On Rocky ground

This isn't your father's elk hunt. Because your father, most likely, hunted elk in the Rocky Mountains and beyond, not in a Grygla wheat field.

Don't expect that to change for future generations of Minnesota elk hunters. Or rather, elk hunters who hail from Minnesota. Yes, the number of elk licenses is up for Minnesota's 2009 hunts and the territory has been expanded. But applying for an elk hunt in the state remains akin to applying to hunt squirrels in the Rockies.

Why would you do it?

Applications are now being accepted through July 24 for the 2009 hunts. Thirty licenses are up for grabs this year in three zones: the traditional Grygla area, Kittson County-South and Kittson County-North, all in northwestern Minnesota.

Last year, 2,087 hunters applied for 23 licenses, which was a big jump over the previous year, when 573 hunters applied for only six licenses, according to Lou Cornicelli, DNR Big Game Program coordinator, who expects another 2,000-plus applicants for this year.

So interest is growing. But it's still, well, elk hunting in Minnesota. It even sounds unnatural.

"I've thought about putting in (an application in Minnesota) myself sometime," said Gary Drotts, DNR wildlife manager in Brainerd, who has bagged three bull elk in five Colorado hunts. "But it's tough. It's mostly private land. So even if you get a license, the trouble is you're not always given access.

"It (elk hunting) is a unique experience. But typically, the mindset of elk hunting is that it's out in the mountains. Here it's on flat ground, on field edges or out in bog areas. It's not the typical elk hunting we think of."

This will be the state's fifth consecutive elk hunt, according to Cornicelli (hunts also were held in 1987 and 1996-1998). And despite the increase in territory and license numbers, Cornicelli said the state elk population is still low.

"You need to be aware of that." he said. "There are about 55 in the Grygla herd, and in the two Kittson County herds, there are 20 to 40, depending on the time of year. We'll keep the numbers low until we get the elk management plan ... in late summer or early fall."

Per the increase in licenses and territory, Drotts hinted at what has been an issue for years in northwestern Minnesota.

"There's a concern by farmers of crop damage," he said. "There's always the issue of a large species on a large range on private land causing a lot of damage."

Said Dennis Simon, DNR wildlife section chief: "The larger hunting area is due to an increasing crop damage problem in portions of Kittson County. Though this year's elk harvest will likely increase, our intent is to maintain a relatively stable population while we finalize our elk management plan."

So while there are those Minnesotans who would love to catch a glimpse of an elk, the fact remains that, for years, elk have been mostly unwelcomed in northwestern Minnesota. According to the DNR Web site, in 1985, farmers successfully lobbied for state legislation that required the DNR to remove all elk from the Grygla area. Nine were captured and moved, two died during relocation and two were poached the following spring, prompting a lawsuit in December 1986 that stopped the relocation efforts.

Bruce Edberg of Wild North Taxidermy off Highway 371 north of Brainerd has long hunted elk in southwestern Colorado, where elk are very much revered, a tourist attraction of sorts. He would embrace the chance to hunt elk in his home state, but has the typical concerns regarding the Minnesota hunt.

"I would love to do that instead of (hunting) game farm animals. It's neat to go after something that's really wild," he said. "But I don't know of any land or anything up there. That's the hard part. You should do some scouting, see where they are, where they're feeding, where their hiding places are. But it's mostly (private land) up there. So if you do get a permit, where do you start? This would be a once-in-a-lifetime deal, and where would you go?

"Every other year or every three years," he added of how often he's bagged an elk in his southwestern Colorado hunts. "There are so many elk it's unreal. It's so nice to see Minnesota getting some."

While the odds are extremely slim of landing a Minnesota elk license, Edberg said that in Colorado, "You buy it (an elk license) over the counter. But that's just archery. That's another thing why it is so nice. You don't have to hope (to get a license via the lottery)."

But you pay.

"It was $535 for an outstate license, $24 to $35 if you're a resident. And then there's gas ... And then you come out of the super Wal-Mart (with supplies). Even the Visa people call and say, 'Did you know you're spending all this money?'"

Edberg said that, with the economic woes, he'll likely skip a Colorado elk hunt this year.

"It was between buying a carp boat or going elk hunting," he said. "A carp boat lasts longer than an elk hunt."

BRIAN S. PETERSON, outdoors editor, may be reached at brian.peterson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5864.