Elk overrun ranchers in Elmore County Idaho

An invasion of elk in parts of Elmore County has caused ranchers there to turn to state lawmakers for help. A group of ranchers visited the Statehouse Jan. 15 to ask legislators and state officials to help them deal with the thousands of elk that have set up residence on their land in recent years. According to the ranchers, who are mostly from the Mayfield area southeast of Boise, more than 4,000 elk have invaded the area. Idaho Fish and Game Department officials said several large wildfires in the region and the presence of wolves in higher country are two of the main reasons the elk have moved to the area in large numbers. Rancher Jeff Lord told members of the Senate Resources and Environment Committee that the elk are eating at the ranchers’ expense and they damage spring and winter range. “If we can’t solve this problem, we need to be compensated,” he said. “I don’t want to be a winter elk feed provider. I want to be a rancher.” Lord said his family has ranched in Mayfield since 1945 and the first elk in the area were seen in 1977. “Since then, the numbers have increased dramatically,” he said. Rancher Steve Damele said herds of up to 800 elk are going back and forth across private land, causing serious damage in the form of destroyed fences, degraded range and lost feed. “The economic loss is substantial,” he said. “The ranchers in this area are united in this effort and ready for a long-term solution.”...more