Elk in the Ozark Mountains! The Giants of the Deer Family Have Found New Home Land in Arkansas

In an area of remote beauty located in the Northwest quarter of the state of Arkansas, strange new sounds are echoing through the Ozark Mountains in the early morning hours as well as late in the evenings. It is the sounds of bull elk bugling!

In centuries past, a sub-species of elk known as the "Eastern Elk" was native to Arkansas and ranged over most of the state in great numbers. However, by the 1840's, elk had for the most part completely vanished from the state due to human pressure such as loss of natural habitat from land clearing and unregulated hunting. During the early 1900's the U.S. Forrest Service decided to re-introduce elk back into the state.

The plan was to relocate a small number of Rocky Mountain elk to the Black Mountain refuge in the central western part of the state. In 1933, three adult bulls and 8 adult cows were released in the area and the small herd grew to an estimated 200 by 1950. Sadly by the mid 1950's the entire herd simply seemed to vanish without a trace. Their demise was blamed on possible weaknesses to disease and poaching.

Over the next couple of decades, the state game and fish department and national park service devised another introduction effort which would consist of heavy regulation and close study of the new herd incorporating new technologies of the time such as radio tracking collars and aerial surveillance. From 1981 to 1985, 112 elk imported from Colorado and Nebraska were released in the Ozark Mountains. With the new release efforts and help from land owners and ethical hunters, the herd began to take hold and grow at a normal healthy rate.

At present date the Arkansas elk herd is estimated at almost 500 total and increasing each year. The animals have been spotted and tracked in 11 northwestern counties as of 2005. The largest concentration is located around the middle and upper levels of the Buffalo National River area in Newton and Searcy counties. The elk presently have a normal range of about 315,000 acres.

Elk habitat is being improved and preserved along the Buffalo River WMA in conjunction with private landowners and state owned lands in the area. A part of the elk management now includes seasonal limited elk hunting. In 1998, the state offered a limited amount of hunting permits to state residents. These permits were given out via a regulated drawing by the state game and fish department. Since that first hunting season, the harvest has been controlled by quota for the season based on many factors including overall population as well as age and sex of the harvested animals.

The upcoming 2006 elk hunting season in Arkansas will provide 20 permits total. There will be 18 permits issued by drawing and the other two will be issued via high bid auction by the elk foundation and the proceeds from the sale will go back into a fund to increase elk habitat and fund continued herd studies. The first portion of the season will be in late September and the second portion will be in December. All hunting will be fair chase with no hunting dogs allowed. Once again, Arkansas has done a wonderful job with the very demanding task of re-introducing a species of large game animal back into the state. A lot of people have worked very hard to see this effort succeed, including ethical hunters and private land owners.

Whether you are a resident of Arkansas or just a visitor, you can drive several miles along the Buffalo River and see truly native wild elk in valleys and on mountain sides grazing once again as was in the days of centuries past. Even though the elk hunting in the state is very limited at this time, the promise of future expanding opportunities is becoming a reality. If you just enjoy hunting with your camera, the photo bug can get some great pictures now of elk in their natural surroundings in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Arkansas which is truly, "The Natural State"