Elk in Iron Bridge Ontario?!?

freddyfour

freddyfour

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
208   0   0
Location
Brant County, Ontario
Hey Ontario boys, I thought it was just out east around Bancroft that they reintroduced Elk? I was just in the Iron Bridge area and saw a herd out in a hay field. Was a beautiful sight to see with 15-20 cows and one big bull.
 
Those are not wild elk... there are two or three farming operations that raise elk and red deer in Iron Bridge.
 
hoytcanon said:
Those are not wild elk... there are two or three farming operations that raise elk and red deer in Iron Bridge.
Click to expand...

They are a wild herd.

they are pushing out the Moose and Deer in the area. Hoping they open a season in the next 1-2 years. Its sucks sitting in our stand and they are walking around. This November i will grab a few pics with the Camera.
 
redbirddog said:
They are a wild herd.

they are pushing out the Moose and Deer in the area. Hoping they open a season in the next 1-2 years. Its sucks sitting in our stand and they are walking around. This November i will grab a few pics with the Camera.
Click to expand...

I work with a girl who's father and uncle also farm elk and red deer in Iron Bridge.
 
canvasback said:
Didn't they release a herd south of Sudbury in the French River area in the late 1990's?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is known as the Burwash herd... they have been expanding for years... we see them regularly. Last fall we came across a herd of more than 50 animals... including a couple dandy bulls... they churned up quite a trail in passing.
 
The Burwash herd was in the 1920's they were to be all killed off when program ended but there have been rumours that some
we're let go and survived- who knows what is true!
 
220 said:
The Burwash herd was in the 1920's they were to be all killed off when program ended but there have been rumours that some
we're let go and survived- who knows what is true!
Click to expand...

The Burwash herd has been replentished twice since the original replant. My buddy's son worked for the MNR for the past three summers doing an elk count... there are LOTS of elk in Burwash across to Killarney up to Penage Lake and as far North as Walden/Whitefish... that is not second hand, I have listened to them bugling.
 
hoytcanon said:
Those are not wild elk... there are two or three farming operations that raise elk and red deer in Iron Bridge.
Click to expand...

Hey Hoyt, back in 2004 I attended a 4 gun registered skeet shoot at The Shedden Shooters Club which was affiliated with a hunting and angling club in the Iron Bridge area. There was a couple plaques on the wall honouring donations, one of which was over $5000 for funding for the release of Wild Elk in the Iron Bridge area. I can recall speaking with a fellow there who told me all about the two releases they had done there so I do believe there had been a few released in the area though the numbers they told me are gone now. That was 12 years ago. I am lucky now to remember which end of a shotshell goes in first these days!! LOL
 
Unless you are completely "in the know", it's hard to understand where ok were released....... I have some at my camp in the tweed area and the 417 in Ottawa got shut down one day last year when one was spotted along the highway.......
 
hoytcanon said:
The Burwash herd has been replentished twice since the original replant. My buddy's son worked for the MNR for the past three summers doing an elk count... there are LOTS of elk in Burwash across to Killarney up to Penage Lake and as far North as Walden/Whitefish... that is not second hand, I have listened to them bugling.
Click to expand...

I remember the elk grazing on the side of the ranges while we were shooting up there in the mid 90's. It was always nice to see them.
 
Loading the elk at Elk Island Park near Edmonton, for one of the Bancroft transplants...I don't remember if this was 2000 or 2001.





A feeding and rest stop in Thunder Bay



The Bancroft release site. They had wanted to pen the elk to study them and to let them acclimatize to their new area....but a couple of the elk broke right through the barrier upon release so I think they only held the rest a few days before letting them out.



The release was done at night shortly after the elk arrived.



The Bancroft elk the next day in the release pen.





The observation tower they made to see into the release pen.



Jim
 
That's very cool, I haven't seen any of these Elk in the Bancroft area but I spend enough time there that I should run into them eventually. It's great that the opened up a season for them!
 
I did as a pilot deer and moose counts late 1980's for MNR all through a he areas Parrysound north with MNR and no Elk seen,
as I say it is all heresay and until the MNR admit to it and open a hunting season nobody I'll know for sure!
 
A friend of mine was working with Cambrian College and the MNR on elk tracking surveys in the Burwash area, I went with him for a couple days and nights of tracking collared elk and went about as far south as the French River (Hartley Bay area). They have also been seen between Espanola and Sudbury pretty regularly, with lots of sightings around the Nairn and Worthington areas. The first day I went tracking was to find an old cow elk that had the "dead" signal on her collar (no movement in 24h) which we found in Burwash at a wolf kill site. It'll be interesting to see what happens for any potential elk hunting in the north, but the calf predation rates are exceptionally high in the area. Not expecting a hunting season in the area any time soon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom