lew Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 (edited) I had to go down to Peterboro this morning and on the way home, driving back up hwy 28, I spotted this elk in a farmers field among a bunch of cows and horses just a couple miles from my place and was able to get a few pictures. Elk were released in a few areas around Ontario back about 12 - 15 years ago and one of the places was Bancroft and they've evidently been spreading out since then. This guy is about 50 miles south of Bancroft. I was talking to a local farmer and he said this fella has been hanging around the area all summer. Here he is hanging out with a cow. You can just make him out on the crest of the hill above the horses butt. A close up This big guy wanted more attention than the elk This was the 1st elk I've ever seen and it's great to have him as a neighbor. Hopefully nobody decides to kill him. Edited October 8, 2013 by lew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 WOW! That's a great find, Lew! Quite the rack on him too. Thanks for sharing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancur373 Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 sweet. nice rack on him. hope no one shoots him. is there even a season on them in Ontario? I'd like to see the population grow to a point where they could sustain a controlled hunt. Thanks for the pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bare foot wader Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 wicked, really nice to see them spreading....there is a controlled hunt already, but I bet that guy will survive for a few years, lack of wolves being key to their success I would imagine, odds for the lottery tag sound similar to 649 http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/OC/2ColumnSubPage/STDU_131067.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NAW Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 (edited) thanks for the pic Lew! I've heard they have causing the farmers quite the head ache. MNR is going to, if they have not already, open a draw for tags to hunt them. ^^^^ BFW beat be to it!^^^ Edited October 8, 2013 by N.A.W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4bassin Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Great pictures Lew , thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bare foot wader Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 are the ranchers cooperative with hunters or MNR? there is a system that somewhat works in northern BC, a special management zone with reduced point restriction and open cow, to help the ranchers out with a goal to reduce the herd in agricutural areas...the 'somewhat working' is not all ranchers cooperate with granting access to hunters on their land it would be great to see the ON MNR adopt systems that work out west and tweak them to work a bit better, ranchers helping hunters harvest the problem elk...win for hunters and win for the ranchers yet to take one, but elk hunting is incredibly addictive, they are very vocal....calling in a bull and hearing him chuckle and bugle from 30 yds, truly one of my best outdoor experiences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted October 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 I've heard they have causing the farmers quite the head ache Yeah, it was a great find for sure and I was actually surprised at how big this guy was. His antlers had to be at least 3' long and probably as wide at the top too. Not sure about him causing trouble for the farmer though N.A.W. as this guy was laying back and soaking up the rays as if he owned the joint and didn't have a care in the world. I don't know if there's many wolves around here to cause him any troubles but I did have one on my front lawn a year or so ago. Plenty of coyotes though, but I don't know if they'd go after a critter as big as an elk...or would they ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskymatt Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 They had to shut down part of the downtown section of the transit way this morning due to a wandering elk here in Ottawa. Must be elk season lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NAW Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Not sure about him causing trouble for the farmer though N.A.W. as this guy was laying back and soaking up the rays as if he owned the joint and didn't have a care in the world. They are no problem when they're sun bathing! But they have big appetites! Farmers have been pushing for a hunting season/management plan for a while now. Lots of crop damage. http://www.ofa.on.ca/about/county-federation-sites/stormont/news/ofa-supports-ontarios-action-on-elk-management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehg Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 What a great experience and pictures! One of the few out there. They estimate there are maybe 600- 950 elk in whole province. Too bad when people just want to kill them when there are so few. MNR page,,,http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/FW/2ColumnSubPage/279012.html Amazing sight of a majestic wild animal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerGuy Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Wow! That is cool, I've only seen them up in Iron Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outllaw Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 thanks lew. that's pretty darn cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Thats so cool Lew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freshtrax Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 That's crazy.. I've only ever seen one...in old Ancaster of all places.. Was walking the dog looked up and there he was. Not 30 feet in front of me standing in the middle of the road. We stared each other down for a few seconds and he bolted...the thing was so huge I first thought it was a really lost moose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishindevil Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Awesome Lew !!!! I have seen 2 in the last 5 yrs one was snowmobiling near apsley and one up near limerick lake just south of Bancroft !!! My buddy who lives up there is about 10miles from the original release site when they first brought them here !!!! He sees them all the time and had some great pics of them too !!!!! He has told me stories of when the MNR first starting Comming around to landowners and asking them about release sites he was one of them !!!! And they were worried about poachers back then and wanted landowners to be hush hush about them being there for a few years and wanted the owners to keep logbooks and sighting records !!! Pretty cool now they are established and doing great !!!! What a big majestic animal for sure !!!! And you are right about how big they actually are !!!! A lot bigger than a whitetail deer for sure !!! Both the elk I seen were males too with big racks !!! And the one was about 20feet off the side of the highway I thought it was a moose at first !!!! Awesome!!!! Glad to see they are in our area of the kawarthas !!!! There was one sighted in gooderham in the spring too and that's only 20mins north of me !!!! Cool maybe I will see another one this winter on my sled !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyk Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Great pic Lew, thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Cool pics, thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joeytier Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Very cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJQ Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Neato!! Thats some great stuff there Lew... thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 You were very privileged to get a picture of him Lew! Not many of em cruising around yet. Nice pictures to boot too! Cheers, Ron.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosier Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Thanks for sharing your pics. Saw one on 17 a few years ago about half way between 129 and the Soo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farsider Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Sure he looks content, he has an entire harem of strange all for himself. Apparently he has been resident for some time as a lot of people have been stopping for pics. If I remember correctly, there is a farmer alongside 93 on the way to Midland that raises them. It is always cool to see them. A stud bull Elk can easily be three to four times the size of an equally prime Whitetail Buck. On our family trips out to BC and through Yellowstone, we would see them with same frequency as we or you see Whitetails here. Hopefully the herds continue to grow. A number of them have been lost to train collisions. Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 When i wad in Northern alberta i had an awrsome run is with about 70-100 elk. Working lease safety one night after a huge snowstorm, i could hear rumbling in the distance. I had my high beams on and was siting stationary in a bunch of snow it grew closer of an closer. After a minute or so i realized what was going on. The earth liyerally shook. They vlined for my truck. Antlers actually scraped the side panels ad i sat inside in awe as they passed. It was awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted October 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Good to hear you fellas enjoyed those pictures and it really was a great experience to see that critter for the 1st time. As for the one Matt talked about in Ottawa yesterday, this mornings news reports that he was killed by police. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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