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State Releases 23 Elk In Jackson County

DNR Official Describes Release As First 'Official Elk Reintroduction' In Wisconsin

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Two of the elk, seen above in the quarantine pen prior to their release. Courtesy of Wisconsin DNR

Jackson County has some new inhabitants: For the first time since the 1800s, elk can be found roaming free in the Black River State Forest.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources released the 23 elk into the forest on Thursday, after the animals spent almost eight months in quarantine. They were brought to Wisconsin from Kentucky as part of a five-year reintroduction project.

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Ecologists initially captured 26 elk for the project. Those numbers changed during the quarantine period, in which seven elk died and four calves were born.

The only other herd of elk in Wisconsin is in Clam Lake. Elk were brought there in 1995 as part of a study by the University of Wisconsin-Steven Points. That herd has grown in size from 25 to nearly 160 elk today.

“That was really an experiment to see how well elk could do in northern Wisconsin,” said Kevin Wallenfang, a big game ecologist with the DNR. “This is really our first — if you want to call it — official elk reintroduction in Wisconsin.”

The Upsides And Downsides To Elk

Wallenfang said the nearly two-dozen elk will be both a tourist attraction and an economic boon for Jackson County.

“In the little town of Clam Lake in northern Wisconsin where we put elk, they estimate that brings in probably $200,000 to that local community a year,” he said. “When you’re talking about areas that don’t have a lot going on, bringing in a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of business to a few small businesses can be pretty significant.”

Though elk have a similar diet to white tail deer, Wallenfang said from studying the Clam Lake herd, it is unlikely the two species will compete for food. But diet isn’t the only thing in common between elk and deer.

“You pick any problem that deer cause in the state, an elk could potentially do the same thing,” Wallenfang said.

One of those problems is the potential hazard to drivers, although the DNR has tried to mitigate the issue.

“We put these animals in areas where there are the fewest roads and the largest blocks of forest. We put them in areas to keep them from getting into trouble,” said Wallenfang.

The reintroduction of the species also means elk hunting could return to Wisconsin. However, that would hinge on the herds growing in size: Wallenfang said the threshold would be a population of 200 elk in Clam Lake, and 150 elk in Jackson County.

Elk were initially wiped out in Wisconsin because of overhunting in the early 1800s.

Wallenfang and his team will be traveling again to Kentucky in the winter, with hopes of bringing back 50 more elk. The ecologist said if the project goes as planned, there should soon be a population of 400 elk living in the Black River State Forest.

“Elk are one of the most popular big game animals to view because they can be so visible,” Wallenfang said. “There are great benefits to having them out here. The benefits certainly outweigh the risks of damage they could do.”

The costs to reintroduce the elk this year were about $300,000. The Ho-Chunk Nation, Jackson County Wildlife Fund, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Jackson County Forests and Parks funded the project.

Editor’s note: An earlier version included an incorrect byline. It has been updated.