The Natural Resources Board approved a harvest quota of 10 bulls from the northern elk herd for the 2020 Wisconsin elk hunt, matching the number of tags from the 2019 season. Of the 10 tags, five will be awarded to state hunters, and the Ojibwe tribes will receive an allocation for the remaining five elk in accordance with treaty rights.
For each $10 application fee, $7 is earmarked for elk management and research in Wisconsin. During the first two hunting seasons, applicants generated more than $400,000. These funds are used to enhance elk habitat, which benefits both the northern and central elk herds and many other wildlife species that call the Northwoods home. Funding also contributes to ongoing elk research, monitoring and land access.
More than 60,000 Wisconsinites applied during the first two years of managed elk hunting, and nearly 25,000 applied as of May 28, 2020.
One bull tag is being raffled off by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Raffle tickets are also $10 each, and there is no limit on the number of raffle tickets an individual may purchase.
Hunters who draw a tag in the state drawing will be notified in early June. Prior to obtaining the $49 elk hunting license, all winners are required to participate in a Wisconsin elk hunter education program offered in early September. The class will cover regulations, hunting techniques and more.
The 2020 hunting season will only occur for only the northern elk herd. Although the state’s central elk herd has grown steadily since reintroduction in 2015, it’s projected to reach approximately 100 this summer after calving. As such, hunting is not recommended to occur there in 2020.
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(Photo Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources)