KEEPING A BALANCE
Professional wildlife management keeps the number of elk balanced with available natural food. This balance helps ensure elk have enough to eat without damaging the forest by overgrazing or eating farmers’ crops. Hunting is an important conservation tool for keeping the elk population in balance. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources maintains a herd with a population goal of 500-900 elk.
- Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni):
Michigan’s native Eastern elk were overhunted and were no longer seen in the wild by 1875. Today’s herd dates to 1918, when seven Rocky Mountain elk were reintroduced near Wolverine, Michigan.
