Minnesota Elk

[MN_Condor]

I noticed the other day that Minnesota has an elk season. I didn't know we even had elk in this state. Has anyone here ever drawn an MN elk tag? If so, how was the hunt?

 

[03mossy]

We only have one Elk heard up in Grygla as far as I know. I used to grouse hunt that area as a kid (30 years ago). We used to take the wheelers out at night and sit on these field edges and watch those elk. Never knew anybody who actually drew a tag.

 

[Djacker]

Don't apply the tags are for my wife and I. Ive been applying for years and have never got a tag. There's actually 2 herds, Kittson and Grygla. Can't hunt Grygla, low population. Total tags given out is 27, mostly cow tags.

 

[MN_Condor]

Man, that's awesome! Never would have thought there's elk up there.

 

[MN_Condor]

Ha ha, I'll leave them for you, for now anyway. That's pretty low numbers for tags, but it makes sense with the very low population in MN.

 

[bpotter]

When I Iived in Thief River Falls and Roseau I would drive by by the herd (Grygla) often. I thought they moved that herd to Red Lake with bad resultsc. The Kittson County/Manitoba herd has as also been around for many years.

 

[Fridaythe13th]

I've never applied, but I should

 

[Swampyak]

Spent A lot of time doing timber work around the kittson herd

 

[Mmomn]

I have seen pictures of some monster bulls over the years taken in MN. I believe the number 2 nontypical Boone and Crockett is from MN, just under the Spider Bull

 

[Swampyak]

I have seen pictures of some monster bulls over the years taken in MN. I believe the number 2 nontypical Boone and Crockett is from MN, just under the Spider Bull

Yes there is a mount from it in the roseau county museum
Impressive animal

 

[switchback7]

I want to say it is a Once-in-a-Lifetime tag. If you draw, im not sure if you are able to draw again? or if ya shoot one, ya cant draw again? i might be wrong

 

[MN Hunter]

I've been applying to 10 years without any luck. I wish they would assign you preference points like they do for bear if you are unsuccessful at drawing a tag.

 

[wind gypsy]

I've been applying to 10 years without any luck. I wish they would assign you preference points like they do for bear if you are unsuccessful at drawing a tag.

Bonus points (more names in the drawing hat) might make sense, preference points would be a terrible idea. Do the math with 2700 applicants and 27 tags.

One example: you're a first time applicant and there are 2700 people that applied the previous year and got a point. Only 25% of the 2700 people in front of you continue to apply every year, you would wait 25 years for a tag and that wait would only get longer with time for new applicants. That is not a way to generate any interest in the elk herd among people who weren't already in the point game. You'd get to a point where the only elk hunters are senior citizens who have been buying a point for decades.

 

[Boxerboxer]

I want to say it is a Once-in-a-Lifetime tag. If you draw, im not sure if you are able to draw again? or if ya shoot one, ya cant draw again? i might be wrong

It's once in a lifetime, and I don't believe it matters if you're successful or not.

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[Boxerboxer]

Bonus points (more names in the drawing hat) might make sense, preference points would be a terrible idea. Do the math with 2700 applicants and 27 tags.

One example: you're a first time applicant and there are 2700 people that applied the previous year and got a point. Only 25% of the 2700 people in front of you continue to apply every year, you would wait 25 years for a tag and that wait would only get longer with time for new applicants. That is not a way to generate any interest in the elk herd among people who weren't already in the point game. You'd get to a point where the only elk hunters are senior citizens who have been buying a point for decades.

Bonus points is what they're doing.

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[NoWiser]

Elk in MN is a once in a lifetime hunt whether or not you are successful, just like moose was.

Preference points for elk here would be about the dumbest idea you could come up with. I've applied for many years and have never drawn, and most likely never will. As far as I know, there is no bonus point system for elk. It's totally random.

It might interest people here to know that elk population numbers in MN are managed by the Department of Agriculture instead of the MN DNR. This was due to Representative Dan Fabian caving to the agriculture lobby. Elk numbers in NW Minnesota are not allowed to grow. What we have now is all we'll ever have, unless we go ahead with establishing a herd in NE MN.

 

[wind gypsy]

https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/wildlife/elk/2019_elk_harvest.pdf

A total of 27 licenses were available and 2,819 individuals or parties (up to two hunters) applied for the opportunity to hunt elk for both zones and all seasons (Table 1). Applicants were given the opportunity to select both zone and season in which to hunt. First, random drawings were held for landowner names in Zone 20 (20% = 5 tags offered). Once landowner names were drawn and selected, the second round was for names of applicants that had applied for 10 years or more (20% = 5 tags offered). All remaining landowner names were then placed into the general drawing with all the other applicant names for the remaining elk tags available in the zone and season they had selected on their application. Lastly, after all names were picked, there was a random drawing from the names to determine the Either-Sex tags and Antlerless tags. Zone 30 only had two Bull-Only tags available, so no landowner tags were offered.

 

[wind gypsy]

It might interest people here to know that elk population numbers in MN are managed by the Department of Agriculture instead of the MN DNR. This was due to Representative Dan Fabian caving to the agriculture lobby. Elk numbers in NW Minnesota are not allowed to grow. What we have now is all we'll ever have, unless we go ahead with establishing a herd in NE MN.

Seems the woofs would make that pretty difficult.

 

[NoWiser]

Seems the woofs would make that pretty difficult.

The wolves are the last of the obstacles that would need to be navigated to get a herd started there. First would be finding a CWD-free elk population to transplant from. That's getting tougher every day.

 

[Hhardrockminer]

When growing up there in Mn. I had to chuckle at the moose season as they had 1 tag, don't know if that's still the case but I always thought it funny