- Joined
- May 2, 2001
- Messages
- 2,245
- Reaction score
- 6
Arkansas Outdoors News
AGFC aerial elk counts help monitor herd
PONCA - Arkansas elk have been getting some extra attention over the past few months. Last week biologists from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission were flying high over the Buffalo River and Gene Rush Wildlife Management Area in the agency's annual aerial counts of the herd.
Last month, the AGFC began a long-term study of the elk herd. Biologists from the AGFC, resource managers from the National Park Service and researchers from the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville are cooperating in that study.
The late winter helicopter counts have been going on since 1991, according to elk program coordinator Mike Cartwright. "This data provides important trend information on the herd and a minimum late winter elk count. We know we do not count all of the elk as the elk range covers some 315,000 acres, but the most important data obtained during the survey is the number of bulls, cows and calves observed," he explained.
"This data gives us a snapshot of the ratio of bulls to cows and calves to cows in late winter. Bulls are also classified as spikes, immature or mature so we get some limited data on age distribution of bulls in the herd," Cartwright said.
A number of western states use similar techniques to obtain ratio data for use in monitoring elk herds. The AGFC has established bull to cow and calf to cow ratio targets in Arkansas' elk plan in order to maintain a healthy herd. "The annual survey allows us to gauge where we are each year in relation to those targets. We want to monitor and insure that calf production and calf survival continues at a level that will sustain the herd. We want to maintain good numbers of mature bulls in the herd to insure adequate breeding and maintain the social balances that are important in herding animals like elk," Cartwright said.
In addition to hunting, the public enjoys watching elk in Arkansas and good numbers of large mature bulls are appealing to elk viewers, Cartwright noted. "We believe we observe at least half or possibly more of the elk in most years. We are doing an infrared survey within the next couple of weeks to obtain better information on the total number of elk in the herd," he said. An infrared survey using fixed wing aircraft was conducted in 1994 along with the late winter helicopter counts. During that count, over twice as many elk were observed using the infrared sensor. The sensor allows observers to count numbers of elk, but observers are unable to distinguish bulls, cows or calves using this technique.
Elk were restored to Arkansas in 1981 after an absence of more than a century. From 112 animals brought in from Colorado and Nebraska, the herd has expanded considerably, with some elk spreading out from public land to private land areas where some elk depredation problems have surfaced. The estimated number of elk in Arkansas is near 400 and has been holding steady at that level in recent years.
AGFC aerial elk counts help monitor herd
PONCA - Arkansas elk have been getting some extra attention over the past few months. Last week biologists from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission were flying high over the Buffalo River and Gene Rush Wildlife Management Area in the agency's annual aerial counts of the herd.
Last month, the AGFC began a long-term study of the elk herd. Biologists from the AGFC, resource managers from the National Park Service and researchers from the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville are cooperating in that study.
The late winter helicopter counts have been going on since 1991, according to elk program coordinator Mike Cartwright. "This data provides important trend information on the herd and a minimum late winter elk count. We know we do not count all of the elk as the elk range covers some 315,000 acres, but the most important data obtained during the survey is the number of bulls, cows and calves observed," he explained.
"This data gives us a snapshot of the ratio of bulls to cows and calves to cows in late winter. Bulls are also classified as spikes, immature or mature so we get some limited data on age distribution of bulls in the herd," Cartwright said.
A number of western states use similar techniques to obtain ratio data for use in monitoring elk herds. The AGFC has established bull to cow and calf to cow ratio targets in Arkansas' elk plan in order to maintain a healthy herd. "The annual survey allows us to gauge where we are each year in relation to those targets. We want to monitor and insure that calf production and calf survival continues at a level that will sustain the herd. We want to maintain good numbers of mature bulls in the herd to insure adequate breeding and maintain the social balances that are important in herding animals like elk," Cartwright said.
In addition to hunting, the public enjoys watching elk in Arkansas and good numbers of large mature bulls are appealing to elk viewers, Cartwright noted. "We believe we observe at least half or possibly more of the elk in most years. We are doing an infrared survey within the next couple of weeks to obtain better information on the total number of elk in the herd," he said. An infrared survey using fixed wing aircraft was conducted in 1994 along with the late winter helicopter counts. During that count, over twice as many elk were observed using the infrared sensor. The sensor allows observers to count numbers of elk, but observers are unable to distinguish bulls, cows or calves using this technique.
Elk were restored to Arkansas in 1981 after an absence of more than a century. From 112 animals brought in from Colorado and Nebraska, the herd has expanded considerably, with some elk spreading out from public land to private land areas where some elk depredation problems have surfaced. The estimated number of elk in Arkansas is near 400 and has been holding steady at that level in recent years.
