Feb. 15, 2024
Elk, also called wapiti in Shawnee and Cree, heȟáka in Lakota, and omashkooz in Ojibwe, roam in three herds in Minnesota. This newsletter is all about Minnesota elk! In this issue, some basics about elk biology, where elk live in Minnesota, how we keep track of elk populations, ways you can share your elk sightings and photos, and elk action items on the horizon.
Welcome to Elk Notes
Minnesota has elk? Yes we do! And now we have a newsletter all about elk — Minnesota Elk Notes. We’ll be sending you Elk Notes with information on elk natural history, biology, viewing, hunting and updates on elk research, management and habitat work taking place in Minnesota. Thank you for subscribing!
Photo courtesy of Marshall Deters
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Elk basics
Elk are larger in size than white-tailed or mule deer and can weigh up to 900 pounds. A bull elk’s huge antlers can top 40 pounds at age 5 and has prominent tines over the brow. Elk are primarily grazers, preferring grasses and forbs, but will browse on willow, aspen and other woody vegetation as well as agricultural crops. They prefer open brushlands and grasslands for foraging and forested areas for winter cover.
Minnesota’s elk
Elk roam tens of thousands of acres of land in northwestern Minnesota managed by the Minnesota DNR, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and many owners of private land. These lands stretch from the tallgrass aspen parklands west to the prairie grasslands.
The Minnesota DNR manages elk to maintain a free-ranging, wild population in northwestern Minnesota. Three herds comprise the state’s elk population.
- The Caribou-Vita herd is Minnesota’s largest herd, and migrates between northern Kittson County and Manitoba. The population goal for this international herd is 150-200 by mutual agreement with Manitoba Conservation. The herd is named for Caribou, Minnesota, an unincorporated community in Kittson County’s Caribou Township, and Vita, Manitoba, which is a local urban district in southeastern Manitoba.
- The Kittson-Central herd is located near the towns of Lancaster, Hallock and Lake Bronson in Kittson County. The population goal for this herd is 50-60.
- The Grygla herd is the smallest herd and resides in Marshall County, near the town of Grygla. The population goal for the Grygla herd is 30-38.
Elk sightings have been reported in western, central and southern areas of the state. Solitary young males are especially known to travel long distances from the state’s established elk range, typically during the fall breeding season, or rut.
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Aerial surveys help the DNR monitor elk numbers
Ever wonder how the Minnesota DNR estimates how many elk are on the landscape? The primary way we do this is our annual aerial elk surveys.
The DNR conducts elk surveys, which are minimum counts of elk in each herd, from low-flying airplanes during the day, from an altitude of 200-300 feet. The surveys allow us to monitor elk populations in the Kittson County and Grygla elk herds in northwestern Minnesota and the border elk herd in both Minnesota and Manitoba. The information is used to monitor elk populations over time and help the DNR make decisions about future elk management and harvest regulations.
Weather conditions dictate when DNR Wildlife staff can conduct surveys. Sufficient snow cover of 8 inches or more is required to accurately spot the elk on the landscape. This year we’re still waiting for that snow and are hoping enough snow will fall in time to complete the survey.
The 2023 survey results are:
- Kittson-Central – 75 elk counted
- Caribou-Vita – 96 elk counted in Minnesota and 131 elk counted in Manitoba
- Grygla – 29 elk counted.
The full survey report from 2023 and reports from previous years are available on the DNR website.
Share your elk sightings and photos
You can report elk you see. In addition to aerial surveys, we also use reports submitted to our elk sightings tool on the DNR website to supplement the data provided from aerial surveys. This helps us better understand elk movement and distribution in Minnesota. The map shows locations where others have reported elk across the state and identifies Minnesota’s elk range.
We’d also love to see your elk photos! You can share your photos with us using our photo uploader. We may share your photos in DNR email updates like the Elk Notes newsletter, or on social media and our website.
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Looking ahead at elk management in Minnesota
We have some exciting elk work and conversations on the horizon!
Elk population conversations
The Minnesota DNR is initiating discussions with tribal leaders, local landowners, agricultural producers, legislators, and local government officials to explore the possibility of expanding the northwest elk population to meet increased interest in elk viewing and hunting. Minnesotans interested in elk, conservation organizations and leaders from several tribal governments have expressed the desire to increase the elk population in Minnesota for cultural, ecological, social and economic reasons.
Research project
Beginning in 2025, the DNR will conduct an in-depth elk life-history and health research project. This project will help inform elk management by providing essential data on reproductive rates, survival, mortality factors, movements and genetics.
Elk restoration
Additionally, with support and direction from the Minnesota Legislature, the DNR is a partner with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa on the Band’s proposal to restore elk to the Fond du Lac Reservation and surrounding area in northeastern Minnesota. The 2023 Minnesota Legislature provided $2.3 million in funding to the Fond du Lac Band and DNR to “…expand Minnesota’s wild elk population and range. Consideration must be given to moving elk from existing herds in northwest Minnesota to the area of the Fond du Lac State Forest and the Fond du Lac Reservation… .”
More details are available on the Minnesota DNR elk webpage at mndnr.gov/elk, and we will be sharing more about these and other elk management topics in future Elk Notes newsletters.
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