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.”

Discover nature with elk driving tours at MDC’s Peck Ranch in Ozarks

See elk and other wildlife, hear bugling, see fall foliage, visit Twin Pines and local communities.

Courtesy MDC

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo – See some of Missouri’s first free-ranging elk in nearly 150 years, along with other wildlife, while also enjoying fall foliage through a self-guided driving tour at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Peck Ranch Conservation Area.

Over the past three years, MDC has been working with local communities, landowners, conservation groups and others to restore more than 100 elk from Kentucky to a 346-square-mile restoration zone in this rugged area of the Ozarks. The heart of the restoration zone is Peck Ranch Conservation Area in northwest Carter County and eastern Shannon County.

Late September through early November is a prime time to see bull elk bugling against a backdrop of fall foliage as they woo cow elk into small groups called harems. The best times to see elk and other wildlife are right after sunrise and right before sunset.

MDC can’t guarantee an elk sighting, but the tour is a beautiful drive though fields, forests and glades infused with fall color during October and November. Visitors may also catch sightings of deer, turkey, and other wildlife.

The tour route begins at the Peck Ranch CA office and is marked along the way. Driving tours are open sunrise to sunset seven days a week, unless closed because of inclement weather. Visitors are encouraged to take photographs and get out of vehicles for better views, but should not disturb elk or other wildlife in any way. Gravel roads on Peck Ranch CA may not be accessible to vehicles without adequate ground clearance. Some roads may be impassible at times due to high water at stream crossings. 

Note that elk driving tours will be closed for deer hunting in the area Oct. 5 and 6, Nov. 1-3, Nov. 16-26 and Dec. 7 and 8

For more information on elk driving tours, call the MDC Elk Info Line at 855-C-MDC-ELK (855-263-2355).

For more information on Peck Ranch Conservation Area, visit tinyurl.com/qew7ptj.

While in the area, also visit MDC’s Twin Pines Conservation Education Center located near Peck Ranch one 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.

Just north of Peck Ranch lie the MDC Rocky Creek and Current River conservation areas. Both have several gravel roads open to vehicle traffic and also provide wildlife viewing.

The nearby communities of Eminence, Ellington, Winona and Van Buren also offer fall events and other outdoor activities. Visit them for a bite to eat, a bit of shopping, an overnight stay, and a variety of 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.

Heat, drought and other factors contributing to recent elk deaths

MDC has some answers from initial examinations but is awaiting additional test results.

 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is awaiting additional laboratory test results to help determine the causes of recent elk deaths, including six cow elk. One yearling bull elk was also recently found dead along with three calves, two of which were born to cow elk that died. All deaths occurred in mid-to-late July and involved elk relocated earlier this year from Kentucky to Missouri’s elk restoration zone in Carter, Shannon and Reynolds counties.

According to MDC Resource Scientist Lonnie Hansen, preliminary test results from several veterinary pathology laboratories have not pointed to one specific cause of death for all animals. A combination of stress from relocation, extreme heat and drought conditions appear to be contributing factors.

Hansen and other MDC staff are working with state veterinarians from the Missouri Department of Agriculture and experts from the University of Missouri Veterinary Services to learn more. Staff are also consulting wildlife veterinarians and other experts from around the country.

In addition, three newborn calves from elk brought to Missouri in 2012 died in June shortly after birth. One elk cow and her calf from the 2011 restoration group died while birthing in early June.

Hansen says that all restored elk underwent a series of health tests after capture in Kentucky and received clean bills of health before being relocated to MDC’s Peck Ranch Conservation Area in May.

Necropsies of the dead elk included testing for bovine tuberculosis and other diseases, which were also among health tests conducted in Kentucky. MDC staff also reviewed health records of the dead elk for clues. Other than pneumonia found in the bull elk, no disease-related causes have surfaced. Preliminary results from necropsies on the animals and initial lab tests did not detect epizootic hemorrhagic diseases (EHD) or bluetongue, which are more prevalent in deer during dry weather. Elk typically do not get sick from EHD or bluetongue.

Hansen adds that poaching was not involved.

“What we could be seeing is stress that is catching up to some of the 2012 elk a month after being released, compounded with abnormal and extreme heat and drought conditions,” he says. “Stress in wildlife can temporarily affect their immune systems and make them more susceptible to these extreme weather conditions. Wildlife can be susceptible to pneumonia as a result of stress and dry, dusty conditions during drought.”

He adds that, overall, the 2011 herd appears to be doing well despite the heat and drought, including calves born this spring.

One of the dead cow elk from the 2012 group was found stuck in a muddy pond. After being pulled free by MDC staff, it died the next day. Hansen says that heat exhaustion likely contributed to its death.

He adds that the combination of relocation and calving in extreme heat and drought may have contributed to the cow-elk deaths. It appears that malnutrition or other stress-related factors contributed the deaths of the three calves.

 

Other potential causes being evaluated include naturally occurring toxins in water or food that can be concentrated to lethal levels during drought.

Water samples from several ponds on Peck Ranch used by elk tested negative for blue-green algae toxins. These toxins have caused livestock deaths in surrounding states.

MDC staff checked food plots for blister beetles, which are prevalent throughout the Ozarks, especially during drought. The beetles have a toxin that is lethal to horses and other livestock that ingest them. No blister beetles were found in food plots near where dead elk were found, or during necropsies.

Johnson grass grows in the restoration zone and was found near four of the dead cow elk. During drought conditions, Johnson grass can concentrate nitrates and prussic acid, a chemical that can cause death within hours. Samples of Johnson grass are being analyzed by University of Missouri Veterinary Medicine staff. Test results are pending. Johnson grass is an invasive species that has become common in the region. During normal years, it is not toxic and is used as hay.

Wheat with potentially toxic black-tip fungus was found in many of the food plots at Peck Ranch. The wheat has been mowed so elk cannot consume infected kernels. Samples are being tested and results are pending. 

Hansen adds that the approximately 80 remaining elk are staying close to or on Peck Ranch and The Nature Conservancy release site, which indicates adequate food and water in these areas of the 346-square-mile restoration zone.

 

He says that several other Midwestern states are also reporting heat- and drought-related livestock and wildlife deaths.

“We expect some setbacks during this or any wildlife restoration project,” says Hansen, “especially with the grueling heat and drought. Elk are generally very adaptable and very tough, and Missouri’s restored herds will continue to acclimate and grow.”

Related articles

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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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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 Refuge closed to spring turkey hunting

Image via Wikipedia

The 11,000-acre area will be closed to spring turkey hunting due to elk-restoration work.

SUMMERSVILLE—Hunters who customarily use the refuge area at Peck Ranch Conservation Area (CA) will need to make alternate plans again this year, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).

MDC closed the refuge portion of Peck Ranch CA to public access, including spring turkey hunting, in 2011. The closure was designed to prevent possible disturbance of elk freshly arrived from Kentucky as part of MDC’s elk-restoration program. MDC reopened the area to public access in July 2011 after elk were released from holding pens.

This year’s closure is expected to follow the same pattern as a second group of elk arrives from Kentucky. Hunting will still be allowed on approximately 12,000 acres outside the marked refuge fence, according to Preston Mabry, area manager of Peck Ranch CA.

Mabry said newly restored elk at Peck Ranch are a continuation of the area’s rich tradition in species restoration. The refuge played a vital role in restoring the thundering gobble of the wild turkey to the Ozark hills. That gobble is now joined by the bugling of elk.

“Turkey season is a time we spend all year looking forward to,” said Mabry. “We certainly thank hunters for understanding and for doing their part to help create an area free of disturbance, so this second portion of the elk herd can become acclimated to their new home.”

Mabry said MDC wants to minimize human presence near the facility where elk are held for an acclimation period prior to release. He said hunters are welcome to hunt outside the refuge. Peck Ranch CA information and a map of the area are available at mdc.mo.gov/a5203, or at the Peck Ranch CA Headquarters. The fenced refuge area is clearly marked.

MDC established Peck Ranch CA in 1945 for wild-turkey management. For more than 30 years, MDC has used diverse management techniques, including prescribed fire and timber harvests, to maintain and restore natural communities there. This has created habitat for a wide range of native wildlife.

For more information, call the Peck Ranch CA headquarters, 573-323-4249, or visit mdc.mo.gov.

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Elk restoration enters second year

Courtesy MDC

Lessons learned in 2011 make this year’s work more productive.

JEFFERSON CITY–Missouri’s elk herd is growing on two fronts, and conservation officials express optimism that the second year of restoration work will benefit from experience gained in 2011.

Efforts to bring elk back to Missouri after a 150-year absence began in October 2010, when the Missouri Conservation Commission approved a restoration plan. The plan called for obtaining up to 150 wild elk from other states with established wild populations.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) quickly got the go-ahead from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to trap elk from its herd of more than 10,000. The Bluegrass State restored its elk herd between 1997 and 2002, bringing elk from Utah and other western states to populate a 16-county restoration zone.

MDC construction crews began building traps and holding pens in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky in December 2010. Although hampered by heavy snowfall, they completed their work in time to start trapping elk in January 2011.

This year, warm weather with little snow helped MDC make extensive modifications to holding pens. However, those same conditions hampered actual trapping, since elk had easier access to natural food and were less inclined to visit baited trap sites. In spite of this, 54 elk were captured through a combination of baited pen traps and sedative darting.

“We learned a lot the first year,” said MDC Elk Project Manager Ron Dent. “That enabled us to make better use of the opportunities we had to catch elk, and we have significantly improved handling procedures and veterinary care to keep the animals we captured healthy.”

Changes to this year’s elk-restoration work in Kentucky included enlarging the holding pens and extending them into brushy areas to provide better shelter from the elements. Other changes have substantially reduced disturbance from human activities and provided more natural, hygienic access to food and water. Provisions for moving and handling elk also have been changed to reduce stress and potential for injury.

“The elk are a lot more relaxed and in much better physical condition this year, thanks to all the changes we have made,” said Dent. “In short, we are getting better at this, and that translates into more and healthier elk.”

One particularly valuable innovation this year is the addition of two caretakers to watch over the Kentucky elk. Living in a camper on-site, the two not only guard against human disturbance, they provide early warnings of developing problems.

“One of our caretakers has an agriculture background and is very quick to pick up on it when the elk’s behavior is off,” said Dent. “That has given us the jump on several situations. Without their help, we wouldn’t be where we are today with this year’s work.”

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has shared the cost and staff needs for trapping efforts and plans to begin its own restoration this year. Substantial financial support also came from private conservation groups, including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation.

MDC once again is working closely with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the U.S., Kentucky and Virginia departments of agriculture to ensure the health of all the captured elk.

This year’s catch of 54 elk includes 39 cows and 15 bulls. They will be divided between Missouri and Virginia, with the majority earmarked for Missouri.

Missouri’s share of this year’s captured elk will join the 36 elk already living here. The current elk herd consists of five calves born in Missouri last year and 31 of the 34 elk brought from Kentucky in 2011.

One of Missouri’s elk that died last year was a cow that was brought to Kentucky from Utah in 1997, the first year of Kentucky’s elk-restoration program. As the dominant cow, she played a key role in establishing Missouri’s elk herd before succumbing to old age. The other two casualties among last year’s transplants resulted from internal parasites and an accidental fall.

“Naturally, we hate to lose any of these animals,” said Dent. “But losses are inevitable, and we have every reason to believe that such losses will be smaller in the future as we gain experience.”

One of the elk now in holding pens in Kentucky is a cow that also was part of Kentucky’s restoration herd. She came to Kentucky from Utah as a calf in 1999.

Most of the 13 mature cows already in Missouri, along with those that will arrive this spring, are expected to be pregnant and will give birth to calves in early summer. With normal calf survival, Missouri’s resident elk herd could top 70 by the end of the summer.

MDC personnel will attempt to find calves born in Missouri this year and fit them with radio collars.

GPS collars on most of the resident herd enable MDC to track their movements. Dent said they are behaving as expected, exploring their new home but mostly staying in the vicinity of green browse fields and open woodland habitat available within the 346-square-mile elk-restoration zone in Shannon, Carter and Reynolds counties.

“They are using the wildlife plots we established along the elk-tour routes,” said Dent. “They also are using open woodlands and forested areas, where they find acorns during the fall.”

Hunters who took part in managed deer hunts at Peck Ranch Conservation Area (CA) in October, November and December were asked to carry GPS units so biologists could observe how elk reacted to human activity.

“Most of the elk movements were short-term, and they returned to the same places after hunters left,” said Dent. “We were surprised to find that they didn’t move much at all. Mainly they just moved and stayed out of sight. We only had a few hunters who saw elk.”

According to Dent, the elk were more dispersed during the summer, as would be expected when cows are rearing their calves. As autumn wore on, they came together in three loosely organized groups. This is consistent with elk mating behavior, in which dominant bulls gather and guard “harems” of cows. These groups have tended to hold together until the present, and likely will break up again as calving season approaches.

To encourage Missouri’s growing elk herd to remain in and around the restoration zone, MDC is working to enlarge and improve existing habitat that meets the grazing animals’ needs. This work includes planting patches of mixed legumes and warm- and cool-season grasses and liming and fertilizing existing green-browse plots.

One large project involves several hundred acres on Current River CA. Some of these areas are old fields that formerly were pasture, hay or cropland but have grown up in brushy vegetation and invasive trees such as locust, cedar and Osage orange. Restoring these areas to a more open condition enhances habitat diversity in a way that benefits a wide range of wildlife, including elk.

Dent said elk have turned into a popular attraction at Peck Ranch CA, with individuals frequenting the established elk driving tour and local businesses making plans to develop elk-viewing opportunities. Dent said hunters at Peck Ranch CA last fall reported that the possibility of seeing elk was one of the area’s primary attractions.

MDC plans to close the refuge area at Peck Ranch CA this spring, as it did last year. Dent said the inconvenience to turkey hunters is considered necessary to avoid disturbance of elk from Kentucky and resident elk that are calving during the spring and early summer. The portion of Peck Ranch CA outside the marked refuge fence remains open to hunting and other activities. Dent said the 12,000-acre refuge area will remain closed until mid-summer. Exact closure and reopening dates will be announced later this year.

He said he expects health tests of elk trapped this year to be complete in May, after which they can be brought to Missouri. They will be released after a short holding period to allow them to acclimate to their new surroundings.

MDC is exploring the possibility of using elk brought from Kentucky this year to establish a second sub-herd on property owned by The Nature Conservancy. Dent said this area is nearer the middle of the elk-restoration zone, and releasing elk there would encourage additional use of suitable habitat the area offers. He said The Nature Conservancy has put significant effort into habitat improvements on its land, making that area even more suitable for elk.

“It also has the advantage of not putting all Missouri’s elk in one basket, so to speak,” said Dent.

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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-bound elk get clean bill of health

Image via Wikipedia

All requirements of a stringent veterinary-health protocol have been met.

JEFFERSON CITY—All 34 animals intended as the nucleus of an elk herd in Missouri have passed the final round of health testing and are ready to board a trailer for the trip to Peck Ranch Conservation Area.

            Missouri’s elk originally were scheduled to arrive April 30. The Missouri Department of Conservation delayed the event to permit completion of veterinary-health testing.

“Protecting the health of Missouri’s existing wildlife and the state’s livestock industry has always been a high priority of the elk-restoration program,” said MDC Director Bob Ziehmer. “We are extremely pleased to know that the elk we trapped in Kentucky in January have met all the requirements of stringent health protocols developed in consultation with the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Now we can work on getting them here.”

Dr. Aaron Hecht, a veterinarian with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, conducted health testing on Missouri’s elk with a veterinarian from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hecht said the elk have fulfilled requirements under the health protocols developed by MDC in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Agriculture. He said he is very pleased with the overall health of the Missouri-bound elk.

“We have communicated from the beginning that we would bring elk to Missouri only if they were healthy,” said Ziehmer. “The recent delay has been disappointing to those who are eager to return elk to Missouri, but it was absolutely necessary for us to follow the testing protocol.”

-Jim Low-

Missouri Elk Arrival Delayed

WINONA - Arrival of elk at Peck Ranch has been delayed because all necessary health protocol testing is not complete, according to Ron Dent, elk restoration program coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Dent said MDC will select a new arrival date for the elk once health protocol testing is complete. Testing was inconclusive on one animal. Additional testing will be conducted on that one animal and results could be available as early as next week. Final testing is being completed and verified to ensure elk held in Kentucky meet the highest standard of health prior to arriving at their holding pen on Peck Ranch Conservation Area.

The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Conservation continue to implement the strongest health testing protocols in the nation. Missouri’s elk restoration is moving forward and the Conservation Department will continue to keep citizens informed on this conservation initiative.