Why no elk on the Grand Canyon North Rim
Elk
I just got home from a fire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I spent 14 days there. Pretty place saw a few Bison and a whole bunch of Mule Deer. Mostly does, (bucks were hiding). The entire time I was there I kept thinking that this sure looks like elk country. Never saw any elk or any sign. Asked alot of local fire guys to the area why there was no elk and no one knew why. Anyone know?
There are some on the Kaibab, but the AZ G&FD is trying to keep the elk #'s down to manage for mulies. Check the regs for more info.
ok thanks Matt thats kinda what I was thinking that it was a managment thing. I had a guy tell me elk just were unable to get there? haha
None want to do the Rim to Rim hike...
;-)
Historically there have never been elk on the North Rim, although there are a very few there now. The native elk of Arizona (Meriam's) actually went extinct prior to the turn of the century, and Yellowstone (American) elk were brought from Yellowstone Park in about 1913 and introduced near Chevlon Creek on the Mogollon Rim. From this start of less than 100 elk, they have been reintroduced across Arizona. There have never been any attempts to introduce them above the Grand Canyon so as not to create any conflict in Arizona's best (and arguably one of the best in the U.S.) trophy mule deer habitat. Just in the last decade or so have some been spotted in the North Kaibab, which has prompted Game & Fish to allow deer hunters to buy an OTC elk tag to try to keep them from populating the area. They don't know where they came from, but it is likely they migrated down from Utah at some point. Incidently, buffalo are not native to this area (or any of Arizona) either, and were planted there from a private herd early in Arizona's history. The Federal Government (Park Service) has been trying to erradicate them (due to their not being a native species) for a few years now, but Game & Fish has been fighting it. Strangely enough, I have never heard them complain about the elk, as they are not truly a native species either, yet there are good numbers of them in the Grand Canyon National Park.
The North Rim (North Kaibab) actually holds a fascinating place in the history of game management in the United States (and probably world wide). It stems from President Theodore Roosevelt's creation of a National Game Preserve of the area, and the systematic removal of all predators from the Preserve. The deer numbers were estimated to go from $3-4,000 to over 100,000 in less than two decades, causing the deer to eat virtually every twig on every tree for as high as the tallest deer could reach, before the population crashed to nearly zero due to starvation. This example led to almost all modern wildlife conservation theory and has supported the argument that predators and hunters are important parts of healthy wildlife management. If you are interested, read the "Early History" section of the attached article.
Marvin
Not sure why the link doesn't work, but I will try it again. If it still doesn't work, you can cut and paste this into your browser.
http://www.muledeerworkinggroup.com/Docs/Proceedings/1997-Western%20States%20and%20Provinces%20Deer%20and%20Elk%20Workshop/History%20of%20the%20Kaibab%20Deer%20Herd,%20Beginning%20to%201968.pdf
StickFlicker- Yea I have heard the story before. My professors in my wildlife bio classes in college raved about this story!
Really interesting. I've wondered the same myself. thanks for posting.
OK, so why no elk in the Sierra Nevada range of CA? The Eastern slope would make perfect elk habitat, similar to much of the mountain west. Sorry for the threadjack, maybe I should start my own thread.
I don't believe they're native to the Eastern Sierra, hence no Rocky's in the Sierra's....The Tule's were however in the Valley floor:..
Cascades I guess, not Sierras.
This was taken last year very near my Dad's farm in the Shasta Valley CA north of Weed. They've seen him and his cows in the alfalfa fields many times.
I'm not the greatest at it but believe this is a Rocky and not a Rosie? My understanding is there is a herd or two of Rockies near Grass Lake and up near Goosenest. This bull and his cows are some distance away, across I-5 on the west side of the valley (Grass Lake, etc. are on the east).
I also heard there were Rosies moving into near the Marble mountains to the west.
What do you think, a Rocky that moved down from eastern OR or a Rosie moved east from the coast?
Ike, the Tule elk are not native to the Owens Valley either... just west of the Sierras ... Ed F
ike, i did the rim to rim a couple years ago in 12 hrs.(south to north). elk are smarter then me. walked like a penguin for the next 24 hrs. after that.
