Draft of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources statewide management plan for elk

This plan was developed by a 15 person advisory committee commissioned by the Wildlife Board to revise the statewide elk management plan.The committee consisted of a member of the Wildlife Board, one member from each of the five regional advisory councils, one member from each of four sportsmen groups (RMEF, SFW, UBA, BOU), and one representative each from the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Utah Farm Bureau, CWMU Association, and Utah Guides and Outfitters.This group met eight times from September 2009 to February 2010.The group identified issues to be addressed in the plan and then developed goals, objectives, and strategies to address those issues.This document will provide overall guidance and direction for Utah's elk management program for five years from the date of approval by the Utah Wildlife Board.This plan briefly describes general information on elk natural history, management, habitat, and population status.It also discusses issues concerning elk management in Utah identified by the elk committee and outlines the goals, objectives, and strategies for managing elk in Utah.The plan will be used to help set priorities for elk management programs and will provide overall guidance for individual unit management plans. B. Dates CoveredThe elk plan will be in effect for a period of five years upon approval of the Wildlife Board.(Expected dates covered March 31, 2010 -March 31, 2015). II. SPECIES ASSESSMENT A. Natural HistoryElk (Cervus elaphus) are members of the cervid family along with deer, moose, and caribou.Elk are the same species as European red deer, even though visually they are quite different.North American elk are also commonly called wapiti to distinguish them from European red deer.Wapiti is the Shawnee name for elk and means "white rump" or "white deer."There are six recognized subspecies of elk in North America with all of the elk in Utah of the subspecies known as Rocky Mountain elk (C.e. nelsoni).In 1971, the Rocky Mountain elk was designated as Utah's state animal.Elk males, females, and young are known as bulls, cows, and calves, respectively.Calves are generally born as singles (twins are extremely rare) after a gestation period of approximately 8-8.5 months.Calves are normally born from mid May until early June and weigh approximately 13 pounds at birth.Elk are gregarious animals and, as such, often gather into large nursery bands of cows and calves in early summer.During this time, it is common to see groups of several

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