The 2015 elk hunts in northwestern Minnesota wrapped up on Sept. 20 with another successful season in the Kittson County area. Five of seven hunters harvested nice-sized bulls.
Two zones were open to hunting, and all permits were bull only. In the Caribou-Vita herd (Zone 30), which migrates between northern Kittson County and Manitoba, two permits were issued and both hunters successfully harvested antlered bulls on public land. A 7×8 bull was taken on land owned by The Nature Conservancy and a 6×7 bull was taken with a bow on the Caribou Wildlife Management Area.
In the Kittson-Central herd (Zone 20), located near Lancaster, three of five permits were filled. Hunters harvested three 5×5 bulls, all on private land. One of them was taken with a landowner permit.
“It was another excellent elk hunt for northwestern Minnesota,” said Ruth Anne Franke, Karlstad area wildlife supervisor. “The hunters were thrilled to have the opportunity to harvest an elk in this state. All elk hunts in Minnesota are a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Franke added that hunters commented on the hospitality of the local landowners and appreciated their willingness to allow hunting on their property.
The elk season was timed to coincide with the elk rut (breeding season), and elk were actively bugling. This gave hunters the opportunity to locate the bulls by listening for their bugles, and test their bugling (calling) and stalking skills.
Once again, a hunting season was not offered in the Grygla area where herd numbers remain below the population goal of 30-38 elk. The Grygla herd continues to decline, as observers recorded 18 elk during this past winter’s annual survey – which is down from estimates of 20 elk in 2014 and 28 in 2013. The herd hasn’t been hunted since 2012.
Elk management in Minnesota
The DNR is currently updating its elk management plan for 2016-2020, which will include a public input process before it is finalized. The plan will address population goals, landowner concerns about crop damage and opportunities to hunt and view elk. Three public input meetings will be scheduled later this year in the Grygla, Lancaster and Twin Cities areas.
As part of the planning process, the DNR convened two elk consensus work groups, one for the two Kittson County herds and one for the Grygla elk herd. DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr appointed the work group members, who represented a broad spectrum of stakeholders.
The DNR’s goal is to maintain a free-ranging, wild elk population in northwestern Minnesota. The department envisions a healthy population that offers recreational and economic opportunities while actively addressing conflicts between elk and people. Habitat and herd structure would be maintained, while hunting seasons would be used to help manage problem animals and herd size.
Information on Minnesota’s elk and the current management plan is available on the DNR website at www.mndnr.gov/hunting/elk/.
DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 8, 2015
Media contact: Debbie Munson Badini, boat and water safety education coordinator,
[email protected], 651-259-5354.
