late season cow elk

[gergarin]

In the Grande Prairie Alberta area a new season for cow elk has been added mainly because of complaint from farmers & ranchers over heavy winter grazing by the elk.

The new season runs from December 21 2010 to January 21 2011. It is of course a draw not a general season and is for cows (actually antlerless elk)

That means there are now two extended cows seasons in the area, cows being targeted from September 17 through to January 21. I have spoken with fish & wild life and it is said the later season is not well support for several reasons, (a) deep snow (b) -40* weather. There is some fear the elk population will crash as a result all to the joy of some local farmers & ranchers.

What are your thoughts on this?

[Ryry4]

There are plenty of elk in the area around Valleyview that I hunt. From what I've seen in the last 11 years of hunting up there I think the population can handle a hunt, as long as they don't get out of control on the amount of tags they give out like some of the southern zones for deer.

[gergarin]

Originally Posted by Ryry4

There are plenty of elk in the area around Valleyview that I hunt. From what I've seen in the last 11 years of hunting up there I think the population can handle a hunt, as long as they don't get out of control on the amount of tags they give out like some of the southern zones for deer.

At present populations are high. Several years back they started giving out 3 doe tags per draw(muledeer) in area 522 . The population has crashed to less than 1/5 of the former population.

Can you see the concern?

[Ryry4]

Oh, I can see the concern, like I said it they do it properly. They can't give out a huge amount every year or there won't be any elk left in the country. I can see it working alright if they only give out a limited amount. My cousin got drawn for the late season this year and is looking forward to putting a Christmas elk in the freezer.

Do you know how many antlerless tags were given out in 360 this year?

[bb356]

Originally Posted by gergarin

At present populations are high. Several years back they started giving out 3 doe tags per draw(muledeer) in area 522 . The population has crashed to less than 1/5 of the former population.

Can you see the concern?

no ! elk and mule deer are totally different ! the late winter snow killed most of the muleys in 539 522 ect ! they should quit the anterless mule tags in this region ! drive across the highway into 358 and you can actually see a mule deer because there is no anterless tags!

[gergarin]

Originally Posted by bb356

no ! elk and mule deer are totally different ! the late winter snow killed most of the muleys in 539 522 ect ! they should quit the anterless mule tags in this region ! drive across the highway into 358 and you can actually see a mule deer because there is no anterless tags!

You are correst that late winter snow killed a lot of deer, however I think you also make a good point by saying the area across the road has deer. Obviously they suffered from the same winter snows. Their population attests to the greater loss to overharvesting in 522.

I am not against the draw, to the contrary. It is better to have the draw then the alternative. In the last 3 years it has been reported there has been as many as 50 elk from one herd and 80 elk from another herd shot during the winter with light calibre guns. by angry ranchers. Dead elk cover the wooded portion of the Woking , Spirit River area causing a spike in the coyote population. This spike in coyote population is leading to greater calf and fawn predation lowering the overal health of the population.

[BigJon]

There definately will be more elk killed but I don't think it will cause a crash. It's one more month of season and I don't think that many will be shot. In the Peace the trend seems to have been more attempts at aggressive elk harvests and the numbers just keep increasing!

This antlerless mule deer thing is killing me...

[TUFFBUFF]

Originally Posted by BigJon

There definately will be more elk killed but I don't think it will cause a crash. It's one more month of season and I don't think that many will be shot. In the Peace the trend seems to have been more attempts at aggressive elk harvests and the numbers just keep increasing!

This antlerless mule deer thing is killing me...

depends on how many tags were givin out for each season, last year was 500 in 357 I think, be interesting to see the stats from this year, maybe 2-250 tags per season. I think the stats % will be lower, especially for the first season, and the last one its dark most of the time!

X2 on the antlerless mulies up here, I think that problem has been solved, and the buck quality is also down a bit too

[gergarin]

The reponce to extend the season has been for a specific reason that has little to do with an expanding elk herd. In the winters of 2005 , to 2009 a very large number of elk were shot by ranchers in the woking and spirit river areas. This information was kept from the public eye by the ministry.

Here is the essence of it. Farmers & ranchers who typically held their hand out to get a nice little chunk of money every year from the government for elk grazing or crop damage found those funds dried up. After a review by a biologist it was found that in all cases the farm had left his bales in the field unprotected. The elk came and simply ate from them. The solution was to require farmers & ranchers to protect thier feed supply via a fence. A one time payment of a portion of the cost of a fence was made available. You note it wasn't the entire cost, the ministry was requiring the farmer to mitigate his own loss.

Well the result was the hand outs ended and some of the ranchers took the matter into their own hands. They start killing what they say are the ministries elk. Those elk are in fact the tax payers elk. There are many hunters in the area that are quite upset. The fear is , that although the ministry is trying to address the problem, the vigilanty ranchers will probably continue to kill elk illegally( by the way with total impunity). The area around these ranchers are strewn with dead elk carcasses in the winter months. They are easy to find, just follow the coyote tracks.

How many are being shot by farmers & ranchers, in 358, it has been suggested that as many as 250 may have been shot in the last 2 winters alone.

So there you have it, the real story. Let me say in clarification it is not all ranchers. It is however a determined few ranchers that are involved. Here is another unusual statistic. The loss of cattle in this area to gun shots is also much higher than the rest of the province. Is a war brewing or is this just coinsidence.

[goldscud]

Just love wildlife management via farmer complaint numbers. This is how the mule deer are managed around Drumheller and now in the deep south. I guess Fish and Wildlife can now get rid of the last few biologist they keep around and just set up a 1-800 number for ungulate eradication suggestions.

[gergarin]

Originally Posted by goldscud

Just love wildlife management via farmer complaint numbers. This is how the mule deer are managed around Drumheller and now in the deep south. I guess Fish and Wildlife can now get rid of the last few biologist they keep around and just set up a 1-800 number for ungulate eradication suggestions.

Ya you have your welfare program, your help your local imigrant program and yes.....the good old Farmer hand out program.....only business I know were the government will step in every time to pay for your poor management strategy.

[boku]

According to the 2010 Hunting Draws Summary Report on myAlberta, 358 had 108 tags given out for Sep 17 - Oct 31, 217 antlerless elk tags issued for Nov 1 - Dec 20, with an additional 72 tags for Dec 21-Jan 20.
We hunt in 521 and saw lots of elk in November but none of us had tags. The early season Sep 17-Oct 31 had 144 tags issued, midseason from Nov 1-Dec 20 had 361, with an additional 144 given out for the late season, Dec 21-Jan 20.
Expect to get drawn for midseason next year and will do my best to do my part. Got my first one last year and have developed a real taste for elk!

[walking buffalo]

2010 Antlerless elk draw results

http://www.mywildalberta.com/documen...2019)-2010.pdf