Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: Roperfive88 on April 19, 2013, 12:53:43 PM

Title: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: Roperfive88 on April 19, 2013, 12:53:43 PM: I always thought that the elk in the blues were brought on train cars from Yellowstone. Is that true or were they native to the area? :dunno: I had another member think they were native.
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: Woodchuck on April 19, 2013, 12:56:38 PM: I am under the impression that the elk from Yellowstone were brought here to help the native herds recover. :dunno:
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: Curly on April 19, 2013, 01:02:56 PM: Distribution
A.
Historic Distribution:
Much discussion has occurred about the origin of the Blue Mountains elk herd. Elk have been present in the Columbia Basin and adjacent areas for at least 10,000 years, and were an important source of food for Native Americans (McCorquodale 1985). Unregulated subsistence and market hunting by Euro-American immigrants, along with habitat changes resulting from livestock grazing and land cultivation, nearly extirpated elk from the Blue Mountains by the late 1880's (McCorquodale 1985, ODFW 1992).

To help recover elk populations in the Blue Mountains, sportsmen’s groups in southeast Washington initiated transplants of elk from Yellowstone National Park. Twenty-eight elk were released from Pomeroy in 1911; 50 elk from Walla Walla in 1919; and 26 elk from Dayton 1931 (Urness 1960). The first season for branched-antlered bull elk was held in 1927, and the first either-sex season in 1934 to reduce elk numbers and control damage on private lands in the Charley and Cummings Creek drainages.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00452/bluemtn.pdf (http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00452/bluemtn.pdf)
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: Woodchuck on April 19, 2013, 01:05:39 PM: wow, I got one right. Miracle
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: jackelope on April 19, 2013, 01:14:54 PM: Quote from: Woodchuck on April 19, 2013, 01:05:39 PM
wow, I got one right. Miracle

Congrats, Jimbo.
:tup:
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: 724wd on April 19, 2013, 03:08:21 PM: Quote from: Woodchuck on April 19, 2013, 01:05:39 PM
wow, I got one right. Miracle

:lol4: :chuckle: :chuckle: :tup:
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: Woodchuck on April 19, 2013, 03:32:15 PM: Awe shucks, thanks guys.
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: 270Flat on April 19, 2013, 03:43:47 PM: Yeah... But the wolves and Bigfoot ate them all!! No more elk in the Blues...
Sorry :chuckle:
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: Woodchuck on April 19, 2013, 03:52:36 PM: :chuckle: Well of course, that goes without saying.
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: 400out on April 19, 2013, 04:08:34 PM: It appears we need Nor Folkn Way to make another drop!!! :chuckle:
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: mtncook on April 19, 2013, 06:13:12 PM: The elk arrived here (Pomeroy) on a train and spent the winter in the livestock pens at the rail yard. When spring came and the grass started to grow some locals on horseback drove the bunch to the foothills and onto Abels ridge. THe elk beat the guys back to town where they were used to being fed. Again they were drivenbut held there. I've been fortunate to live here all but 7 years of my life and have close connections with families that were involved in the elk drive. Some of them were even known to rope a bull or two for fun.

mtncook
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: 270Flat on April 19, 2013, 06:20:08 PM: Quote from: Woodchuck on April 19, 2013, 03:52:36 PM
:chuckle: Well of course, that goes without saying.
:tup:
Title: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: jackelope on April 20, 2013, 08:54:18 AM: Quote from: mtncook on April 19, 2013, 06:13:12 PM
The elk arrived here (Pomeroy) on a train and spent the winter in the livestock pens at the rail yard. When spring came and the grass started to grow some locals on horseback drove the bunch to the foothills and onto Abels ridge. THe elk beat the guys back to town where they were used to being fed. Again they were drivenbut held there. I've been fortunate to live here all but 7 years of my life and have close connections with families that were involved in the elk drive. Some of them were even known to rope a bull or two for fun.

mtncook

Pics or it didn't happen.

Hah!! Do you know when that happened, Dave?
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: mtncook on April 21, 2013, 06:20:57 PM: I've been gone for a couple of days, I'm sure the elk reive was from the arrival of the 1911 shipment. I've only heard of the one bunch that was shipped here.

mtncook
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: yelp on April 23, 2013, 11:58:20 AM: Here are some of my relatives helping to drive the elk from the quarantined area in Pomeroy into the Wenaha. My Grandmother handed down these postcards to me. I was fortunate to draw and harvest a 346" 7x7 in 2001 the Mountain view unit in 2001. At that time I made a video of the family grave markers in Pataha Flats Cemetary. It was neat to see family markers and the historical significance of my hunt. I wanted to share these with all of you. Maybe there are family members on here? :dunno:
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on April 23, 2013, 12:05:49 PM: That's pretty neat to see yelp! :tup: thanks.
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: Royal47 on April 23, 2013, 12:31:38 PM: Thanks for sharing Yelp! :tup:
Title: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: iRem on April 23, 2013, 01:30:29 PM: That is AWSOME! That Hunt would diffenittly make it a hunt of a lifetime! Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: jackelope on April 23, 2013, 01:52:58 PM: Quote from: yelp on April 23, 2013, 11:58:20 AM
Here are some of my relatives helping to drive the elk from the quarantined area in Pomeroy into the Wenaha. My Grandmother handed down these postcards to me. I was fortunate to draw and harvest a 346" 7x7 in 2001 the Mountain view unit in 2001. At that time I made a video of the family grave markers in Pataha Flats Cemetary. It was neat to see family markers and the historical significance of my hunt. I wanted to share these with all of you. Maybe there are family members on here? :dunno:
Yelp-
The inlaws have family in the Pataha Flats cemetery too.
Really neat photos there.
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: 270Flat on April 23, 2013, 08:53:41 PM: That's good stuff right there!! Real neat you made a video to hold onto and share with current/future generations. :tup:
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: yelp on April 25, 2013, 01:07:36 PM: IT was cool making video for sure. I found out some of my shirt tail relatives still live in area too. :)
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: farmin4u_98948 on April 28, 2013, 07:35:51 AM: Thanks for sharing the pics and story. I love history and especially when its not revised.
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: trophyhunt on April 28, 2013, 07:59:59 AM: That's pretty neat to see a bit of history on that elk herd, it's too bad that we might have to import some more after the wolves and cat's have there way with them in the next few years. Sweet pic's though. :tup:
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: yelp on April 30, 2013, 12:57:07 PM: Mtn Cook you know any of my relatives down there? I haven't me tanyone directly..scary territory they could be the aholes of the county...LOL :chuckle: :dunno:.
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: The100Road on April 30, 2013, 01:46:02 PM: Quote from: yelp on April 23, 2013, 11:58:20 AM
Here are some of my relatives helping to drive the elk from the quarantined area in Pomeroy into the Wenaha. My Grandmother handed down these postcards to me. I was fortunate to draw and harvest a 346" 7x7 in 2001 the Mountain view unit in 2001. At that time I made a video of the family grave markers in Pataha Flats Cemetary. It was neat to see family markers and the historical significance of my hunt. I wanted to share these with all of you. Maybe there are family members on here? :dunno:

you got a picture of that 7x7?
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: yelp on May 01, 2013, 12:02:08 PM: Here he is.
Title: Re: Are Elk Native to the Blues?
Post by: Skillet on May 01, 2013, 12:08:46 PM: Hey, that bull looks familiar. And that young guy with it looks familiar too...