Northwest Minnesota elk hunting success down from recent years

LANCASTER, Minn. – Hunting success during the four, nine-day elk seasons in central Kittson County near Lancaster in northwest Minnesota was down from last year, statistics from the Department of Natural Resources show.

The DNR offered 28 tags – eight either-sex and 20 antlerless-only – in Zone 20, and 15 hunters filled their tags for an overall success rate of 54%.

By comparison, the overall success rate last year in Zone 20 was 82%.

Contributed/Minnesota DNR

In Zone 30 of northeast Kittson County, where the so-called “Caribou-Vita” elk herd ranges between Minnesota and Manitoba, two bull-only tags were available for the Sept. 10-18 season, and both hunters filled their tags for a 100% success rate – the same as last year.

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The Zone 20 hunt, which targets the “Kittson Central” elk herd, was broken into four seasons – Aug. 27-Sept. 4, Sept. 10-18, Sept. 24-Oct. 2 and Oct. 8-16 – with two either-sex and five antlerless-only tags available for each season.

Harvest and success rates by season in Zone 20 were as follows:

• Two bulls harvested, two either-sex tags (100% success).
• Three cows harvested, five antlerless-only tags (60% success).
• Overall: Five for seven elk (71%).

• Two bulls harvested, two either-sex tags (100%).
• Two cows harvested, five antlerless-only tags (40%).
• Overall: Four for seven elk (57%).

• One bull harvested, two either-sex tags (50%).
• Two cows harvested, five antlerless-only tags (40%).
• Overall: Three for seven elk (43%).

• Two bulls harvested, two either-sex tags (100%).
• One cow harvested, five antlerless-only tags (20%).
• Overall: Three for seven elk (43%).

Jason Wollin, area wildlife manager for the DNR in Karlstad, Minn., said it’s hard to say for sure why success was down, but hunters reported that elk – and especially cow elk – were scattered and not in typical large herds. Elk also were moving less during daylight, at times, Wollin said.

Weather conditions ranging from extreme heat to cold, windy days – depending on the season – didn’t help, Wollin said, but increased hunting pressure as part of ongoing efforts to reduce the herd size in central Kittson County may be resulting in more educated animals.

“The last few years we have been hunting elk in multiple seasons for extended periods of time,” Wollin said in an email. “Elk wise up, remember and learn. This makes them harder to hunt.”

Other factors, including a later-than-usual crop harvest after a long winter and wet spring, also could have played a role, he says.

A majority of the bulls harvested were mature 6x5 bulls, Wollin says. An 11-year-old hunter shot a “really nice” 8x9 bull, he says, and two young sisters shot 6x6 bulls in different seasons.

“The success rate is still pretty good when you compare it to other states,” Wollin said.

Despite aggressive hunting in recent years, elk numbers in central Kittson County remain above management goals. The DNR during its winter aerial survey tallied 84 elk – 33 bulls and 51 antlerless elk – in 2022. That’s down from 33 bulls and 69 antlerless elk in 2020 but still above management goals of 50 to 60 elk.

The DNR didn’t fly a winter survey in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.