Hamilton Reef
12-07-2004, 11:44 AM
Lucky elk hunters hope to bag the trophy of a lifetime
Michigan's season begins today
By SHERI MCWHIRTER, Record-Eagle staff writer
http://www.record-eagle.com/2004/dec/07elkhnt.htm
ATLANTA - A large herd of hunters migrated to the area for the annual elk hunt in northern lower Michigan.
Among them, Rich Young of Clio, who'll hunt at Canada Creek Ranch in Atlanta. He's confident he'll get a bull elk and brought his son, Kevin, 17, to videotape the hunt.
His confidence stems from obtaining a permit the first year he tried through a limited lottery system held by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
"This is a chance of a lifetime in Michigan. It's a lifetime trophy," Young said.
This year 124 elk permits were issued, up from 100 issued in 2003. Biologists estimate there are between 800 and 850 elk roaming the northern woods, a population first introduced to Michigan in 1918 after the native elk disappeared around 1875.
Brian Mastenbrook, a DNR biologist, said elk do not move around much this time of the year and can be found eating twigs and buds in aspen clear-cut areas, as well as acorns in oak ridges.
"If you can look for those features, you may find a whole bunch," Mastenbrook said. Cows and calves typically form herds of 30 or less, while bulls are more solitary.
All elk hunters in Michigan must attend orientation in the Montmorency County town of Atlanta, the state's elk capital. The meeting covers hunting rules, elk behavior and habitat, as well as field-dressing and meat-handling guidelines. Hunters are issued their kill tag after the meeting.
"The orientation helps hunters understand their role as managers of wildlife and it gives them the opportunity to learn about elk, which behave quite differently than deer," said Doug Reeves, DNR wildlife division chief.
Because permits are so scarce, many hunters have never hunted elk in Michigan or elsewhere. New DNR rules allow only one bull permit in a lifetime and if hunters get a cow permit, they must wait 10 years to again submit their name to the lottery.
Shaun Wade of Muskegon said he's tried for 20 years to get an elk permit and when the paperwork came in the mail this summer, he nearly did cartwheels.
"You can see my dimples for the first time in 10 years," he joked. "If I don't get an elk, I'll bow hunt for a deer. But if I get an elk, I'm done - I only have two freezers."
Mastenbrook said four of 1,287 elk checked for bovine tuberculosis since 1996 tested positive, one in both 2000 and 2001 and two in 2003. Three were killed in Montmorency County and one in Presque Isle County.
The elk season runs from today through Dec. 14.
Michigan's season begins today
By SHERI MCWHIRTER, Record-Eagle staff writer
http://www.record-eagle.com/2004/dec/07elkhnt.htm
ATLANTA - A large herd of hunters migrated to the area for the annual elk hunt in northern lower Michigan.
Among them, Rich Young of Clio, who'll hunt at Canada Creek Ranch in Atlanta. He's confident he'll get a bull elk and brought his son, Kevin, 17, to videotape the hunt.
His confidence stems from obtaining a permit the first year he tried through a limited lottery system held by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
"This is a chance of a lifetime in Michigan. It's a lifetime trophy," Young said.
This year 124 elk permits were issued, up from 100 issued in 2003. Biologists estimate there are between 800 and 850 elk roaming the northern woods, a population first introduced to Michigan in 1918 after the native elk disappeared around 1875.
Brian Mastenbrook, a DNR biologist, said elk do not move around much this time of the year and can be found eating twigs and buds in aspen clear-cut areas, as well as acorns in oak ridges.
"If you can look for those features, you may find a whole bunch," Mastenbrook said. Cows and calves typically form herds of 30 or less, while bulls are more solitary.
All elk hunters in Michigan must attend orientation in the Montmorency County town of Atlanta, the state's elk capital. The meeting covers hunting rules, elk behavior and habitat, as well as field-dressing and meat-handling guidelines. Hunters are issued their kill tag after the meeting.
"The orientation helps hunters understand their role as managers of wildlife and it gives them the opportunity to learn about elk, which behave quite differently than deer," said Doug Reeves, DNR wildlife division chief.
Because permits are so scarce, many hunters have never hunted elk in Michigan or elsewhere. New DNR rules allow only one bull permit in a lifetime and if hunters get a cow permit, they must wait 10 years to again submit their name to the lottery.
Shaun Wade of Muskegon said he's tried for 20 years to get an elk permit and when the paperwork came in the mail this summer, he nearly did cartwheels.
"You can see my dimples for the first time in 10 years," he joked. "If I don't get an elk, I'll bow hunt for a deer. But if I get an elk, I'm done - I only have two freezers."
Mastenbrook said four of 1,287 elk checked for bovine tuberculosis since 1996 tested positive, one in both 2000 and 2001 and two in 2003. Three were killed in Montmorency County and one in Presque Isle County.
The elk season runs from today through Dec. 14.