Wyoming Hunters Kill Record 29,000 Elk, But Not Enough To Trim Massive Herds

AI was utilized in the writing of this article.

Photo byByron JohnsononUnsplash

Jimmy Dean
March 28, 2024

Elk hunters experienced a "record-breaking" hunting season in 2023-2024, taking down around 29,000 of these creatures throughout Wyoming. However, this might just be the beginning stages for controlling the growing herds within state borders.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department shared that the elk harvest went up by about 5% from last hunting season. This increase is part of a continuous rise in the number of elk hunted down over ten years.

Still Too Many Elk?

Nevertheless, elk quantities in numerous herds throughout the state continue to exceed Game and Fish goals.

The idea of unlimited Type 8 cow/calf elk tags for the 2024-2025 hunting seasons in certain hunt areas was put forward by Game and Fish because ranchers in east Wyoming have been constantly dissatisfied about being overrun by elk.

In the west of Wyoming, people are worried about what could occur when game managers attempt to stop elk from relying on winter feeding areas.

The total estimated number of elks in Wyoming is roughly 109,000. Even with a top season for hunters, the groups might continue to increase.

Pleasantly Surprised

A person who lives in the northeast of Wyoming, Owen Miller, shared with Cowboy State Daily that he worried about the elk hunting season being unsuccessful after a harsh winter of 2022-23 killed many wild animals. He was happy to see there were still lots of elks around.

“I did hunting for about 21 days, having two weeks of archery and encountering elk each day. I had some belief that hunting would be more difficult than the past years due to me expecting lesser numbers; however, it was pleasingly surprising how much elk I ran into”, he said.

Gotta Bag More Cow Elk

The answer for reducing elk herd numbers permanently could be as simple as hunters shooting more cow and calf elk, only for the purpose of acquiring steaks to keep in their freezer.

Zach Key from La Barge is a passionate hunter and member of the state's elk feed ground task force. He shared with Cowboy State Daily that when elk begin to be shot at, they might seek refuge on private property, making the situation more complex.

The cow/calf tags of Type 8 in eastern Wyoming show progress, yet this program can function solely if hunters are given fair entry to hunt areas which are mostly controlled by private property.

"Who will give $1,500 to trespass and shoot a cow elk?" he asked.

On the other hand, Key noted that if the aim is to reduce feeding areas in western Wyoming, it may create identical difficulties for ranchers. This is because more and more hungry elk will start looking for substitutes.

"If they begin to cut down on the feeding grounds, then yes, they are going to have elk problems," he added. "They will encounter issues with elk entering ranches and haystacks among other things."

Also, Key said hunters could have to change their thinking. It's impressive having a big antler rack on the wall, but to lessen herd numbers significantly, more female elk must be taken.

"I believe that in the last 20 years or so, the attention towards trophy hunting has turned into a kind of hyper-focus," he said.

Game and Fish say that, during hunting seasons in 2023-2024, cow elk were killed by hunters in a large number not seen for some time.

"The agency shared that the cow elk harvest went past 13,000 for the initial time in ten years."

Give Mule Deer A Break

Winterkill severely impacted the Wyoming Range Mule Deer herd, which was in Key's living area. The most recent counts of herds show that nearly two-thirds or more than half perished during this winter season from 2022-2023. Only about 11,000 deer survived after such loss occurred.

Therefore, Key stated that hunters concentrating on cow elk instead of deer might contribute to the solution.

Miller said some hunters might have done that this past season.

"Perhaps, there was a shift in attention from deer to elk for filling the freezer due to fewer deer numbers? I can recall that during rifle season, I encountered more hunters than normal and even thought it was a general unit," he expressed. "If hunters were focusing on elk more, then it would be logical for the (elk) harvest numbers to increase."

What’s To Be Done?

Game and Fish expressed that they would attempt to increase their “Access Yes” type of programs, aiming to provide hunters more access on private properties for the unlimited Type 8 elk tag proposal. However, obtaining permission from landowners will mainly remain with the hunters.

Key said, "Just recently, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission agreed with my proposal for a review of the elk feeding ground program every five years. This is good news."

He mentioned that Wyoming should think about giving out "bull-cow combo" labels for elks, similar to how Kansas does it for whitetail deers using "buck-doe combo tags."

Key mentioned that if a hunter gets a bull tag, they will also receive a cow tag.

He said, "This is good because if I am outside archery hunting for a big bull but don't get one, then it's possible to shoot down a cow elk without using up the bull tags."

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