It was an overcast, gray day when we set out to a remote town in Central Vancouver Island. My girlfriend and I were woken by an 05:00 alarm. We sleepily donned our outfits, downed our morning coffee and headed on our way. We were on a mission. For some time now I had been hearing about the majestic Roosevelt Elk that reside on Vancouver Island and I had a lead on where to locate them. My mission was to document the elk and their plight.. Unfortunately, over the past year the elk have fallen victim to poachers. Some being partially harvested for use, many being left intact.
In the early 1900’s Roosevelt Elk were heavily over hunted and their numbers dwindled significantly. When early explorers in eastern North America arrived - they gave the animal the name ‘elk’ although the name was also used to describe moose in that time. Many in North America have recommended their name be changed to the Shawnee First Nations name, wapiti, to describe the animals - but they remain largely referred to as elk. (D. Blood et al., 2000) The majority of remaining elk in British Columbia (B.C.) are the roughly 3,000 Roosevelt Elk residing on Vancouver Island. According to the B.C. government roughly 15,000 applications are received from resident hunters for 300 opportunities to harvest an elk each hunting season. First Nations hunters are given about the same number of opportunities, but they are distributed between various bands, which redistribute them using a variety of different systems.
On my first trip to the remote town, I had low expectations of catching a glimpse of the majestic animals. We scoured trailheads and woodlands, and noted numerous indications of elk in the area - hoof prints and scat littered certain trails. We searched thoroughly in a nearby park with no luck and eventually made our way back to our car. We decided to drive to the northern portion of town to continue our search. To our surprise, while driving through the outskirts of town, three large female Roosevelt Elk stood right in the middle of the road. We quickly pulled our car to the side of the road and got out to observe. Unfortunately, a logging truck rumbled by and frightened the group of females and they took off down the road. Now, I’m a 27 year old, fit & active guy - and I didn’t stand a chance at keeping pace. They dropped me like a fly, and that was the last of our sightings for the day. Despite attempts to track the prints down, off of the road and into the bush where they sought shelter.
This initial sighting spurred my interest. I returned many more times to the small town in search of the elk, and in search of any evidence of foul play towards them. My good friend Farley & I spent many days following game trails through the steep terrain and cutblocks, planting trail cameras and struggling our way through elk territory. Tripping, falling, sliding and tripping again while tracking elk paths through the dense undergrowth and open cutblocks. Often, a portion of the herd would seek shelter and protection in the town and were relatively docile. But when we were tracking them in the forest they were very alert and attentive to any motion or sounds in the forest, making it difficult (to say the least) to get close enough for a photograph with our telephoto lenses.
During our numerous trips and campouts in the area, we discovered many elk carcasses. I counted about 13 overall. Largely, the deaths appeared to be from collisions with vehicles. That being said, three of these carcasses were a significant distance from the roadside and parts of the animal had been harvested, predominantly antlers and skulls were missing. These suspicious carcasses were reported to the RAPP line - which I will attach below. The remote nature of their habitat certainly renders these animals at a higher risk for illegal activities, although hunters and citizens alike keep close tabs on these creatures and are diligent in reporting any suspicious behaviours. As the lottery to get a pass to hunt an elk has slim chances - many hunters are frustrated by the poachers unfair and illegal activities. One local I had the pleasure of speaking with informed me she has a bull who has a regular nap spot located in her backyard. She adores the bull elk and welcomes its presence on her property.
"He comes to my backyard to rest and relax.... and I love his presence" - Local resident
The local herds do appear to be making a comeback. With numbers making a slow but steady increase over the past 20 years. However , as previously stated, poaching of these animals puts the population at risk. A population which is listed as threat level "medium" . Roosevelt Elk are also prey to wolves, cougars and black bears, although over the long term, the rate of reproduction is typically sufficient to maintain populations.
Despite their numerous challenges to overcome, the future for the wapiti looks promising on Vancouver Island, so long as poaching and habitat destruction doesn’t undergo a sudden increase.
Report All Poachers and Polluters 24/7 phone line: 1 - 877 - 952 - 7277
References:
Elk in British Columbia. Ecology, conservation and management. British Columbia Ministry of Environments, Land & Parks. Donald A. Blood et al. (2000)