DNR investigates killings of Black River Falls elk

Two breeding-age female elk were illegally killed in Jackson County, prompting an investigation, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported Friday.

“Through the investigation, we confirm that in both instances here, the elk were killed with a firearm,” said Michael Weber, a DNR conservation field warder.

The elk were found dead during the nine-day gun deer season. DNR staff received notice of the first killing on private property in Knapp Township on Nov. 20. Two days later, another elk was found dead in Brockway Township.

In 2015, the Black River Falls herd was reintroduced in Jackson County, and the DNR estimates there are now about 125 in the forests in the area.

Officials hope the population will eventually grow to healthy enough levels that they will be able to have a hunting season there. But for now, the species are protected in the area and hunting them is illegal.

DNR Wildlife Biologist Christina Kizewski said the cow elk killings will directly affect the health of the herd. Breeding aged cows that are three years and older have a “very high pregnancy rate,” she said, and “the calf survival rate is very high for the Black River Falls elk range.”

“They were both right around that five-year age, so they had many years to contribute to that population growth,” Kizewski said. “You can almost guarantee that they would have produced a calf in the spring.”

Kizewski said restoring elk to the environment is important both for the health of the forest and as a cultural symbol for the Ho-Chunk Nation.

“The elk were historically present on the landscape in many years past, and they really served as an iconic cultural, socio-economical species,” she said.

Under the DNR’s 10-year elk management plan, the goal is to grow the herd to about 300 elk.

Their reintroduction, however, has drawn the ire of some farmers and cranberry growers who reportedly experienced damage to their crops. The primary cause of mortality among the Black River Falls herd is vehicle collisions, according to Kizewski.

With their giant antlers, elk are hard to miss.

“Elk are significantly larger than a white-tailed deer,” Weber said. They weigh hundreds of pounds more than deer, among other stark differences.

The DNR is encouraging people to submit tips to help its ongoing investigation.

“Elk are facing multiple causes of natural mortality. I think trying to put forth any and all effort to eliminate these illegal harvests can’t be more stressed as important,” Kizewski said.