Harvest Strategies and Numbers of Elk (Cervus elaphus) in Oklahoma, 1987-2001

Walter, W.; Leslie, David

Elk (Cervus elaphus) were once widespread in North America and occupied every major natural vegetation type (1). The public is usually surprised to learn that elk occur in Oklahoma, but as a game species several populations are relatively large and productive enough to sustain a restricted annual harvest. Merriam’s elk (C. e. merriami) were native to Oklahoma prior to the 1900s, but the last known Merriam’s elk was harvested on Rainy Mountain, Kiowa County, in 1881 (2). In 1908, a bull of unknown stock and origin was released into the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (WMWR), followed by five Rocky Mountain elk (C. e. canadensis; one bull, four cows) from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 1911 (1,2). Relocation efforts were successful, and the elk population in WMWR is maintained at about 500 through annual harvests (J. Kimball, WMWR Wildlife Biologist, personal communication). Elk have migrated from WMWR through fencebreaks south to the adjacent Fort Sill Military Reservation (FS) and north and west to adjacent private land (PL) outside WMWR and FS. To further establish elk in eastern Oklahoma, elk from WMWR were introduced into Cherokee, Cookson, LeFlore, McCurtain, Pushmataha, and Spavinaw wildlife management areas (WMA) in the late 1960s (3). Successful elk restoration has occurred in Pennsylvania and Michigan resulting in self-sustaining herds (4,5), causing other states to assess the feasibility of elk restoration (5-7). The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) has regulated elk harvests to control expanding elk herds on private lands and provides hunting opportunities for Oklahoma residents on wildlife management areas. We summarize harvest strategies and total harvest of elk in Oklahoma from 1987 to 2001.