Elk in Wisconsin

Elk Hunt 2018

After more than 22 years of elk reintroduction efforts, 2018 will mark Wisconsin’s first managed elk hunt in state history. Thanks to the conservation efforts of many partners, the elk population in the original Clam Lake herd has continued to increase over the years to levels that biologists feel can support a very limited bull-only hunt. Hunting will not take place in areas where Kentucky elk were recently introduced.

Only Wisconsin residents are eligible to apply for an elk tag. The application fee is $10 and applications will be available Tuesday, May 1 to Thursday, May 31, 2018 through the Go Wild system  or a license agent. Four tags will be awarded to Wisconsin residents through a random drawing. No preference point system is available. One additional tag will be awarded to a Wisconsin resident through a raffle conducted by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Application and license fees, as well as proceeds from the RMEF raffle, are earmarked for elk management and research in Wisconsin.

Rules of the hunt

Wisconsin’s inaugural elk hunting season will adhere to the following guidelines:

• Season dates will be October 13 to November 11 and December 13-21, 2018.
• Five bull-only tags will be issued. "Bull elk" means any elk with an antler of at least six inches in length.
• Hunting will be allowed only in the Clam Lake elk range.
• Only Wisconsin residents are eligible to apply for and receive an elk hunting license.
• Hunters must submit an application each year they wish to be entered into the drawing for an elk hunting license. No preference point system is available.
• A person may be issued or transferred only one elk license in their lifetime.

More information can be found on the Elk Hunt Frequently Asked Questions [PDF], the elk hunt news release  , and on our Facebook Live announcement  from March.

Elk calf searching offers the experience of a lifetime

Help us find elk calves this spring! Volunteers work alongside DNR staff to search for calves so biologists can collar, take measurements, and track them throughout life to determine important information that impacts elk management. Volunteers must be fit and able to travel through dense wooded cover, in remote areas of the northern or western Wisconsin forests. Days available will be between May 19th and June 24th. Days are filling fast, so don’t delay. Volunteers are needed in the central elk herd near Black River Falls so contact Scott Roepke. If you’d prefer to work further north with the original Clam Lake herd, contact Josh Spiegel or Laine Stowell.

History of elk in Wisconsin

Elk (Cervus elaphus) once ranged over most of North America and throughout Wisconsin. They were extirpated from Wisconsin in the mid- to late-1800s due to overhunting and a rapid decline in habitat with the onset of European settlement. Historic records show elk once inhabited at least 50 of the state's 72 counties. An attempt at bringing elk back to the state in the 1930s failed because of poaching and the last four elk were reportedly killed in 1948. Today, however, most of the suitable elk habitat is in the northern and central forest regions of the state.

Early reintroduction efforts

In 1989, the department was directed by the state legislature to explore the feasibility of successfully reintroducing elk, moose and caribou. In the end, it was determined that an elk reintroduction effort could succeed, while reintroductions of moose or caribou likely would not. In 1993, the Wisconsin state legislature authorized the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UW-SP) to evaluate the potential for reintroducing elk to the Great Divide District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF) near Clam Lake. During February 1995, 25 elk were trapped, held in a quarantine facility while undergoing disease testing, and transported to the Clam Lake release site. After being held in a pen for an acclimation period, the elk were released into the CNNF on May 17, 1995. At that time plans were also made, but not carried out, to reintroduce elk to the Black River State Forest near Black River Falls of west central Wisconsin (Jackson County).

Management responsibility of the herd was transferred from the UW-SP to the department in May 1999 after the initial reintroduction study was considered a success. At that time, approximately 40 elk were present in the herd.

Current reintroduction efforts

In 2014, the department entered into an agreement with the state of Kentucky to import, quarantine, and release as many as 150 wild elk over a period of up to 5 years. The overall plan involved dividing these animals into two areas of the state, including releasing up to 75 elk to establish a new elk herd in the Black River State Forest with a long-term population goal of 390 elk. This effort occurred in 2015 and 2016 with 73 elk released. The plan also called for adding up to 75 elk to the existing Clam Lake herd with a long-term population goal of 1,400 elk. One year of this effort was completed in 2017, resulting in the release of 31 Kentucky elk into the Flambeau River State Forest near the town of Winter. One final year of translocation is expected to occur in 2019, and all elk are again slated to be released in the Flambeau River State Forest within the Clam Lake elk range.

Read more about the Wisconsin elk reintroduction [PDF].

Current populations

As of March 2018, the Black River elk herd was estimated to contain approximately 55 animals, with approximately 20 calves expected to be born this spring. A drop in the population from the original release number was expected, and is common in any type of reintroduction effort, regardless of the species. When animals are reintroduced into an unfamiliar environment, the risk of meeting with an untimely death (car accident, predation, etc.) are high. Once animals have had an opportunity to become familiar with their new home range and go through a few breeding seasons, numbers begin to climb. This cycle is fully anticipated with the Black River herd, and signs of population increase are evident. As of March 2018, the Clam Lake elk herd was estimated to be approximately 185 individuals, with approximately 45 calves expected to be born in spring. This population has grown slowly, but steadily, since reintroduction in 1995. The Spring 2018 Elk Population Status Summary is now available for both the Clam Lake Herd [PDF] and the Black River Herd [PDF]. With a projected population of over 200 elk in the Clam Lake herd in 2018, Wisconsin will initiate its first regulated hunt in state history in the Clam Lake Elk Range this fall.