MDC searches for vehicle in elk poaching case

A reward of nearly $4,500 is offered for information in elk poaching case.

SHANNON COUNTY, Mo. – Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) agents would like to speak to the driver of a 2007-12 dark gray four-door GM pickup, reported by an anonymous tip to have been at Log Yard Access along the Current River between 8:30 and 9 p.m. on Dec. 28, 2015.  Anyone who was at the Log Yard Access area any time that evening may have seen the vehicle and know the driver or perhaps saw or heard something that could be helpful to the investigation. Conservation agents would also like to hear from the driver of the vehicle, for the same reasons.

In the late winter of 2012, a yearling bull elk was captured in eastern Kentucky.  In late spring of that same year, that young bull was relocated some six hundred miles to Peck Ranch in Missouri and given Elk Identification Number 260 in Missouri’s elk restoration program.  Over the next three years the young bull grew into a magnificent example of what all people envision when they think of a mature bull elk.  In the evening of Dec. 28, 2015 near Log Yard Access on the Current River, this bull’s life was taken by a poacher’s gun, his fully‑developed antlers were taken by the poacher’s chainsaw, and his carcass was left to rot by the poacher.

That same night, the Current River was flooding to near historic levels.  River gauge levels show that between 6 p.m. and midnight it rose from about 24 feet to 28 feet and then crested around 3 a.m. on Dec. 29 at about 29 feet.  Shannon County Highway HH, which leads to the Log Yard area, was closed by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) from 8 a.m. on Dec. 28 until late in the day Dec. 29, due to flooding of Carr Creek. Still, many people who wanted to see the river during this flood event took another route in to Log Yard. Any one of these people may have information that could help in the investigation of the poaching of Elk 260.

Elk 260 made a long and difficult journey from eastern Kentucky to Missouri, then flourished for three years and became a mature bull elk. It likely contributed a few calves to Missouri’s growing elk population. It also may have given many people their first opportunity and pleasure to see an elk in the wild.  A poacher’s actions, for nothing more than Elk 260’s antlers, stopped both contributions. 

Anyone with information about the 2007-12 dark gray four-door GM pickup, or anything else regarding the poaching of Elk 260, please call Conservation Agent Brad Hadley at (573)230-3706 or call the Operation Game Thief (OGT) hotline at (800)392-1111. The OGT hotline is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A reward from Operation Game Thief and the Conservation Federation of Missouri currently stands at $4,445.00.

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MDC’s Runge Nature Center hosts family event on black Friday

The free event provides a fun alternative to shopping on the busiest shopping day of the

year.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. —Escape the holiday hustle and bustle and come relax and discover nature at the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Runge Nature Center’s annual shopping alternative event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28.

“This has become a tradition for many families in the Jefferson City area and surrounding communities,” said MDC Naturalist Trana Madsen. “Each year we choose a different conservation topic and create a theme to connect people to the Missouri outdoors. This year our theme is elk.”

The free public event will host activities for children, teens and adults. Make an elk clay track, learn how elk communicate through calls, browse an interactive table that will include touchable elk pelts and antlers, learn about elk in Missouri, and much more.   

Once common throughout most of Missouri, elk disappeared from our state about 150 years ago due to over-hunting and habitat loss. MDC has reintroduced an elk herd to a large restoration zone in a portion of three counties in southeast Missouri near the Current River. While elk will never roam the entire state as in pre-settlement times, wildlife watchers are able to see free-ranging elk in the 346-square-mile elk restoration zone, which includes Peck Ranch Conservation Area (CA) and Current River CA.   

Runge Nature Center is located on Hwy 179 in Jefferson City approximately .5  mile north of Hwy 50. Building hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. The building is closed on Sunday and Monday. The outdoor trails are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

For more information on this or other programs, call 573-526-5544 or visit mdc.mo.gov. 

Discover nature with elk driving tours

This year’s offerings include routes on Current River and Peck Ranch conservation areas.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – An additional route will make it easier than ever to see Missouri’s wild elk this year, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The Conservation Department began encouraging Missourians to view elk along designated internal roads at Peck Ranch Conservation Area (CA) shortly after bringing the first wild elk to Missouri in 2011.  The self-guided driving tour has become a popular tourist attraction, especially in October, when bull elk are bugling as part of their mating ritual.

Elk are also establishing themselves on the nearby Current River CA, which is in the 346-square-mile Elk Restoration Zone in and around Peck Ranch CA. Habitat improvements have created excellent elk viewing opportunities along internal roads at Current River CA. To help visitors find elk, the Conservation Department has designated a driving tour route that follows portions of Roads No. 1, 9, and 10. Designated roads on Current River and Peck Ranch CAs are shown on maps available through the Conservation Atlas atmdc.mo.gov/atlas. Simply enter the area name and follow the links to the area map.

“Signs mark the driving routes at both Current River and Peck Ranch,” says Elk Program Manager David Hasenbeck. “Seeing elk in the wild is an awe-inspiring experience, and we are very excited about offering this additional place where people can enjoy elk in October, when bulls are bugling and trees are blazing with fall color.”

Hasenbeck says the Conservation Department worked with local communities, landowners, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and other conservationists to relocate more than 100 wild elk from Kentucky to the restoration zone in Reynolds, Carter, and Shannon counties. The best times to see elk and other wildlife are right after sunrise and right before sunset. The tour route at Peck Ranch begins at the CA office and is marked with signs along the way. The tour route is open from sunrise to sunset daily, unless closed because of inclement weather or a managed deer hunt.

“We encourage people to take photographs from their vehicles,” says Hasenbeck, “but please do not disturb elk or other wildlife in any way. It’s also important for visitors to know that gravel roads on Peck Ranch may not be accessible to vehicles without adequate ground clearance, and some roads may be impassible at times due to high water at stream crossings.”

The elk driving tour routs at Peck Ranch CA will be closed for managed hunts Oct. 11 and 12, Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, Nov. 15 through 25, and Dec. 6 and 7. For more information about elk driving tours at Peck Ranch CA, call the 855-MDC-ELK (855-263-2355).  For information about the tour at Current River CA, call 573-663-7130.

Hasenbeck also suggests that visitors stop at the Twin Pines Conservation Education Center, which is 1 mile east of Winona on Route 60. Twin Pines is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. For more information on Twin Pines, call 573-325-1381, or go online to mdc.mo.gov/node/293.

“The nearby communities of Eminence, Ellington, Winona, and Van Buren also offer fall events and other outdoor activities,” says Hasenbeck. “They are great places to stop for a bite to eat, a bit of shopping, an overnight stay, and other nature-related outdoor adventures.”

MDC adds 39 “Plus-1” to Missouri elk restoration effort

Bull calf nicknamed “Plus-1” born on livestock trailer en route from Kentucky. 

CARTER COUNTY, MO. – The Missouri Department of Conservation

Meet newborn bull calf nicknamed Plus-1.
He was born in the trailer May 21
on the way from Kentucky to Missouri
for 2013 MDC elk restoration efforts.

(MDC) added 20 adult cow elk, 16 yearling cow elk, three yearling bull elk and one newborn male calf to its elk restoration project in the Ozarks Tuesday morning.

Transported via livestock trailer from Kentucky, where they spent the past four months quarantined in a holding pen, the elk arrived at temporary holding pens on MDC’s Peck Ranch Conservation Area at first light. MDC staff quickly ushered the hoofed cargo into spacious holding pens, and within an hour Missouri’s newest four-legged residents were resting in the shade and grazing on lush clover.

Thirty-nine elk started the journey west, which ended with 40. MDC’s Jake Rieken, who made the trip west with the elk after spending the past four months caring for them in Kentucky, got a wonderful surprise when the convoy stopped so staff could check on the animals. He discovered that one of the pregnant cows had delivered a male calf. To avoid injury to the newborn, Rieken and other MDC staff removed it through a side door in the trailer. They placed it in a large animal crate in the bed of a pickup truck, secured the blanket-covered crate, and continued the trip. The newborn calf, nicknamed “Plus-1,” was reunited with its mother in a holding pen at Peck Ranch.

“He is doing very well,” said MDC State Wildlife Veterinarian Kelly Straka.

MDC's Jake Rieken, who made the trip west with the elk
after spending the past four months caring
for them in Kentucky, holds the newborn bull calf
nicknamed Plus-1, which was born in the trailer
 on the way to Missouri. MDC State Wildlife Veterinarian
 Kelly Straka checks his heartbeat.
“He looks good and his heartbeat sounded fantastic,” she said.

“He looks good and his heartbeat sounded fantastic.”

Dr. Straka added that all of the elk underwent extensive health and disease testing in Kentucky before being brought to Missouri.

The elk will remain in the holding pens at Peck Ranch for up to several weeks as they acclimate to the area and MDC staff continue to monitor them. Some cows will begin dropping calves while in the holding pens.

“We’ve divided the pregnant cows into small groups in various pens to give them privacy and reduce their stress,” said Dr. Straka. “Those that do not calve before being released from the holding pens will seek out secluded spots to give birth. Most calves should be born by mid-June. This year’s group of 40 elk will add to the approximately 70 already living in the restoration zone. We expect several dozen new calves this spring from established elk, plus more calves from this year’s group.”

The Missouri restoration of this once-native species began with MDC bringing elk from Kentucky in May 2011 and again in May 2012 to the Department’s elk restoration zone covering 221,000 acres in parts of

These were among 40 elk from Kentucky
released into holding pens at MDC's
Peck Ranch Conservation area in May 2013.

Shannon, Carter, and Reynolds counties.

This year, MDC again worked with Kentucky and Virginia state wildlife agencies to trap elk in January from the Appalachian Mountains of southeastern Kentucky. The effort resulted in 51 elk being trapped with Missouri getting 39, plus the newborn calf. Virginia will receive the remaining elk for its restoration effort.

As done in the previous two years of trapping, Missouri-bound elk received radio collars right before their trip west as part of a research project between MDC and the University of Missouri. The collars help track movement patterns and preferred habitat. The research project is funded by Federal Aid from the Wildlife Restoration Program administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation helped fund the 2013 capture and care of the elk in Kentucky. RMEF also donated materials and volunteer help at both Kentucky and Missouri holding facilities.

“This restoration effort is another conservation legacy, for us and for future generations, that could not have been possible without the enormous help and support from our staff and many conservation partners including The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service, LADD Foundation and Forest Service,” said MDC Deputy Director Tom Draper.

“On behalf of MDC leadership,” Draper continued, “we continue to be impressed with the passion, talent and dedication of MDC staff, and

These were among 40 elk from Kentucky released
 into a holding pen at MDC's Peck Ranch
 Conservation area in May 2013.

thankful for their ongoing hard work on this project. We are also grateful to the states of Kentucky and Virginia for their partnerships in elk restoration. We also thank the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, Big Game Hunters Foundation and Bass Pro Shops for their generous funding and support of this project. We are grateful to the many local landowners who have shown their support by creating elk habitat on their nearby properties, and to the communities of Eminence, Winona, Ellington and Van Buren, which have embraced the effort. We are also appreciative of The University of Missouri and the University of Kentucky for providing research support for the project.”

As in the past two years of elk restoration efforts, the 12,000-acre Refuge Area at Peck Ranch, where elk tend to congregate, is closed into July as new elk acclimate and cows give birth. MDC will open the area to elk driving tours later this summer.

For more information on elk restoration in Missouri, visit mdc.mo.gov.

MDC opens gate on second elk cohort

This year’s crop of elk increased by 10 before even leaving the pen.

Courtesy MDC

SUMMERSVILLE–Missouri’s free-ranging elk herd got a boost Tuesday, as the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) released 33 elk at Peck Ranch Conservation Area (CA) in Carter County. Another release of 13 elk is planned for Saturday on neighboring land in the elk-restoration zone.

In May, MDC brought 35 elk from Kentucky and placed them in holding pens at Peck Ranch CA. Since then, 11 of the elk cows have produced calves, bringing the number of elk available for release this year to 46. Elk still in holding pens at Peck Ranch CA after the Tuesday release will be taken to land owned by The Nature Conservancy and released to the wild on Saturday.

“Eastern elk herds often have small home ranges,” says Elk Restoration Program Coordinator Ron Dent. “Our goal with moving a small group of elk to The Nature Conservancy’s property is to form a nucleus in the center of the restoration zone.”

MDC launched the elk-restoration program in 2011, when it brought 34 elk from Kentucky. Dent says this year’s releases will bring Missouri’s free-ranging elk population to approximately 80. In addition, MDC biologists expect the majority of last year’s cows to bear young this year.

“The elk in the holding pen look very healtlhy,” says Dent. “In fact, some of the animals gained weight while in the holding pen in Kentucky. A mild winter, modifications to the holding pen in Kentucky and excellent care by MDC caretakers hired to look after the elk have left the animals in very good condition.”

Courtesy MDC

Hot, dry weather has reduced the movement of free-ranging elk. Dent says they are making use of natural forage available in shady portions of the 221,000-acre elk-restoration zone in Shannon, Carter and Reynolds counties.

“The type of GPS collar we are using doesn’t allow us to know where the animals are every minute of the day,” says Dent. “That was never their purpose. But we do know from periodic position reports that elk spend the majority of their time on food plots and in open woodlands at Peck Ranch. They are even coming back to holding pens.”

The 12,000-acre central refuge area of Peck Ranch CA currently is closed to the public to minimize disturbance of cow-calf pairs as they settle into their new surroundings. The portion of Peck Ranch CA outside the marked refuge fence remains open to hunting and other activities. Dent said MDC will announce the reopening of the refuge some time in July.

Missouri’s elk-restoration program has relied heavily on partnerships with other government agencies and citizen conservation groups. Major funding has come from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), whose volunteers also have provided substantial assistance with labor to build holding pens at Peck Ranch CA. The Big Game Hunters Foundation also has donated funds for the project.

MDC also is working with landowners in and around the elk-restoration zone to increase the quality of habitat for elk and other wildlife. Workshops and cost-share programs are designed to help landowners who want elk on their property. Such habitat work on public and private land will continue to be a priority for MDC as elk restoration progresses.

More information about elk restoration in Missouri is available at go.usa.gov/VoX.

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Landowners play key role in elk restoration

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Habitat on private land helps ensure the future of Missouri’s  growing elk herd.

VAN BUREN–Ron and Sandy Morton probably don’t think of themselves as being lynchpins in Missouri’s elk-restoration program. Nevertheless, their efforts to create habitat that benefits elk – and a wide range of other wildlife – could make the difference between success and failure of Missouri’s latest conservation saga.

Since beginning its elk-restoration program last year, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has brought 69 elk to a 221,000-acre restoration zone in and around Peck Ranch Conservation Area. The restoration program aims to re-establish elk to an area they inhabited until the mid-1800s, eventually building a herd of approximately 400 elk.

The Mortons were among 20 landowners from Reynolds, Shannon and Carter counties who attended a workshop earlier this year to learn how to make their 500 acres more productive for deer and turkey and maybe even elk eventually. They were surprised what they learned.

“Everything they talked about, from glades to woodlands, we’ve got that on our property,” says Sandy. Ron calls the event “very informative on what elk habitat is,” and said he hopes his children and grandchildren will get to see elk on their land one day. Chances of that seem good, since they already have seen elk on their property straddling the Shannon- Reynolds-county line. Approximately 100 landowners took part in the second round of elk-habitat workshops in Shannon County.

Elk Restoration Coordinator Ron Dent says the help of citizens like the Mortons are a critical part of Missouri’s elk-restoration effort. He said elk are grazing animals, with different habitat requirements than another Ozarks native, the white-tailed deer.

“Elk can subsist on foods found in forested landscapes,” says Dent. “The Ozarks landscape 200 years ago had much more open land than we are accustomed to seeing there today. Fires set by Native Americans created and maintained glades, savannas and grassy woodlands where elk grazed. They need some open areas to thrive.”

In recent years, MDC and federal agencies with large Ozarks landholdings have turned to management strategies that produce landscapes more closely resembling pre-settlement conditions. This laid the foundation for elk restoration, but Dent says much remains to be done.

Besides showing landowners how to manage for elk, MDC shares the cost of some management practices on private land in the restoration zone. So far, it has partnered with 26 landowners on 1,600 acres. MDC plans to continue offering elk-habitat workshops and cost-sharing arrangements for landowners in the elk-restoration zone. It also is working with the National Park Service, the USDA Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, Pioneer Forest and other land-owing organizations in Carter. Reynolds and Shannon counties to ensure the long-term viability of Missouri’s elk herd.

Priority habitat practices include woodland restoration, prescribed burning and food plots designed for elk and other wildlife. That is in line with what’s been done on the property of Phil and Charlotte Moss, who also took part in MDC’s first elk-habitat workshop. Their family has owned land in Shannon County since the 1940’s.  They already have a cost share agreement with the MDC.

“We’ve disked up an area and are working to turn it into a wildlife food plot area and we’re really looking forward to see more wildlife, hopefully elk, on our land,” says Phil.

The Moss and Morton families see benefits from Missouri’s new elk herd that go far beyond their personal interest in the project.

“We see how the elk are increasing revenue through tourism,” says Ron Morton, adding that he and Sandy regularly meet visitors to the community who come just to get a glimpse of the elk at Peck Ranch CA.

“We’re glad to see elk coming to Missouri,” says Moss.

For more information about elk in Missouri, visit go.usa.gov/VoX.

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Peck Ranch welcomes second elk cohort

This year’s gang includes 22 adult cows, 18 of which are pregnant.

By Jim Low, MDC

Courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation

VAN BUREN, Mo – Missouri’s elk herd doubled in size today (May 19) with the arrival of the Show-Me State’s second batch of wild elk from Kentucky. A tractor-trailer truck carrying 22 mature cows, three one-year-old cows, three two-year-old bulls, six one-year-old bulls and one newborn bull arrived at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Peck Ranch Conservation Area (CA) in northwestern Carter County around 6:30 a.m. MDC staff quickly ushered the hoofed cargo into spacious holding pens, and within an hour Missouri’s newest four-legged residents were resting in the shade and grazing on lush clover.

“It’s an amazing day for the state of Missouri and conservation,” said MDC Director Bob Ziehmer, who was on hand to witness the arrival of Missouri’s second batch of elk. “We’re here today because of decades of conservation work by citizens and diverse partners across the state, and the world class staff of MDC.”

Ziehmer said the elk program is exciting. “With continued citizen support, we’re going to continue this success for generations to come.”

The elk will remain in holding pens for approximately one month to allow them to acclimate to their new home. MDC Resource Scientist Lonnie Hansen said cows will begin dropping calves while still in holding pens. Those that have not calved before being released will seek out secluded spots to do so. Most calves should be born by late June.

The 12,000-acre central refuge area of Peck Ranch CA is closed to the public to minimize disturbance of cow-calf pairs as they settle into their new surroundings. MDC will announce the reopening of the refuge, probably in July.

Cows will come together in social groups during the summer. Hansen is unsure how much the new arrivals will mix with social groups already formed by last year’s elk. In September, mature bulls will begin gathering harems of cows, including cows brought in this year.

“It will be interesting to see how the two groups of elk relate to each other,” said Hansen.

The new arrivals join 36 elk from last year’s restoration effort. The established elk include 13 adult cows, five two-year-old cows, five adult bulls, eight two-year-old bulls and five one year olds.

Tests conducted earlier this month revealed that 19 of the newly arrived adult cows were pregnant. Hansen said he expects that most of the mature cows already roaming Missouri’s 221,000-acre elk-restoration zone will produce calves this year. Some of the two-year-old cows are likely to produce calves, though most elk cows have their first calves at three years of age.

“We have no way of determining how many of last year’s cows are pregnant,” said Hansen. “We just have to wait and see. I would be thrilled if we got 20 calves recruited into the population between the established cows and those that came in this year.”

He added that MDC staff and partners learned a lot from last year’s experience.

“We hope that better weather conditions this year will translate into more successful calving and growth of our herd,” Hansen said. “As our bulls mature, we will see more progress toward our initial goal of 150 elk as a founding herd.”

He added that MDC will use carefully regulated hunting to maintain the elk herd at a manageable size and that hunting could begin within four to five years. That decision will be based on information about reproduction and natural mortality, ensuring a sustainable annual harvest.

MDC is radio fitting all elk brought to Missouri with GPS collars so their movements can be tracked.

Experience gained during last year’s elk-trapping effort allowed MDC and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife to capture enough elk to share with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Virginia helped with last year’s trapping operations and received its first allocation of 15 elk this year.

“This partnership has enabled us to do something that none of the participants could do alone,” said Hansen. “We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the State of Kentucky, not only for sharing their elk with us, but also for the benefits we received from their knowledge and experience with elk. Virginia has also been an active partner from the start. The work we have done together is likely to benefit other states that are planning elk-restoration efforts of their own.”

Missouri’s elk partnership has relied heavily on contributions from other government agencies and citizen conservation groups. It could not have been done without the help of the Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia and United States departments of agriculture, which oversaw veterinary-health protocols. The University of Missouri and the University of Kentucky have provided research support for the project and Missouri’s State Veterinarian provided invaluable service in this restoration effort.

Major funding came from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), and volunteers from Missouri RMEF chapters provided substantial assistance with labor needed to build holding pens at Peck Ranch CA. RMEF Habitat Council Member Ed Carmack was present for the elk arrival.

“I’ve been involved from the beginning of the elk project and it’s great to see this elk restoration come to fruition after working so hard to see it come together,” Carmack said.

MDC workshops gave landowners around the restoration zone a first-hand look at management practices that benefit elk, as well as other wildlife that thrive on the patchwork of open woodlands and forest that existed in the Ozarks when elk still roamed the region 200 years ago.

Habitat work on public and private land will continue to be a priority for MDC as elk restoration progresses. Elk Restoration Program Coordinator Ron Dent said this ongoing work helps ensure that elk remain in and around the restoration zone.

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Peck Ranch is now open to elk tours

Image by cm195902 via Flickr Melanie Carden-Jessen, MDC
Peck Ranch is now open to elk tours. The 11 mile route takes about a half an hour to run the loop down road 1 to road 11 up to road 13 and back down road 10 to the valley. The entry and exit point to the elk route is located directly in front of Peck Ranch Headquarters. Folks are able to drive the elk route anytime during daylight hours seven days a week. During heat of the summer elk are most likely to be seen during the first couple hours of daylight or the last hours of the day. We have had around 150 people a week drive the tour routes. We do not guarantee an elk sighting but we can guarantee an exciting drive though woodlands and open fields where turkeys, deer, small mammals, reptiles, and various other wildlife can be seen. Remember these are rough gravel roads through Ozarks hills so come prepared and enjoy some of the best wildlife habitat that the Ozarks has to offer. Maps are available at nearby Twin Pines Conservation Education Center, Winona. For the latest information call 573-325-1381.

Portion of MDC’s Peck Ranch refuge area reopens for elk driving tours

Elk viewing may be limited. Loop offers best opportunities. Other refuge areas remain restricted.

JEFFERSON CITY Mo – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has reopened a portion of the refuge area at Peck Ranch Conservation Area (PRCA) to public access through a driving loop for viewing elk and other wildlife. MDC closed the refuge area in March in preparation for the arrival of Missouri’s first group of wild elk, which are part of the Department’s ongoing elk restoration project.

MDC has designated a driving loop along roads 1, 11 and 10 of the refuge area that offers elk and other wildlife viewing opportunities along fields, streams and forested areas. The driving loop begins at the PRCA office and is marked along the way. Other roads in the refuge area remain closed to the public. Managed deer hunts on PRCA will continue as planned for the fall.

Area Manager Ryan Houf explained that elk seek the shade and food of forested areas during hot summer months and tend to graze in open fields during cooler periods in the fall, winter and spring. He added that the area is not a wildlife preserve and the elk are wild animals.

“While they remain mostly in the refuge area at this point, these several dozen elk have about 23,000 acres at Peck Ranch to roam, and about 221,500 acres within the larger elk restoration zone covering parts of Carter, Reynolds and Shannon counties, so catching a glimpse of them may be a challenge,” he said. 

Houf cautioned that some gravel roads on PRCA may not be accessible to vehicles without adequate ground clearance and some roads may be impassable at times due to due to high water levels at stream crossings or from flooding.

If people are fortunate to view elk, they must not disturb the animals in any way. Photographs are welcome, but the Missouri Wildlife Code prohibits the molesting, pursuing or enticing of wildlife, including elk, unless specifically permitted in the code or through related laws for activities such as hunting, fishing or trapping of specific species, which do not include elk. 

MDC acquired 34 elk from Kentucky, which arrived at a holding pen on PRCA in early May. After an acclimation period, the elk -- along with five new calves -- were released to roam the rugged hills and valleys in the Carter County conservation area and eventually spread to the 221,500-acre elk restoration zone. 

Directions to PRCA and area maps are available through the MDC online Conservation Area Atlas at www.missouriconservation.org. Area maps and additional elk information are also available at the PRCA Office when open.

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• Missouri Managed deer hunt applications open July 1, close Aug. 15 (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)

Radio collars will help answer questions about elk population growth and habitat use

Written by Candice Davis, MDC

SHANNON COUNTY, Mo. -- All 34 elk and five new calves at the Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Peck Ranch Conservation Area are sporting new jewelry, specifically radio collars, which are part of a cooperative research project with the University of Missouri.

According to MDC Resource Scientist and Elk Biologist Jason Sumners, the cooperative research project will provide critical information to help the MDC track the success of the elk restoration project, determine when management through hunting is appropriate, and guide future habitat and harvest management.

Sumners said the GPS (Global Positioning System)-enabled collars, provided by the university, may also assist MDC in deterring poachers.

Joshua J. Millspaugh, professor of Wildlife Management at the University of Missouri's School of Natural Resources, said it's critical that MDC has adequate information about what the elk do after their release from the holding pen.


"Close monitoring leads to effective management, and using radio collars is the most effective and efficient way to do this," Millspaugh said.

He said the university hopes to gather a full spectrum of information on Missouri's new elk herd. A big portion of that information will go toward a population model of the elk herd that researchers hope will assist in projecting the growth of the herd and potential harvest, document possible physiological stress responses after the release, and observe movement patterns and resource selection.

By resource selection, Millspaugh said he means to observe what management practices specifically attract or discourage elk population growth. This is where Geographic Information System (GIS) data layers will come in handy by showing researchers what vegetation types are preferred by the elk.

Millspaugh said information collected each day will help the biologists understand where the elk go during different times of the day and why.

Elk survival data will also be collected to help determine when, where, and why elk die, which will help in predicting the rate of growth of the restored elk herd.

Arial surveys to develop elk census techniques and fecal sample collections to assess stress levels will accompany the information gathered from the radio collars. The elk will wear the radio collars as long as the research project is active.

MDC Research Biologist Jason Sumners shows collars

 used to track adult elk (left) and calves (right) as part of a research project with U of M.

Millspaugh said it's important to note that, although this sort of research has been done for other restored elk populations, it hasn't been accomplished to the same scale or with this level of technology. Although radio-collars have been a component of other elk restoration programs, such as those in Kentucky, Tennessee and Wisconsin, this project is unique in that each and every elk in Missouri's new herd is collared.

"The MDC should be given credit for their progressive and forward-thinking related to technology used in this project," Millspaugh said. "It is not only the most efficient, but also the most cutting-edge available, and it will pay strong dividends in our ability to effectively manage the herd."

Sumners said the MDC is fortunate to have a strong cooperative relationship with the university, and the experience and expertise that Millspaugh brings to the project.

Like others involved in the historic restoration of elk to Missouri, Millspaugh said his involvement has had a personal impact.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am thrilled to be involved," he said. "Although I'm involved in many other wildlife projects around the country, the opportunity to study elk in my backyard is special and exciting."

The 346-square-mile elk restoration zone covers parts of Shannon, Carter and Reynolds counties and is home to Missouri's newly restored elk herd. Sumners said catching sight of elk in the vast restoration zone may be a challenge for the public.


"These several dozen animals have more than 221,500 acres of habitat in the rugged terrain of the restoration zone," Sumners said. "As we learn more and as the herd grows, public viewing opportunities will increase."

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation provided funds for the initial purchase of radio collars, and the entire research project is supported by the Wildlife Restoration Program, administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For more information on Missouri's elk restoration efforts, visit www.MissouriConservation.org<http://www.MissouriConservation.org> and search "elk restoration."