DNR will survey elk, educate Minnesotans about the ‘treasure’ of wild herds
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is once again poised to undertake its annual aerial elk survey. Information gathered will help the DNR monitor elk populations in the northwest part of the state, and it will guide future management and harvest regulations.
“The surveys that we are doing now are a really good way of determining how many elk we have,” said Doug Franke, an area wildlife supervisor with the DNR. “And whether we’re within the population range that's expected within our elk plan.”
And, Franke said, the surveys help to educate the public.
“I think the people of Minnesota have a true treasure in the wild elk herds we have in Minnesota,” he said. “If you don’t know that they’re there, stay tuned.”
State elk populations stagnateResearchers look into why
Elk were nearly extinct in the state around the turn of the 20th century. The last reported sighting of a native elk during that era was in 1932. A few years later though, through legislation, 70 wild elk were reintroduced into the northwest where they still reside.
During last year’s aerial survey involving the Grygla, Kittson Central and Caribou-Vita herds 233 elk were counted. That was below DNR expectations and as a result they limited the number of permits for hunting elk to four, down from 10 state licenses in 2024.
