By Eric Mansfield

Visitors to our Ozark hills in the fall have long took note of the seasonal change with the changing colors of the leaves of the many hardwood trees that adorn our hills and hollows. From the highways, trails and river ways the reddish and golden hues of autumn warm the vistas as they warm the hearts of the visitors. Other signs of summer’s end include the increased activity of eagles along our streams, the early migration of birds headed south. This fall we will have one more sign heralding the shift in nature.

The eerie, almost guttural sounds of elk bugling will be heard once more echoing from the Ozark landscape. Absent since the late 1800’s due to unregulated harvesting and their increased loss of habitat, they are being re-introduced by the Missouri Conservation Department. The first soft release (literally being turned loose from a holding pen by the opening of a gate) is taking place in late April-early May after wild elk trapped in Kentucky have undergone a sufficient period of quarantine. The Peck Ranch Conservation Area will be the site of initial restoration; the 23,000 acre site having served earlier for a similar restoration of wild turkey and being adjacent to the much larger Current River Conservation Area that was integral to the re-introduction of white-tail deer that had suffered almost the same fate as elk.

Within a few years a sustainable population will be roaming the 346 square miles designated in Reynolds, Shannon and Carter counties. Our area was chosen because of its surplus of government land and abundance of isolated natural areas; much the same reasons thousands come each year to float, hike and camp. Already this summer will be viewing opportunities for those wishing to take advantage of the many public access trails in our area or traveling along Current River.

MDC's update on our elk as of December, 2011
By David Pace

I talked with MDC's elk project manager. The elk in Peck are still doing well  with no fatalities since the last reported months ago. Recently, there was a recent muzzleloader hunting season as well as the earlier youth deer season. The elk handled the hunters very well and all elk are still on Peck. They are feeding on acorns.

Planning is underway for more trappng to be done in Kentucky shortly after the first of the year. MDC is planning on trapping an additional 35 head or so trying to get a higher number of cows vs bulls this time. 

I also talked with a muzzleloader hunter who hunted Peck during the special deer season. He said he saw several elk, including a couple of bulls and even heard some bugling.

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

Dave Pace

Each of the 34 elk brought to Missouri from Kentucky were fitted with GPS collars.  These animals included 15 adult cows, 5 yearling cows, 6 adult bulls, and 8 yearling bulls.  Calving commenced prior to release and seven calves were born in the pens.  All live calves were fitted with VHF collars.  Two males and three females survived to be released.

Following their June 1 release, four of the elk moved approximately 1.8 miles southwest off of Peck Ranch.  All of the elk returned to Peck Ranch by the morning of June 4.  Seventeen elk remained near (0.2 miles) the pen site the week following release.

Four females whose age or progesterone levels suggested that they were pregnant isolated themselves from other animals, which seemed to indicate calving behavior. No wild-born calves were either seen or captured, although field staff observed each cow at least once.  The cows remained in the area after staff departed.   

The five calves captured in the pens prior to release were monitored for mortality.  Calf 2 (male) died on June 13.  The collar and tag were recovered, but no cause of death could be determined because few remains were left.  Femur bones were collected for bone marrow fat analysis.  Calf 3 (male) died on June 20.  The carcass was entirely intact, with the only notable signs of injury being one swollen hoof and a partially bruised lung.  A full necropsy was performed on this animal, and lab results are pending.  Calves 5 and 6 (both female) were observed with their mothers on June 13.  These animals appeared to be in excellent condition.  Calf 4 (female) has not been seen, but appears to be moving daily.

The elk seem to have used travel corridors including roads, two-tracks, logging roads, and the Ozark Trail to move about the landscape.  

Several distinct groups or pairs of elk have formed and seem to be developing social bonds and site fidelity.  When these animals move, they tend to move as a unit across the landscape.  Elk are predominately clustered in food plots, with very few animals staying long periods of time in the forest interior.  The largest groups of elk have been staying on food plots surrounded by forest, rather than those bordering roads.

There has been one adult mortality to date.  Cow was found dead on July 4.  The cow was born in Utah and was one of the founding animals for the Kentucky restoration.

All 33 remaining relocated elk and the three remaining known calves are currently within Peck Ranch boundaries.  Traffic has been light since the July 1 limited reopening of the Ranch to the public, and elk that had been establishing site fidelity in the days prior to the reopening have not moved off those areas as a result to date.

Missouri Department of Conservation NEWS:  April 11, 2011

Missouri’s first group of restored elk scheduled to arrive April 30!

Public viewing will be prohibited at first to help assure the safety of the confined elk.

JEFFERSON CITY MO – The first group of elk that are part of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) elk restoration project are scheduled to arrive in the state on April 30. The 34 elk will complete their 90-day quarantine and final health testing in Kentucky before being transported by a semi-driven livestock trailer to Missouri. The elk will be released from Kentucky pending approval by the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA). The elk also have been fitted with ear tags, microchips and GPS collars.

After their overnight journey, the elk will be unloaded into a three-acre, double-fenced holding pen on MDC’s Peck Ranch Conservation Area in southeast Missouri. The pen is divided into four sections with one for young bulls, one for yearling calves, one for cows and one for pregnant cows. Peck Ranch is part of a 346-square-mile elk restoration zone covering parts of Shannon, Carter and Reynolds counties.

MDC will record the elk arrival and unloading into the holding pen through video and photography and post the images on its website (www.MissouriConservation.org) the afternoon of April 30.

“We know Missourians are very excited to have free-ranging elk back in the state and are eager to see them,” said MDC Elk Project Coordinator Ron Dent. “While we would like to allow public viewing of their arrival and while they are in the holding pen, that is not compatible with the animals’ welfare.”

Dent explained that MDC’s first priority is the health and safety of the elk.

“These are wild animals that have a strong natural fear of humans,” he said. “The elk can become very nervous if they hear, see or smell people nearby. Minimizing contact with humans while the elk are in this confined space is vital to keeping them from getting more stressed, and possibly hurting themselves or other elk by trying to flee.”

Dent added that MDC staff caring for the elk will also minimize their contact with the animals. While the elk are in the holding pen, MDC staff will provide food and water daily and keep daily logs on each animal’s activities. MDC staff will also provide around-the-clock security at the holding pen.

The elk will remain in the holding pen for up to two weeks pending results from the final round of health tests performed in Kentucky. Elk will be released from the pen following approval of the final test results by the MDA.

Once the elk have been approved for release from the holding pen, MDC staff will open the gates and allow the elk to move on their own into the 12,000-acre Refuge Area of Peck Ranch. The Refuge will remain closed to the public for a few months to allow the elk to acclimate to the immediate area. During this time, the elk may move on their own from the Refuge into the larger restoration zone where public viewing is unrestricted.

Dent explained that this “soft release” into a temporary holding pen is strongly preferred over a “hard release” where the animals are unloaded from a livestock trailer directly into open country.

“We’ve learned from other states with restored elk, such as Kentucky and Tennessee, that a hard release with a crowd of people around increases stress on the elk,” he said. “A hard release prompts them to bolt from the trailer and immediately spread out into a much larger area as they flee human contact. Our soft release into the holding pen will give the animals time to become more comfortable in their new environment. Allowing them to then leave the holding pen on their own will make them less likely to travel far from the release site.”

He added that catching sight of elk in the restoration zone may be a challenge for people.

“This is not a zoo-type environment,” Dent said. “These several dozen animals will have more than 221,500 acres in the rugged terrain of the restoration zone to call home. It will take some time to figure out where they congregate and where good viewing locations are. As we learn more and as the herd grows, viewing will get better and better.”

For more information on Missouri’s elk restoration efforts, visit www.MissouriConservation.org and search “elk restoration.”