Elk in Missouri

[dukkillr]

http://skinnymoose.com/dailylimit/2010/07/21/elk-in-missouri/

[Ranger J]

While the idea really excites me I can't really believe that it will work in this area considering the per tensity  of locals to spotlight and out of season shoot whitetails.  I can hear it now, "You managed to shoot one of them 'giant deer' yet? .  All kidding aside the local cattlemen are really against this and they seem to have a lot of political pull.  I may be (hope I'm)wrong as Kentucky has had good success with a similar  program.

RJ

[dukkillr]

I was incredibly frustrated the first time it failed, not because it failed, but how and why.  I was living in Springfield and getting a biology degree.  I also spent a great deal of time hunting, hiking, backpacking, and floating in the Ozarks.  We spent a great deal of time on the real issues of habitat, competition, property damage, etc... 

But none of that mattered.  What mattered was that people were trying to bring change to Missouri, and that was both horrifying and ridiculous. 

Cattle and elk can co-exist.  I've killed 3 bull elk on ground they run cattle on.  Elk and deer can co-exist (and the deer herd quality has never been great in the Ozarks anyway).  What moderate amount of whitetail hunting opportunities that are lost would be replaced with an incredible opportunity to enjoy elk in wild country, for a demographic that may otherwise never get to experience that.

How incredibly cool would it be to camp on a gravel bar on the current in September and be able to listen to elk bugle?  I'd schedule a float the first year they were released.

[Ranger J]

One fly in the ointment is that the public land (largely  national forest) is not one continuous block.  There may be a couple of hundred or even thousand acres of national forest and the next section of land will be private land with easy access to it.  When the government was acquiring the land for  the M T National forest they really should have purchased all of it.  It can be a real adventure trying to make sure you are on public land as none of the boundaries are marked.
Yes it would send a chill down your spine to be floating down one of the crystal clear streams in a canoe and hear a bull elk off in the distance.

Actually we have some real good whitetail hunting in the Ozarks.  True they aren't the corn fed deer  like those above the Missouri river and to get them you have to be willing to hike back in the woods and if you have done your scouting and are lucky you get to drag a deer  up and down the hills to get it out.  A number of years ago I worked for the state  and was helping the D of C with the case of someone shooting an eagle and an agent remarked that our habitat would support three times the deer and turkeys that it presently does if it wasn't for the poachers.  Can you see why I worry about the viability of an elk introduction.  We have the habitat but....
I hope I am just old and pessimistic about this after all at one time we didn't ever think that we would ever have enough deer or turkeys to amount to anything.  When I was in highschool back in Southern Illinois we were riding home from school on the bus when we saw two deer in a field at the edge of the woods.  The bus stopped and we all got out for a better look as these were the first deer most of us had ever seen.  Now in the same area at times it feels like you need someone riding on the hood of your car to shoo them off the road.   Can you imagine traveling on a back road through our hills and having to stop while a bull elk herds his cows across the road?

RJ

[olydraft]

I also read a week or so ago that Virginia was also going to try to reintroduce the Elk there too. In that same article it said the Elk used to be all across the country.

[Spirithawk]

I was recently told by a Ranger that the Drury-Mincy Wildlife are has five Elk that came up from Arkansas. If I remember right it's two cows, two calves and a young bull. As far as I know the state is letting them stay. Getting a lot more Black Bear too. The Ranger also admitted that Cougars are showing up. Two so far at Drury-Mincy. My son and I archery hunt there a lot and also hunt the managed muzzleloader hunt when drawn for it. It's an awesome area.

[Squib]

my step-sister and her daughter have seen a female cougar and cubs (2 I think?) on their land a couple of years ago (eldon, MO)

I've only seen a bobcat out there but I've seen cat prints that were almost as big as my hands so something is out there about as big as me, it's not a bobcat.

[nomosendero]

They are doing well in here in AR, but the area they thrive in is extremely remote & rugged. They started the program in the Buffalo River Valley & they have spread onto some private land up toward MO. line.

The Elk program that I heard about in the Current River area is remote, but not nearly as much as the area in AR. I hope the new program works.

[Spirithawk]

The area use to be  the Kinard Ranch and then the Peck Ranch. State owns it now I hear. It was 27,000 acres and came right up to my land. When it was Kinard I had free reign to hunt the entire 27,000 acres along with two other ranches that bordered it. One was 13,000n acres and the other 23,000. Yes, I was in Heaven! The Current and Jacks Fork rivers run through the srea and most of it is quite remote accessable by ATV's, four wheel drives or horse back only. It is beautiful country and I still hunt not far from there. I think Elk will do well there.

[billy_56081]

THey put most of the elk in Minnesota to close to the Red Lake reservation and they slaughtered most of them.

[bearsnare]

   The farmers are mostly against it now, but if they do start moving onto private land the land owners will be the first on the money train to lease thier land for hunting them. and it will soon be a money trap reserved for the weathy and connected.   sounds kinda bitter, but it has happened across the board in states that have opened these oppurtunities

[nomosendero]

   The farmers are mostly against it now, but if they do start moving onto private land the land owners will be the first on the money train to lease thier land for hunting them. and it will soon be a money trap reserved for the weathy and connected.   sounds kinda bitter, but it has happened across the board in states that have opened these oppurtunities

We have some of that in AR, but it is in areas where the AR Game & Fish had no plans for the Elk being there anyway. In other words they are in the area they are supposed to be PLUS they have expanded on to some private land, where a few permits are allowed. The bulk of the permits are still on Gov. land.

[nodlenor]

I would like to be able to hunt elk locally but at least in my area it would be impractical. I live in a farming area where elk would inflict a lot of damage to crops, be a danger to cattle due to disease, and a hazzard to motorists. If there was a way to keep them in the national forrests I would be for it, but I don't see that happening.

[Ranger J]

It's going to happen.  When the DOC goes through the motions of holding public hearings they have  already made the decision.  Whether this is a good program such as the restoration of the deer and turkey or a so so one such as the otter program of a few years ago we will see.  I have not been overly enthusiast about a lot of their decisions as of late.  Still being able to see wild elk has a sort of thrill to it.

RJ

[AfricanHandgunner]

I just read that it has been approved and signed by the Governor.  Looking forward to maybe seeing an elk and possibly an eventual limited hunting opportunity.

[GeneRector]

  Howdy! I hunted deer and bear near Alpena, AR a few years ago and I thought I heard elk nearby. The guide confirmed that it was probably elk. Alpena is about 35 miles or so south of Branson.  Always, Gene

[Piney]

Just reading an article this am on another Mo web site that several hunters were hunting at Drury Mincy Ca and saw 4 elk, and this was confirmed by the doubting Thomas' by fresh tracks in the mud. These Elk were not stocked and are believed to have come from Arkansas.

Personally I think this is great and I wish the Elk program all luck! I just hope everyone (farmers, etc.) can eventially accept this.

[Spirithawk]

My son and I know the Ranger over there who was in charge and just retired last week. The Elk are definitely up from Ark. Don't know about now, but at least two months ago, there were 2 cows, two calves and a young bull. While hunting the managed muzzleloader hunt, just a few days ago, a friend saw a lot of Elk tracks down along the lake. There are no plans to trap them. There are also an abundance of Black Bears showing up at Drury-Mincy. There may be plans to trap some of them. Don't be surprised if you see a cougar or two either. I live just outside of Branson and photographed a cougar track right next to a deer track just accross the road from my house. No doubt that it was from the hind paw of a cougar.

[SHOOTALL]

I also read a week or so ago that Virginia was also going to try to reintroduce the Elk there too. In that same article it said the Elk used to be all across the country.

Yep they are . We have been shooting the ones that wander across the border but this season it ended. I joined RMEF years ago when this was a goal then it was put on hold now it looks like it will happen. RMEF paid for most of the reaserch . They also help offset crop damage and aquire new land . Hope both states do well.
 Just hope they don't get any bright ideas about the wolf

[Leupold]

I personally would love to see Elk and Black Bears gain a foothold in Missouri. Wolves and cougars, not so much.