Since the Wolf introduction hereabouts several years ago our Elk herds have been doing some very strange/out of the ordinary things.
One of the things they have never done before that they do now in the face of year round Wolf predation is they take up "residence" on private ranches near ranch houses for much of the year!
This makes for some excellent Elk "viewing" opportunities but Elk Hunting opportunities have suffered significantly.
On September 17th I had occassion to do some wildlife viewing of an Elk herd that had recently come out of the foothills/mountains and was rutting about in an open crop field - at times literally UNDER an active irrigation pivot.
On the 17th of September there were 472 Elk in this huge field and as of 1 hour ago there are now 720 Elk in that field.
Today I had enough time to do some further counting and note taking - and I thought the numbers were interesting enough to pass them along.
Out of that herd of 720 total Elk 44 of them were spike bulls and 27 of them were "mature" bulls - of those 27 "mature" bulls 12 of them were "raghorns" and the other 15 are 6x6 type bulls.
One of those bulls I would field judge to be at least 375 B&C points!
Last year before the Rifle season started here in S.W. Montana there were 1,800 Elk on this ranch and by the first of December (ending of Rifle season) I counted 2,100 Elk in this privately owned field!
This field/ranch is less than 5 miles from my home and I often pass by it.
This "situation" of the Elk now hiding on private ranches is currently and (unfortunately!) very common here in S.W. Montana!
The owner of the adjacent ranch complex took me for a ride through his fields the other day and he relayed how he had been born on that ranch 66 years ago and Elk NEVER came down to this valley floor except in a few of the harshest of winters and that happened WELL after the Hunting season was over.
He also relayed how when he was young on his ranch it was rare to even see a single Whitetail Deer on their property.
I counted 520 Whitetails in one of his pivots and 170 in another!
With less than 40 Mule Deer seen total.
We did not venture into his other 4 pivoted fields that day.
Just some numbers and food for thought on how things change over time and with changes in human behavior (more efficient irrigation/Wolf re-introduction etc).
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy