St Helens herd. Roosevelt or Rocky Mountain?

[Swatson]

Curious to hear what people think?  Are the elk up in Packwood, Randle, Winston etc Rocky Moutain or Roosevelt?

[BIGINNER]

i was under the impression that they were roosevelt,  but 

[Rooster1981]

I met a guy elk hunting this year that helps out at the feeding station in Naches. He told me alot of the elk from Packwood migrate back and forth to the feeding station. I call every thing east of I-5 rocky mt elk

[Mike450r]

I think true roosies are the coastal elk, alot of mixing of the species the closer you get to I5.  Rockies were transplanted a long time ago into many areas west of the cascades. I go with the coastal elk being roosies, close to I5 crosses, closer to the cascades Rockies.

[trophyhunt]

I believe any elk killed on the east side of I-5 to the crest trail is a cascade elk, I could be wrong but I believe it's a semi-new classification.

[jackelope]

I believe any elk killed on the east side of I-5 to the crest trail is a cascade elk, I could be wrong but I believe it's a semi-new classification.

B/C boundary descriptions:

Roosevelt’s elk are acceptable from Del Norte, Humboldt and Trinity Counties, California, as well as that portion of Siskiyou County west of I-5 in northern California; from west of Highway I-5 in Oregon and Washington; from Vancouver Island, B.C.; and from Afognak and Raspberry Islands of Alaska. The Alaskan animals are the result of a successful transplant from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. To date no trophies from Alaska have been entered that reach the current all-time records book minimum score of 290. Most of the entered trophies to date have come from coastal Oregon and Washington, with a smaller number from Vancouver Island.

Pretty sure the Washington/Oregon big game records book considers them Cascade Roosevelts but B/C doesn't. To B/C they are Rocky's.

[bearpaw]

I'm pretty sure roosies have to come from west of I-5...

[Swatson]

I wrote this because its always been a debate.  I finally called an area Biologist with WDFW and he told me that technically all the elk on the westside are classified as Roosevelt.  He said obviously some of these elk have been bread with the Yakima Herd which is classified as Rocky Mountain elk.  I just find it hard to believe and call some of the back scrathers that weve seen over the years up in the high country a Roosevelt?  As far as Cascade elk or Olympic elk, he told me that some people may use those terms but there are only two classifications in Washington, Roosies and Rocky Mountain.  Curious to see how they go in the record books too?

[bearpaw]

Yep, B&C recognizes only two species in Washington.

[Practical Approach]

I believe most of the elk herds have been genetically mapped quite a while back.  There was a sampling effort to document the different herds genetics in the early 2000's.  The Mt. Saint Helens Herd is a mix of both Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain.  However, their genetic makeup is weighted more heavily to the Rocky Mtn side.  The only true Roosevelt elk were west of I5 most east I5 elk sandwiched between the cascades are mixed genetics.  The further east you go from the cascades the more predominately Rocky mountain your genetics get.  There is some overlap with elk that travel fromthe eastside to the westside of the cascades.

[PolarBear]

 
I have arrowed several bulls is the Randle and St. Helens areas that when scored were considered as Cascade Roosevelts.  IMO, you have to go a little farther West to get into real Roosies.  I know that a lot of elk in the St. Helens were transplanted but I am not sure from where.

[Annette]

I'm pretty sure roosies have to come from west of I-5...

Bear Paw is the winner!
Cascade Elk was invented to sell new books.

[steen]

Pure strain of Rosies are in the Olympics.  The ones in the Cascades are not a pure strain.  Rockies were brought in in some point.

[bobcat]

"Cascade" elk is not a species of elk, it's just a classification for the state record book.

I think there's some relevant information in this document:   http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/pub.php?id=00771

[bucklucky]

St Helens Elk are Bench legs .......  Rocky, Roosie cross