FWP Commission to vote on northern Yellowstone elk proposal
Wildlife officials have said the herd is in trouble because the number of mature bulls per 100 cows has been declining for years. The most recent count put the ratio at 2.7 mature bulls per 100 cows in the Montana portion of the herd’s range — the part where FWP has jurisdiction. In 1995, that number was 60.1.
The herd was also much larger in the mid-1990s. In 1994, its size was estimated near 19,000 elk, while recent surveys have put the herd’s size at about 4,900. Vore said the decline can be attributed to a more robust suite of predators, including wolves and grizzly bears, and competition for forage with a burgeoning bison population.
But state biologists say hunting is the primary reason for the decline in mature bulls, and their way to reverse course is to limit hunting. FWP first tried to do it by switching to an unlimited permit system, meaning hunters who put in for a tag before March 15 would get one. Some tags were also sold during surplus sales, though those made up a fraction of the total permits given out.
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