Wayward Elk

Last week there was a rare sighting in sleepy McFarland. On "Black" Friday, an elk was spotted on Hwy 51 near Farwell St, near the Maple Tree. My wife had seen a Facebook post this past weekend. Bull 357, as it is known by the WIDNR, is three years old and is/was out looking for love. When the wife first saw the post she thought it was a joke. Then more reports came in of the sighting. The poor wayward elk is a subdominant bull and is looking for a mate. 

The poor subdominant bulls have a difficult time finding a mate, since most mating in the herd occurs with the dominant bulls, the lucky fellows. Hence, a wayward elk is not unusual, since they are left in the cold. Wanting to avoid a cold shower, bull 357 has traveled many miles. He first headed easterly out of Jackson County and the Black River State Forest to the Waupaca area, then then northwest to Wausau and further northwest to Taylor County. Not finding anything to his liking, he again headed southeasterly to the Shawno area, and then westerly to the Wisconsin Rapids area. It is from here he headed south to the Madison area. I have not heard of where he is five days later.  A television news report is available here.

Elk in McFarland
Source: channel3000.com

In 1989, the state legislature directed the DNR to evaluate the reintroduction of elk, moose and caribou into the state. They determined that the reintroduction of elk could succeed, but moose and caribou likely would not. Reintroduction began in 1995 in the area of Clam Lake. In 2013 they were also introduced in the Black River State Forest, with 150 elk from Kentucky being introduced over a five year period, with those 2013 elk split between the Black River State Forest and the Clam Lake area. Ten years after the reintroduction at the Black River State Forest, 155 to 160 in that area, which adds to the 355 in the Clam Lake area, for about 500 total elk in Wisconsin. 

Elk in McFarland
Source: channel3000.com

A recent news report indicated that the four randomly selected hunters by the state had met the quota. They did not say what the quota was. For some reason, I think they should be hunting more deer right now as deer pose a much greater pest to the ecosystem and cars. Deer eat the forest saplings such that there are now insufficient young trees to regenerate the forest ecosystem. Elk are also herbivores.

The DNR has been tracking this bull, and one wonders why it did not tell people to be on the watch as it headed into the more populated south part of the state. Wayward Bull 357, in the meantime, is roaming the state looking for love in all the wrong places.