GF&P approves elk management plan

“My assumption would be that those will be taken up by the Forest Service as they work through their plan revision,” Kanta said.

Kanta explained that the only change to the revised plan is striking language that refers to forest management in the Black Hills National Forest. Otherwise, he said the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Elk Management Plan will guide the agency’s decisions about elk harvests and management through 2026.

Last month Lindbloom told the commission that the plan is the result of several meetings with elk management stakeholders. It calls for elk winter population objectives of 6,000 to 8,000, or 2.1 to 2.8 per square mile in the Black Hills. In Custer State Park, that density is slightly higher, but cut back from previous years, managing for 500 to 600, or 4.5 to 5.5 elk per square mile.

Currently, Lindbloom reported the last population estimate revealed approximately 500 elk in Custer State Park. The population objective in the Park, he said, was decreased from between 700-900, due to concerns the agency has with chronic wasting disease numbers in the park. From 2013 to 2020, Lindbloom said 78 harvest samples from Custer State Park revealed that 28% of the elk had chronic wasting disease. By comparison, about 1,227 harvest samples taken from the much larger area of the Black Hills yielded about 1.3% with CWD.

“Because of concerns we have with chronic wasting disease that is spread from animal to animal contact, we didn’t feel it was appropriate to manage for higher density,” Lindbloom said.

Lindbloom proposed managing for a biologically and socially acceptable elk population, by shooting for a minimum hunter success rate of 75% across all hunting zones. Previously, he said that success rate was about 60%, but hunters have consistently been meeting or exceeding that threshold, he said.

“We think we’re in a good spot right now for elk,” Lindbloom said. “We want to set our objectives and threshold to try and keep where we’re at now.”

Bull elk harvest objectives, according to the plan, would be managed for an average age structure of 60% harvested bulls of 4 or more years old in the Black Hills and Custer State Park. That number, he said, would be for all archery and firearm licenses. In prior years, that minimum was at 30% for the Black Hills and 60 percent for Custer State Park.

Commissioner Travis Bies cautioned Lindbloom about this strategy.

“About 15 years ago I approached the Game, Fish and Parks commission about over harvesting our bulls,” he said. “I want to put caution out there. I’m all for getting more bull hunters out there and more hunters in the field. The last time we did this we raised the number of licenses and our quality went down, and our trophy status on bulls in the Hills disappeared. I don’t want to over harvest those mature bulls. That’s why people wanted to hunt there so bad is because of the quality of the hunt we have. I don’t want to see it go too far down.”

Officials will take public comments on the Elk Management Plan until September, and will propose any changes to the plan at the next Game, Fish and Parks meeting, scheduled for Sept. 1-2 in Rapid City.

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