Roosevelt Elk

[goeduck]

Two of my properties are in Roosevelt Elk territory and they have started decimating our fruit trees there. Roosevelt Elk are the largest of the elk species and can reach at least up to nearly 9 feet (measured tree damage at 8-3/4'). We have fruit trees scattered around and for decades only had deer and black bear to deal with. The necessary cages around the smaller trees have worked but since the trees are scattered a tall fence would be difficult. The elk chew the young trees down, bark, trunk and all. They grab the larger tree branches with their mouths to shake the apples off of the tree, breaking those branches. And of course, they eat all the apples off of the ground, so the deer have nothing, and the bear then have to climb the trees (breaking branches) to get apples on top. Today I ran a copper wire up the small tree trunks in hopes that will prevent chew-downs. Picture is of elk print next to deer print. Anyone have any advice?

 

[jyoutz]

Two of my properties are in Roosevelt Elk territory and they have started decimating our fruit trees there. Roosevelt Elk are the largest of the elk species and can reach at least up to nearly 9 feet (measured tree damage at 8-3/4'). We have fruit trees scattered around and for decades only had deer and black bear to deal with. The necessary cages around the smaller trees have worked but since the trees are scattered a tall fence would be difficult. The elk chew the young trees down, bark, trunk and all. They grab the larger tree branches with their mouths to shake the apples off of the tree, breaking those branches. And of course, they eat all the apples off of the ground, so the deer have nothing, and the bear then have to climb the trees (breaking branches) to get apples on top. Today I ran a copper wire up the small tree trunks in hopes that will prevent chew-downs. Picture is of elk print next to deer print. Anyone have any advice?
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I don’t have elk on my current property, but I have large mule deer. The only solution I had that works is to plant trees in an orchard, not individual scattered trees. Then I constructed a 9’ field fence around the orchard. I’m familiar with Rocky Mountain elk, and a 9’ fence also is effective at excluding them too.

 

[mapper]

Feel your pain Geoduck, we have then same problems in our neighborhood. There is a herd of about 60 around here. I mostly have problems with the young bachelor bulls in the summer that hang out in the woods by my back field. Just one can do a lot of damage.
The dog helps to keep them at bay, interesting how a 70 lb dog can make a 1500 lb elk run off!

 

[Thomas]

No elk here but we do have moose,durning rut season male rub it's antler enough to destroy tree,if fruit not protected well fruit ate limbs damage also,only thing I seen work well heavy duty fencing around tree and that lot $$$'s

 

[oosik]

I've got several small herds of elk around here. They find safe harborage on Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. It's located just East of me - across the county road. I VERY SELDOM see elk or evidence of elk here on my property.

Lots of deer. Both whitetail and mulies. They like the apples. Along with the porcupines, raccoons and deer it was a real challenge to harvest large crops. We gave up after several years. It's just a whole lot easier and more productive to get our fresh apple from Green Bluff. It's a very productive farming area just a few miles north of Spokane.

 

[thclimer]

High velocity lead is very effective..................however I'm sure there might be just a few regulations pertaining to it in your area.

Sounds like your area is pretty large to try and control, which makes any means like a fence, motion activated sprinklers, alarms, lights....pretty expensive. A dog sounds like a good option but all it takes is one time that it's not on guard and a lot of damage can be done.

Good luck and I hope you can find something.

 

[workinonit]

You can't eat Roosevelt elk? The problem here are whitetails. They are like rats. They eat pretty much anything we try to grow. If you don't put up an 8' fence you can forget it. Hell, they even eat the shrubs in the flower beds. Killing 50 a year doesn't put a dent in the population.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

My experience has been a 338 win mag, loaded with 225 gr Nosler partitions is pure elk poison.

This came from decades of intensive research when I still resided in AZ.

 

[workinonit]

Well now. There's the solution.

 

[thclimer]

You can't eat Roosevelt elk? The problem here are whitetails. They are like rats. They eat pretty much anything we try to grow. If you don't put up an 8' fence you can forget it. Hell, they even eat the shrubs in the flower beds. Killing 50 a year doesn't put a dent in the population.

I have heard in the north east white-tailed deer should be considered an invasive species with no hunting license requirements due to the destruction of the local natural flora.

Some biologists even say in the north east they have had a larger negative impact on the environment that any other invasive species to date. They practically will mow everything down in a forest from chest height down leaving only a few select plants untouched.

 

[wmfamily]

As others have mentioned the whitetails are the problem in most areas. Missouri is trying to get the elk population going here again. They have just started permitted hunting over the past few years with a lottery drawing for tags (same with black bear). It will be many years before they become a big PITA like the whitetails.

I wonder if electrified chicken wire rigged up at elk eating height would dissuade them?

 

[Eagle1]

Had my first wild elk on the property this spring. Conservation did not think I came from Peck ranch, but still cool to see. Young female, I was close enough to tell on the third sighting

 

[wmfamily]

Had my first wild elk on the property this spring. Conservation did not think I came from Peck ranch, but still cool to see. Young female, I was close enough to tell on the third sighting

If it didn't come from Peck where would it come from? That's closer than the other options.

 

[Eagle1]

We do have a couple of High Fence "hunting" operations around, so who knows.
I do know we have had some escapees, Red Stag Doe, an antelope, etc.
Still cool to have it feeding here, would love wake up one morning and hear and Elk bugling.

 

[wmfamily]

We do have a couple of High Fence "hunting" operations around, so who knows.
I do know we have had some escapees, Red Stag Doe, an antelope, etc.
Still cool to have it feeding here, would love wake up one morning and hear and Elk bugling.

Ok, that makes sense. I didn't think about the hunting ranches.

 

[goeduck]

My experience has been a 338 win mag, loaded with 225 gr Nosler partitions is pure elk poison.

This came from decades of intensive research when I still resided in AZ.

I don't live on either of the two properties that have the elk problem, that is part of the dilemma. My brother saw them this time going after the trees but was not prepared. They come through, do their damage and move on. Black bear are similar, only occasionally there.

 

[oosik]

I think you are right goeduck. I seldom see elk because I live here on the 80 and the elk would know to avoid my place. Plenty of other areas without human presence. Deer and all the other smaller creatures don't seem to mind my presence that much.

I've even had moose wander over from Turnbull. Very rare - but it does happen. More often - I've seen moose out trying to make a safe crossing of the county road.

 

[goeduck]

I hope we never have moose; elk are big enough. Same for Grizzlies, black bears are easy to deal with. The feds are talking about introducing Grizzlies into the North Cascades. That is just a hop skip and jump from the Olympic Mountains.

 

[rgr33]

I had to break down and put up an 8 foot fence around my 1/2 acre orchard. The deer treated it like a buffet dinner opportunity. While I slept at night, they happily ate all they could.

Fencing it was pretty expensive considering the amount of fruit we get each year, but it got so bad the deer wouldn’t even run away when I chased them. They were unafraid and knew I wasn’t really a danger to them, as everybody else near me feeds them deer chow every day.

Now they are eating my roses and hydrangeas in the yard

 

[jyoutz]

I think you are right goeduck. I seldom see elk because I live here on the 80 and the elk would know to avoid my place. Plenty of other areas without human presence. Deer and all the other smaller creatures don't seem to mind my presence that much.

I've even had moose wander over from Turnbull. Very rare - but it does happen. More often - I've seen moose out trying to make a safe crossing of the county road.

Human presence doesn’t really deter elk once they become accustomed. I took this photo this past summer in Payson, Arizona.