New elk unit offers opportunities in southern North Dakota; Bismarck man has successful hunt

Burtness’ 2020 hunt in Unit E6, which was fashioned by the 2017 settlement, ranks “proper on the prime” of his searching outings.

“That’s straightforward for me to say as a result of I shot an enormous elk,” the 51-year-old Burtness stated.

A large certainly. The bull measured 440 4/8 inches — calculated from antler size, girth and width measurements. It is ranked by The Boone and Crocket Membership, a conservation group fashioned in 1887, because the sixteenth largest nontypical bull ever taken. Nontypical refers to antlers that due to genetics or years-old accidents develop again annually with a singular look.

Burtness took benefit of the unit’s location, lower than two hours from Bismarck, to make scouting and searching runs that in any other case would have been way more tough. A number of instances he went on morning hunts and bought again to Bismarck in time for work.

These alternatives began after Gov. Doug Burgum and then-Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault signed a memorandum of understanding 5 years in the past regulating an elk searching season on Standing Rock. State and tribal wildlife businesses noticed the chance to work collectively and share assets on administration of the herd, and supply elk searching alternatives for tribal and nontribal members below a single tag.

The brand new unit is in Sioux County, east of state Freeway 31, in an space that’s stuffed with tough nation — deep attracts and canyons — that’s ideally suited for elk and difficult for hunters.

Elk have been first seen on the reservation in small numbers in 2010, they usually vary principally within the Porcupine Hills space northeast of Selfridge, in keeping with Standing Rock Sport and Fish Director Jeff Kelly. The herd now has greater than 100 cows and calves and about 40 bulls, a quite excessive ratio, he stated.

“In the event that they’re not managed, illness is an enormous danger,” he stated, citing epizootic hemorrhagic illness for instance.  “We had one EHD case a pair years in the past. Aside from that we’ve been fairly lucky.”

The tribe some years in the past ran elk in a pasture, and when the operation was shut down the elk have been shipped to the western a part of the state. Kelly theorizes a few of them returned to the place they have been born and the herd grew. A harvest plan, a number of years within the making, was fashioned from a mixed examine involving the state and tribe. A few of the data for the plan got here from a undertaking carried out by a College of North Dakota scholar, wherein employees used a helicopter to internet 4 cows and fitted them with radio collars so their actions might be tracked.

Kelly stated searching stress might push among the herd out of the world and towards the Grand River in South Dakota.

“There’s loads of space on the market for them to maneuver into,” Kelly stated. “We hope the numbers improve.”

The tribe in 2022 supplied 13 any elk tags and 32 antlerless tags to tribal members and nonmembers by way of lottery and public sale. The state affords 4 any elk and 10 antlerless tags for the unit. Getting an any elk tag comes with small odds, however the likelihood is higher for a cow tag. The state tags are a “as soon as in a lifetime” draw, stated Casey Anderson, wildlife division chief for North Dakota Sport and Fish.

The tribe additionally units apart one antlerless tag for every of the eight districts on the reservation. Every district sends a hunter to reap an elk, and the meat is distributed amongst district members.

Hunters can use archery gear by way of the whole season. The usage of a rifle is authorized solely in the course of the rifle portion of the season.

Hunters should notify tribal recreation and fish about when and the place they may hunt.

“We wish them to name so we all know someone is searching elk in that space, and in case we wish to get samples for research,” Kelly stated.

One other a part of the push behind the settlement was hunter entry. The reservation is a checkerboard of tribal and deeded land, which led to confusion about the place a nontribal member might hunt. With a tribal tag, hunters can go wherever within the unit supplied they’ve landowner permission to hunt deeded land. The state tag permits them to hunt tribal land if they’ve first contacted Standing Rock Sport and Fish.

The settlement allows tribal and state wildlife departments to make the most of one another’s assets for administration of the herd, for the well being of the elk, higher searching alternatives, and fewer harm to crops and fences. Officers meet to share data and make choices on herd administration and annual license numbers.

Success charges on the hunt “have been good for elk,” Anderson stated, referring to the distinctive problem an elk hunt presents. The cow success price in 2021 was about 50% and the bull numbers have been barely greater.

“They’re a unique beast,” he stated, including that hunter enter on the Standing Rock unit has drawn no complaints that have been out of the atypical, and most hunters “are relishing the chance.”

“It’s not a tag that’s a assured harvest of an animal,” Anderson stated.

It’s a hunt that’s completely different than the closely wooded northeast a part of the state, the place he stated hunters must be “formidable or fortunate” simply to see an elk.

“This one they need to get eyes on them,” Anderson stated. “Connecting is completely different.”

Burtness bought eyes on one and related, because of preseason scouting and a number of searching journeys made accessible by the brand new unit.

Beginning Sept. 28, he hunted 22 straight days earlier than bagging his bull on Oct. 19. He watched two bands of elk round noon, then he and a good friend made a stalk to an space the place they’d seen two bulls preventing. His good friend discovered the bull by way of binoculars, they usually stalked to 120 yards. Burtness fired when the bull bought up, then twice extra, hitting all of it 3 times.

The Unit 6 hunt was “robust, typical North Dakota climate, and it was enjoyable to finish up getting that elk,” Burtness stated. “We knew he was round however we didn’t count on to run into him. Miraculously we discovered him.”

Burtness stated he appreciates the efforts of the businesses that fashioned the settlement and is grateful to the landowners who give hunters entry.

“I’m grateful for the chance,” Burtness stated. “We’ve got good public land in North Dakota, however with out farmers and ranchers it’s not doable.”