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01-22-2018, 08:36 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 509
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Elk Up North habitat
Hello fellows
As this thread says , how far up North could you see an elk in Alberta?
Asking this for pure curiosity from people who were driving or hunting Alberta in the direction of Fort Mac.
Personally I saw 5 elk cows around Conklin 10 years ago, when I was working there ,but I am sure they are much more up North.
Not thinking to go to hunt there ,but want to know how far up North elk travel?
Thanks in advance!
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01-22-2018, 08:49 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 901
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shooter12
Hello fellows
As this thread says , how far up North could you see an elk in Alberta?
Asking this for pure curiosity from people who were driving or hunting Alberta in the direction of Fort Mac.
Personally I saw 5 elk cows around Conklin 10 years ago, when I was working there ,but I am sure they are much more up North.
Not thinking to go to hunt there ,but want to know how far up North elk travel?
Thanks in advance!
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Don't take me serious but I assume if Alaska has elk then Alberta can have elk as well, even as North as Fort Chipewyan. Harvest reports show WMU 535 having elk shot there.
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01-22-2018, 08:52 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: High Level
Posts: 2,237
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There is elk around the high level/fort vermillion/keg river areas now.
So pretty much anywhere in the province.
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Beer- Because good stories never start with a salad.
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01-22-2018, 08:56 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,666
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Can't say for sure about up north where you start getting into the fringe of the Canadian shield but I've seen elk north of fort Nelson and my cousin has some running his cabin up by Whitehorse. I've worked around zama quite a bit and never seen any. Different kinda of habitat possibly for them.
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01-22-2018, 09:09 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,281
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I’ve hunted the last 5 years north of Wandering River down both 881 and 63. I’ve never seen any sign of Elk up this way. Not saying there couldn’t be any but they would be very few and far between.
We need someone like Cat to chime in. If there were ever any spotted up this way he’d know...
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01-22-2018, 11:17 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Iron River
Posts: 5,158
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Positrac
I’ve hunted the last 5 years north of Wandering River down both 881 and 63. I’ve never seen any sign of Elk up this way. Not saying there couldn’t be any but they would be very few and far between.
We need someone like Cat to chime in. If there were ever any spotted up this way he’d know...
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I have heard of elk by conklin and round hill.
A fandw bio told me that there is a small population east of ft mac on the clearwater.
I am thinking there will be small isolated population along the athadasca north of wmu 509.
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01-23-2018, 10:01 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 6,275
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Around 20+ years ago their were no elk north of Peace River. They have been migrating north along the Peace now and have reached the Ft Vermillion area. Most will be found near the river or where good eats in farmer fields.
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01-23-2018, 04:25 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: central Alberta
Posts: 140
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My dad saw a bull just north of the Heart Lake truck stop on hi-way 881 about 10 years ago.
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01-23-2018, 06:11 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,397
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Elk
There are elk in the Yukon
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01-23-2018, 07:36 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Fort McMurray, AB
Posts: 2,515
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Saw one lonely cow elk on 881 around 25km south of Anzac about 8 years ago. Same year a buddy swore he saw two cows on the transmission line just south of Anzac.
They are in 515 and 512. Very very few. Very random.
Also some sightings reported by friends as far north as pelican rapids on The Athabasca.
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Be sure of your target and what lies beyond.
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02-01-2018, 08:03 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Alberta
Posts: 507
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There supposedly was a herd a while back dropped off near Engstrom Lake almost 30 years ago. My dad had one in his sights one time thinking it was a big deer, I was right beside him when this happened. Not long after word of them getting shot started to get around with first hand kill sights being spotted.
It's really good to hear that there is a slight chance some had survived in the area and possibly expanded. Really good country for them here in a lot of places especially near the Athabasca and Clearwater River valleys.
I believe Suncor unearthed a massive set believed to be 5000 years old in the mine of a big 6x6 elk. I saw the pictures and post first hand as well. Wouldn't surprise me they were here any point in time naturally.
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02-01-2018, 08:33 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,666
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My great uncle who homsteaded , trapped and hunted his whole life could not recall seeing elk in his youth until the last 20 years or so. This is in the nw corner of 357 where his parents came from the Ukraine. He passed away 2 years back at 92 years old. Now the elk seem almost like pests around here. Good tasting pests. Lol. I'm sure that they're spreading their range farther north every year. East as well. A buddy seen one around bashaw.
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02-01-2018, 10:11 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Ft. McMurray
Posts: 38,609
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Positrac
I’ve hunted the last 5 years north of Wandering River down both 881 and 63. I’ve never seen any sign of Elk up this way. Not saying there couldn’t be any but they would be very few and far between.
We need someone like Cat to chime in. If there were ever any spotted up this way he’d know...
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There was a herd of 250 planted on the Fort McMurray in the early 90's .
The Rocky Mounrain Elk Foundation head a meeting up here, I attended it as did many other Fish and Game Association members .
We were told them that there was a thriving heard on the other side of the Athabasca river breaks in WMU's 518 and 516 .
A couple of years after they were planted up here , I saw two right at meadow creek on the east side as I headed to Engstrom - two cows .
There was a clearing there that is now grown over .
We have seen cougars right in town ( last year) grizzlies not too far south (House river area and Conklin areas) so there is have no doubt in my mind that there are still elk in secluded areas up here
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Anytime I figure I've got this long range thing figured out, I just strap into the sling and irons and remind myself that I don't!
Last edited by catnthehat; 02-01-2018 at 10:18 PM.
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02-01-2018, 10:41 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 509
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Quote:
Originally Posted by catnthehat
There was a herd of 250 planted on the Fort McMurray in the early 90's .
The Rocky Mounrain Elk Foundation head a meeting up here, I attended it as did many other Fish and Game Association members .
We were told them that there was a thriving heard on the other side of the Athabasca river breaks in WMU's 518 and 516 .
A couple of years after they were planted up here , I saw two right at meadow creek on the east side as I headed to Engstrom - two cows .
There was a clearing there that is now grown over .
Cat
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Thanks guys !And Thanks Cat!
I've been hunting elk all over Alberta and wanted as I mentioned before, to clarify for myself the habitat of those majestic animals in our province..
As I understood you will not see them much past agricultural areas up North.
Does it mean that they are more or less stuck to farmers fields ?
Anzak is 30 k up North from where I saw them in the past, and there no farmers fields of course in between along 881.
63 would be the same.
So , is it about the good grass for elk that does not let them move further North?
And as I mentioned before ,its not about the hunting spots .
Fort Mac is a rough country to go for a hunting trip to go for an elk ,but more like to know the geography of them .
Last edited by shooter12; 02-01-2018 at 11:06 PM.
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02-02-2018, 08:28 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Airdrie
Posts: 2,377
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shooter12
Thanks guys !And Thanks Cat!
I've been hunting elk all over Alberta and wanted as I mentioned before, to clarify for myself the habitat of those majestic animals in our province..
As I understood you will not see them much past agricultural areas up North.
Does it mean that they are more or less stuck to farmers fields ?
Anzak is 30 k up North from where I saw them in the past, and there no farmers fields of course in between along 881.
63 would be the same.
So , is it about the good grass for elk that does not let them move further North?
And as I mentioned before ,its not about the hunting spots .
Fort Mac is a rough country to go for a hunting trip to go for an elk ,but more like to know the geography of them .
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It’s all about the grass for elk, they are grazers as opposed to browsers so they need grass. The huge fire up there could possibly lead to an elk resurgence however it would probably be fairly short lived once the trees how up.
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02-15-2018, 10:12 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Alberta
Posts: 507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Dynamite
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Awesome! Thanks for finding that, it's been a while and was worried about the accuracy of my memory.
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02-18-2018, 10:48 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 765
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Dynamite
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Curious what the conditions were that allowed it to be preserved that long. Must have been in some type of bog?
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02-18-2018, 03:27 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 509
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SLH
Curious what the conditions were that allowed it to be preserved that long. Must have been in some type of bog?
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I might be wrong but oil sands will preserve it all right .
I was going through a lot of fossils in a core samples around that area in the past and they were preserved really good in the oil sand formations and were much older then 5000-6000 years old.
S12
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02-18-2018, 03:57 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 9,685
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I have hunted 516 for 20+ years. I have been told of a herd transplanted in there before I started hunting that zone, never seen one, digging or tracks, yet the guide I got to know well says he seen them. I sled this zone every year and try to go to places no one gets to due to muskeg. Never seen any or signs of them. Ghosts unless they hang along the river banks as it's the one place I haven't got to with the sled. Much like the Caribou they say are there. I think I seen weird tracks and poop piles one winter many moons ago(bou).
Would be cool to see either an Elk or Bou up there.
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02-19-2018, 11:33 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Fort McMurray, AB
Posts: 2,515
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Quote:
Originally Posted by catnthehat
There was a herd of 250 planted on the Fort McMurray in the early 90's .
The Rocky Mounrain Elk Foundation head a meeting up here, I attended it as did many other Fish and Game Association members .
We were told them that there was a thriving heard on the other side of the Athabasca river breaks in WMU's 518 and 516 .
A couple of years after they were planted up here , I saw two right at meadow creek on the east side as I headed to Engstrom - two cows .
There was a clearing there that is now grown over .
We have seen cougars right in town ( last year) grizzlies not too far south (House river area and Conklin areas) so there is have no doubt in my mind that there are still elk in secluded areas up here
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What is the general consensus ?We’re they all poached or did they disperse and not take hold? The areas you are talking about are close to the same as where I saw the cow and real close to where my buddy saw 2 cows. This was in mid 2000’s
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Be sure of your target and what lies beyond.
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02-20-2018, 11:05 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 6,275
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Wolves probably ate the planted elk in McMurray. Almost everytime they transfered elk from Elk Island park to west of Rocky the wolves just ate them for lunch.
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02-20-2018, 08:38 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Iron River
Posts: 5,158
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sooner
I have hunted 516 for 20+ years. I have been told of a herd transplanted in there before I started hunting that zone, never seen one, digging or tracks, yet the guide I got to know well says he seen them. I sled this zone every year and try to go to places no one gets to due to muskeg. Never seen any or signs of them. Ghosts unless they hang along the river banks as it's the one place I haven't got to with the sled. Much like the Caribou they say are there. I think I seen weird tracks and poop piles one winter many moons ago(bou).
Would be cool to see either an Elk or Bou up there.
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I forget the number of elk, but there was a reintroduction done at Amadou lake in 1982 and the animals all dispersed. That winter a friend out by Newbrook had a old wooden granary with oats totally destroyed by a number of elk which was sort of odd as there always was the "odd" one or two in the area, but never the numbers indicated by the amount of sign at the granary.
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02-21-2018, 04:04 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 9,685
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IR_mike
I forget the number of elk, but there was a reintroduction done at Amadou lake in 1982 and the animals all dispersed. That winter a friend out by Newbrook had a old wooden granary with oats totally destroyed by a number of elk which was sort of odd as there always was the "odd" one or two in the area, but never the numbers indicated by the amount of sign at the granary.
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Thats what I heard too. I have spent years hunting and sledding around that lake with no sign of elk. Wmu 509 and the farm fields it holds is a couple days walk from there for the elk. I would not be surprised if some found their way to that zone. I also know that a moose meat loving community nearby would have had a field day that first winter with freshly transplanted elk.
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02-24-2018, 09:54 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 162
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last Christmas we came across wolf killed cow elk not to far north and west of calling lake. We sled the area all around calling lake and that is the only sign of elk I have seen in the 15 years I have had my cabin up there. The only elk sign seems to be in farm country, but 509 is six point or better rule. Good luck finding one though. I keep looking for evidence they are bridging to the Smith area along the Athabasca river, bust far not even a track. I only sled that area a couple times a winter though.
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02-24-2018, 10:34 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Camrose
Posts: 45,248
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I have seen elk by Janvier , but it was a long time ago. While many of the elk that were released there were killed off, some likely survived.
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