarded land for 82,000 acres of private timberland. Both properties were valued at $56.5 million. The final product: 61,000 acres open to all as a new state forest.

While it may take some time for the Yakima herd to rebound, the state has plenty of other hot spots like the classic elk country of the Blue Mountains. This area in the southeast corner has seen an increase in bull permits the last few years. The southwest is another winner for OTC permits, especially on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest around Mt. St. Helens where managers are trying to knock down herd numbers.

And finally, wolves have established at least two confirmed packs on the eastside. After three years of crafting, with much citizen input, the Division of Fish and Wildlife plans to submit a final wolf management plan to the State Fish and Wildlife Commission this fall.

Visit wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/.
 
Wyoming
Elk Population 120,000
Bull/Cow Ratio: 23/100
Nonresidents: $577 for permit/$288 for cow-calf permit/$1,057 for special permit
Hunter Success: 43 percent

It’s true. Some places in Wyoming have seen significant impacts from wolves and other carnivores. The eastern half of the Cody herd next to Yellowstone has seen poor calf-recruitment, made worse by predation. Once a general hunting area, it is now a limited-entry draw. That area is home to the Shoshone National Forest where aspens are losing ground to encroaching conifers because of fire suppression. To give elk a boost, the RMEF helped pay for conifer removal across aspen stands in the greatest danger of disappearing. The landscape around Jackson Hole and the Gros Ventre and Teton Wilderness Areas will see tightened seasons and antler-point restrictions to try
and boost bull-cow and cow-calf ratios.

But outside the northwest corner, the state’s cup runneth over with elk, with the population up 15,000 from last year and many units far above their population objectives. The statewide objective is 80,000 elk. That’s 40,000 less than where the herd now stands. You’ll be hard pressed to find better odds of filling the freezer with a choice cow, and the state expects to have lots of leftover antlerless licenses. Aggressive seasons have been set in many places, including the Snowy Range, Laramie Peak and Sierra Madre.

Last year, the state shifted to a first-come/first-served online licensing system. Out-of-staters can now search for leftover licenses without having to wait in line (in Wyoming) for reduced and full-price tags. For those more interested in hunting bulls, the state allots 16 percent of its limited quota and general licenses to nonresidents. If you’re holding one of those tags, you have a very real chance of taking the bull of a lifetime. As always, regional wildlife managers offer great insights. After all, they’re the ones on the ground day in and day out.

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

Yukon Territory
Elk Population: 250-300
Bull/Cow Ratio: 60/100
Residents only
Hunter Success: 29 percent

For a place with 70,000 moose and only 35,000 people, you’d think elk would be the last thing on anyone’s mind. But last year, the Yukon held its first official elk hunt in 25 years, and man did it produce one zinger of a bull (see Al’s bull page 90). Twenty-five other hunters took one home for the freezer as well. The territory transplanted 54 elk in the early 1950s and 99 in the early 1990s. After an increase in the mid ‘90s in the Takhini Valley, conditions are now ripe for a hunt. around 175 animals.

While much of the Yukon’s northern boreal forest can’t support elk, the Takhini Valley to the south, along the Alaska highway, and Braeburn, an area just north of there along the Klondike Highway, are elk strongholds within the approximately 2,000-square-mile elk management zone. A total of 63 permits will be distributed by lottery for Takhini. Up in Braeburn, only six permits are available. While the hunt is only open to residents, it might just be worth a drive along the Alaska Highway to catch a glimpse of North America’s most northerly herd.

Visit www.environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca.