NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/725550
Wandering Elk Displaced bulls on the move. By Gerry Steinauer, Botanist I t was October of 2015 on the way to a Sandhills grouse hunt. We had just passed Urwiller's Melon Patch on Highway 2 east of Ravenna when my buddy Greg blurted out "Holy %&* there's an elk!" We pulled over. Sure enough, a few hundred yards away in pasture amongst a herd of Angus cows was a five-by-five bull elk. Two other cars of gawkers stopped, and though we watched the elk for about 15 minutes in plain sight, he seemed oblivious to our presence, seemingly preoccupied by the cattle. I had heard stories of wandering elk in eastern Nebraska, even once saw hoof prints on a Platte River sandbar near Wood River, but I had never before seen one. Elk were once common throughout Nebraska, but by the late 19 th century they were extirpated by unregulated hunting. In the 1950s and 60s a few elk started showing up in northwestern Nebraska, likely drifters from Wyoming herds. From these pioneers our elk population has steadily grown to about 3,000 animals with established herds in the Pine Ridge (our largest population), Wildcats Hills, central Niobrara River valley, upper Missouri River valley and the Loess Canyons of Lincoln County. "Wandering elk from our western herds can show up almost anywhere in eastern Nebraska," said Kit Hams, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission big game program manager. "A few years ago one was killed in a collision on West O Street in Lincoln and recently one was seen near Omaha. They are usually young bulls. During the rut, the bigger bulls are very territorial and beat up on their young rivals often driving them from the herd. Sometimes they start roaming long distances in search of females, but usually return to the herd once the rut is over." A most notable elk journey began in late August of 1987 when two young bulls jumped a six-foot high fence at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in far western North Dakota. One carried a radio collar so the pair was easily tracked on their over 700-mile trek. They first strayed into north-central South Dakota, where they swam Lake Oahe, before turning northeast eventually reaching Fargo, North Dakota, before hightailing it back to the Park, arriving the following January. Nic Fryda, a Commission wildlife biologist stationed in Kearney, receives several reports each year of out-of- place elk. "Most calls come in from September through November during the rut. The elk may be around earlier, but stay hidden in unpicked cornfields, where they can cause crop damage." Over the years, Fryda has observed that the elk often show up in the same general areas, likely the result of the animals following the same wooded stream valleys, such as those of the Platte or Loup rivers, during their eastward ventures. In the fall of 2014, the owner of the pasture where Greg and I saw the elk called Fryda and reported a bull elk, likely the same individual. He said the elk was chasing and generally harassing his cattle, and seemed especially captivated by one particular cow. When female elk cannot be found, the lustful young bulls will turn their attention to cattle of the female persuasion. Using their antlers, overly zealous bulls will sometimes push and gouge the beef cows in an effort to herd them. Several years ago, an elk in Scotts Bluff County killed two cows by puncturing their lungs. Another problem for ranchers is that, in their herding, the elk will keep thirsty cattle away from stock tanks and other water sources. Cow elk are occasional roamers. The urge that drives them is unknown, but if several settle in an area new resident herds can establish. Presently a new herd appears to be forming along the Dismal River near Halsey National Forest in the central Sandhills. Wandering elk will likely continue to push the frontiers of their Nebraska range, reclaiming lost territory. ■ PHOTO BY GERRY STEINAUER 60 NEBRASKAland • OCTOBER 2016 Map showing Nebraska's range of established elk herds.