Kentucky and Wisconsin are entering into an agreement to help establish a more sound elk population up north, while supporting habitat management in the Bluegrass. The program will take place over the next three to five years.
The partnership means sending 150 elk cows to Wisconsin. State officials say in 1997, with the help of six other states, Kentucky re-established its elk population. Today there are some 10,000 elk, many in eastern Kentucky.
State Fish and Wildlife Deer-Elk Coordinator Gabe Jenkins says citizen concerns about elk related nuisances may be eased through this program. "When we trap these animals, we try to focus on areas like that; herds that are getting into peoples' gardens or places where traditional hunting techniques aren't able to be applied and the herd is able to grow unchecked," said Jenkins.
Wisconsin will cover the costs associated with the elk translocation program and also help with funding the development of forest habitat projects in eastern Kentucky. Jenkins says the habitat management will specifically help with bolstering the number of grouse in the region. "Young growth, so kind of an area that's been less fallow for three or four years. It gets really shrubby and dense. Hard to navigate through. That's what grouse thrive on," added Jenkins.
Jenkins says catching the elk is not a simple task. He says that effort will begin in the late spring to early summer.?
