Range map from Alaska Department of Game & Fish, 3. This puts the elk population total in Alaska around 1300 animals. The most recent estimations we could find said there are about 900 elk total on Rasberry and Afognak Island, and another 400 on other islands, mainly Etolin and Zarembo Island. It was not successful on the mainland, however some elk population was able to establish itself on Raspberry Island and Afognak Island, as well as some of the other islands in the Aleutian island chain. A re-introductory effort was made in the 1950’s with some elk from Pacific coast herds (Rocky Mountain elk and Roosevelt elk). AlaskaĮlk are not native to the state of Alaska, however in the 1920’s some were brought into the state as ranch animals. You can read more about the “Alabama Elk Experiment” at the DCNR page. It is still occasionally discussed by the Department of Conservation but as of 2020 there were no plans to try this reintroduction experiment again. Due to various problems such as disease, poaching and crop damage, this did not work out and the last of the elk was reported killed by 1921. They were released in five counties to attempt to reestablish the population. For a brief period in 1916 a small group of 55 Rocky Mountain elk were brought into the state by the Department of Game and Fish. There have not been any natural populations of elk in Alabama since the early 1800s. *Populations estimates are believed to be accurate but not guaranteed as of 01/2021 They are accurate to the best of our knowledge. The following population estimates were taken from state government websites and other authoritative sources. Historically elk ranged across much of the country, but the over hunting and habitat loss that came with the European settlers nearly wiped them out by the early 1900’s. Many of these 19 states had a population of elk at one time, as you can see from the map below. Rhode Island – unlikely to have had a population at any time.New York – extirpated, last elk recorded in 1847.New Hampshire – elk may never have lived in New Hampshire.Massachusetts – extirpated, last elk recorded in 1732.Illinois – extirpated between 1800 – 1850.Hawaii – there have never been elk on Hawaii.Georgia – it is debated whether there were ever elk in Georgia.Delaware – only evidence of elk in this state is prehistoric.Connecticut – extirpated by mid 1700s to early 1800s.
Alabama – extirpated since the early 1800s.However at the time of writing this, there is believed to be a breeding elk population in 31 of the 50 U.S. Many states have also implemented successful reintroduction programs, so some of these states may have elk in the future. which means that there’s always a possibility of elk moving in from neighboring states. The elk population is growing and expanding in the U.S. The following 19 states currently do not have breeding populations of elk, although some may allow elk to be raised on private ranches. We’ll talk about the populations that are estimated in each state as well as where they can be found and any interesting facts about Elk that are specific to the particular state.įirst let’s omit some states from the list. state, any notable areas to find them, and also which states do not have any elk.īelow we will list some info about Elk populations in each U.S. That brings us to the topic of this article, where we will dive into what the elk population is in each U.S. The population of Elk varies greatly in the U.S. There are currently four subspecies of elk living in the United States today, with a total population estimated to be between 1 and 1.2 million. The Elk ( Cervus canadensis), also known as wapiti, is among the largest land mammals in North America.
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