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Wolves kill four Jackson Co. elk

Hello again everyone, dropping by to post this WDNR update that says that wolves have killed at least four Jackson County elk (and vehicles two more). Need to get wolf management back in Wisconsin, then do some targeted trapping effort in areas where the elk are hanging out.

DNR release:

Wild elk returned to Jackson County in August 2015, when 23 animals were released from their temporary home in a holding pen after arriving from Kentucky. Since their release, these elk have been busy exploring new landscapes and adjusting to the many recreational users who frequent their Jackson County and State Forest home. The elk experienced their first breeding season, and are now learning how to survive a Wisconsin winter.

Department of Natural Resources biologists are documenting elk movements and survival as they acclimate to Jackson County through the use of satellite and GPS tracking collars. This technology provides department staff with daily location information. Currently, 17 of the 23 elk (74 percent) are alive at this mid-winter update - six mortalities since August have resulted from vehicles (two) and wolf predation (four).

"It's always a big disappointment to learn of a mortality given how hard we have worked to restore these majestic animals to the county. However, losses are an expected and unavoidable part of a project like this. Our objective of translocating 75 animals to Jackson County is based on anticipating some initial loss in the foundation herd." said Kevin Wallenfang, DNR deer and elk ecologist. "No elk were lost during 2015 deer hunting seasons, and we would like to thank hunters for their continued commitment to always knowing their target and what is beyond. We also want to thank our elk project partners for putting up billboards to remind the public to exercise caution when driving in the area."

Kentucky and Wisconsin staff and partners are currently in Kentucky trapping elk for the next cohort heading to Jackson County. Kentucky has authorized trapping of up to 50 elk annually as part of a five year effort to bring 150 elk to Wisconsin. All elk captured this winter are expected to arrive in Jackson County this spring, and will be released after fulfilling all required health testing, quarantine and acclimation periods. This year's effort is expected to conclude the Jackson County reintroduction effort - elk trapped in future years will supplement the current Clam Lake area herd.

I wonder how Kentucky sportmen feel about kentucky elk being sent north for wolf kibble. Maybe a small price to pay to keep the wolf out of Kentucky. For bio-diversity should be swapping wolf for elk!

On the positive side of this - it may falter some support for the wolves in Wisconsin and sway some peoples thinking regarding delisting!

Pretty big price to pay - but it is what it is!

Kudos to the sportsman for no accidental killings.

It would be interesting to know what the expected loss to wolves was anticipated at. Even if we get control back in the states hands, the wolves have a safe haven/refuge in Fort McCoy

Does anyone know how many Clam Lake elk have been lost to wolfs since their introduction?

Good question Jeff - I have no idea! Interesting question - hopefully someone knows!

Since 2014 it's reported 22 deaths with 11 due to wolves...google out clam lake elk v wolf mortality...there's a few interesting reads to be found.

Since 2014 it's reported 22 deaths with 11 due to wolves...google out clam lake elk v wolf mortality...there's a few interesting reads to be found.

Many of us predicted this, not surprising. Wolves need to eat can't blame them. Maybe now this will knock some sense into their pea brains and allow us to control wolves again. I don't understand how they couldn't see this happening.

It's like filling a pond with bluegill and perch, then adding some muskies. Hmm....I wonder what the muskie will eat?? Some people just don't get it

8 died within weeks of release in southern Sawyer two years ago. I know some died after release again last year. Two were killed in Rusk Co by vehicles this fall.

Doesn't surprise me at all, lived there for 20 yrs and when they first brought this up in Black River Falls I told them it was a waste of good $ due to the improper wolf management, I just got the 'you don't know s''' look' and moved on. The last several yrs I lived there I had a black wolf hanging out the back and didn't seem to be bother by anything. There was warning to keep one bird dog in close around Bear Bluff due to wolf attacks. With the low deer herd the wolf will go for the big buffet, this is what is taking the moose population in northern Mn. What do you want to hunt deer or watch elk from you car door.

Ya, and they are talking about trying to get moose back in NE Minnesota. If they do that step 1 better be to get rid of 90% of the wolfs.

I'm in Jackson county right now at a local bar. Not a few miles from where they have been seen. And they have roamed a lot farther than they have expected. Some elk have been seen 20 miles from were they were penned up. We're up here doing some predetor control. Unfortunately not the known killer. But we're trying to save a few deer.

Why can't we list the elk as threatened or endangered since there are less of them than there are elk and control the wolf population to protect the elk?

Let the elk herd die and let's move on. Retarded and a waste......

Town of Big Falls. There haveen two groups transplanted from the Clam Lake herd to the town of Winter in Sawyer county. They range south into Rusk Co.

I've been a supporter of the wolf intro in Clam lake since day one. I hunt in the area and have seen and heard them many times.

Even I am doubting this effort now. It's been quite a few years and they just can't get a decent foothold up there. They talked about finding the money to keep the ELF line brushed out for food & open habitat..........but that hasn't happened. They also keep talking about getting some logging contracts going in the CNF and that's not happening either.

We either need to get serious about it (including predator control) or pull the plug.

I meant ELK intro in the Clam Lake area. I'm not anti-wolf, just anti wolf mismanagement.

I looked into how much they spend on this program annually. It was a staggering amount. Don't remember off my head but I posted it here at one point.

Agreed, but almost none of the money is from the State.

I'm sure that there are more than just me remembering when they were planning on locating wolves in Jackson County and the "experts" made the claim that it would take a couple of years for the wolves to realize that the elk were food. I remember laughing about that and posting my thoughts on that at that time. I'm not going to try to find the old thread and posts, but I do remember laughing at the stupidity of the "experts" statements. I didn't think wolves would have quite the impact that they've had already, I figured that the first calving season is when it would really hit the fan.....I guess that I underestimated the wolf and their adaptive abilities.

I like how the article states "since August", weren't the elk in pens yet in August? I thought they arrived in August and weren't released from the pens until much later. Didn't the actual releases start in late November or early December?

I remember that too 5rs.

I'm pretty sure they were released right around Labor day.

This just goes to show that with proper diet and exercise wolves will flourish in Jackson County. You guys are looking at this the wrong way.

"On the positive side of this - it may falter some support for the wolves in Wisconsin and sway some peoples thinking regarding delisting!

BT, you don't really believe that comment do you. It would be a positive, but the opposition has a different addenda than the DNR. Unfortunately one of the people heading up the delisting effort is stepping down at the end of his present term.

Always said about the wolf is to spread the wealth to Buffalo, SE,SW.Wi. on the private land and see what happens when the big bucks become prime rib. What Black Rv.St.Park, Meadow Valley area had for deer population before the wolf and T-zone was remarkable before the war on deer started, hope the wolf enjoy their new feast, yes I am very p-offed what happen to the area. If one wants to see what type of bucks that were taken out of there in the past should contact Clark Gallop and see the wall hangers.

Konk -

Public opinion is certainly a huge catapult for those organizations that stand behind and seek court rulings that prevent delisting of the wolf.

When incidents like this take place, as bad as they are for the Elk effort, it certainly opens the eyes of some folks who have their heads in the sand regarding wolves and their destructive nature.

Will it make much of a difference...probably not.

But people in urbanized areas and in Madison need to realize just how destructive/devastating a heavy population of these animals can be.

It will open some eyes......perhaps.

jjs the best post yet,,,,,,,,,, Clark Gallop, there is a class act........

Zinger,

I had the same thought as you:

"Why can't we list the elk as threatened or endangered since there are less of them than there are elk and control the wolf population to protect the elk?"

Isn't it ironic that a species that isn't endangered (elk) can't get a decent foothold in the state because they are being eaten by a species that is supposedly endangered (wolf) which there are too many of. That's what happens when politics and emotions control wildlife management.

The problem with putting elk on the threatened or endangered species list is that I think you have to be careful what you ask for. If elk were put on either of those lists it might be impossible to ever remove them; look what we're going through with wolves. The anti's would bring multiple lawsuits to keep elk on the list so that they couldn't be hunted and only used to feed wolves...

hunt/fish - Wolves in Jackson County have been doing quite nicely for some years now.

Several years back you'd never see a wolf on the "west" side of the County...the Black freezes and the banquet opens.

Before they go any further south they'll move west towards Trempealeau county and their food pantry!

Here's the best reference I've seen to elk mortality in Wisconsin. It's from a Paul Smith article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel from June 2014.

He says DNR statistics show from 1995 to 2014, 42% of elk mortality in the state has been due to wolves, 14% to vehicles and 11% to bears.

I think the wolf proportion of the kill could be over 50% if the last couple years are added.

A big issue, albeit the Clam Lake elk herd, is that leghold trappers are prohibited from dry land trapping in the core elk range due to the Martin restoration area. When wolf trapping was allowed, a vast area was left untapped for reducing wolves in the core elk area.

Elk are forced to move into close proximity of cabins/homes/roads for refuge from wolves. Much of the CNNF back country is void of deer and elk, especially during winter. We need more timber harvests so the habitat is more conducive to supporting elk. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the carrying capacity of predators is tilted against elk and deer. Pennsylvanians meanwhile, enjoy an abundant elk population. Not until wolves are controlled will elk populations thrive. Wolve populations will continue to grow unabated as long as elk are available.

I would venture to guess that the negative financial impact wolves have had on the north greatly exceeds anything that could be reported by the media. All this, because some vocal groups will not allow wolves to be managed.

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