Seeley Swan Pathfinder -

Twenty Years Ago

Thursday, Sept. 11, 2003

Elk on public land merit special attention

By Mike Thompson

Upon entering Trixi's Antler Saloon, in Ovando, Montana, you stand at a crossroads between elk populations and in the eye of a storm in elk management.

No one knows for sure how elk sort themselves into "herd units," as wildlife biologists refer to them. They are defined by distinct winter ranges, in this case the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range to the northwest and the eastern slopes of the Garnet Range to the south. When elk scatter from these two separate winter ranges in summer, ne'er...