Elk in Dewey County Oklahoma? Free roaming elk in the special northwest zone? Where? How?

[Whitetail Regulator]

,anybody see elk in the special northwest zone? I’m a lil bit intrigued by how the herd in Dewey County came to be....did they just come down the river from the Rocky’s? Were they released there? Or escaped from a refuge or preserve...I have a lease on the river between Taloga and camargo...pretty shure I seen a cow elk at 600 yrds running for a split second....and the top of the head of a fork elk stretching in tall pampas grass, again for a split second at 200 yrds ...I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I know what I saw...I also heard bull and cow elk bleat calls at the end of September....no trail cam pics though...it would be like a trophy to me to get a pic of a free roaming elk on my lease... I once seen a rouge spike in woods county....locals near Buffalo say there is a herd near selman. However Dewey County consistently produces elk, so there must be a local herd. Anyone know how large the herd is estimated, and the stomping grounds? Should I get a possible picture on a feeder sight or occasional glimpse of them? There is very little information on this subject. So please feel free to chime in and talk about free roaming Oklahoma elk.

 

[dlbleak]

I think the new state record was shot in Dewey county. One of the clubs up there, I think it red rock/dirt hunting club or something like that, is reporting elk following the Cimarron river south. I have a buddy that has nine quarters in the area. We’ve been running cams for years. Get a few mulies but no elk yet. It’s a matter of time before a nice herd gets established but it’s happening now.

 

[CorpsVet]

Likely migrated from the herd(s) outside the Wildlife Refuge IMO

 

[dennishoddy]

Random elk have been killed as far North as Osage County and Grant county. Just single animals that can’t be accounted for. No herds.
Elk were originally plains animals before being pushed to mountain sanctuary’s by over hunting.
Maybe they are trying to reestablish their ancestory? Just speculations on my part. No scientific basis.

 

[Okie4570]

Limited info because I think the majority of the Camargo herd frequent the same area and the same ranches. They pretty much are "encouraged" to live there by cover, lack of pressure, and and fed year around. If I'm not mistaken, it's the same couple of families that meet the quota each year, which I don't fault them, it's their land and are fortunate to have them there.

 

[Whitetail Regulator]

View attachment 135671 View attachment 135671 View attachment 135671

Limited info because I think the majority of the Camargo herd frequent the same area and the same ranches. They pretty much are "encouraged" to live there by cover, lack of pressure, and and fed year around. If I'm not mistaken, it's the same couple of families that meet the quota each year, which I don't fault them, it's their land and are fortunate to have them there.

I think the new state record was shot in Dewey county. One of the clubs up there, I think it red rock/dirt hunting club or something like that, is reporting elk following the Cimarron river south. I have a buddy that has nine quarters in the area. We’ve been running cams for years. Get a few mulies but no elk yet. It’s a matter of time before a nice herd gets established but it’s happening now.

Both

I think the new state record was shot in Dewey county. One of the clubs up there, I think it red rock/dirt hunting club or something like that, is reporting elk following the Cimarron river south. I have a buddy that has nine quarters in the area. We’ve been running cams for years. Get a few mulies but no elk yet. It’s a matter of time before a nice herd gets established but it’s happening now.

Both the typical and non typical elk stat records came from Dewey county

 

[Whitetail Regulator]

Limited info because I think the majority of the Camargo herd frequent the same area and the same ranches. They pretty much are "encouraged" to live there by cover, lack of pressure, and and fed year around. If I'm not mistaken, it's the same couple of families that meet the quota each year, which I don't fault them, it's their land and are fortunate to have them there.

Yup, that’s pretty much what I’ve gathered about them....I’m just down stream of carmargo on the s Canadian. I was told by a state warden that Taloga had a heard...I would figure they are running the river between tologa and carmago. The people that know they have them are on them because the quota is two, and typically the season is closed by the first week...it’s doubtful that it will last past youth gun season because the kids of the families that have elk on there land will for shure be harvesting them. I don’t blame them either. I think elk taken by youth hunters in the youth season should not count in the quota of two. Or no harvest of elk during the youth deer gun season with a gun in the special northwest zone. If the quota is only 2 how is anybody else soposed to get a chance. Most youth hunters would be tickled to get there first couple of deer without having to harvest an elk. If they just got to have an elk, let them use archery equipment like everyone else. Or gun hunt for a deer during youth season. I think youth season is a good thing. My son ges to harvest a deer every year, and I’ve never heard him complain about not shooting an elk...

 

[Whitetail Regulator]

I think the new state record was shot in Dewey county. One of the clubs up there, I think it red rock/dirt hunting club or something like that, is reporting elk following the Cimarron river south. I have a buddy that has nine quarters in the area. We’ve been running cams for years. Get a few mulies but no elk yet. It’s a matter of time before a nice herd gets established but it’s happening now.

Red dirt club has elk pics se of alabaster caverns, but there has never been one harvested in Woodward county that I know of. Think most of them are on the South Canadian River in Dewey county. The cat tail grass along the river is tall enough to give them a chance to survive. I don’t think they will do well off the river because the cover is too short.

 

[Whitetail Regulator]

Random elk have been killed as far North as Osage County and Grant county. Just single animals that can’t be accounted for. No herds.
Elk were originally plains animals before being pushed to mountain sanctuary’s by over hunting.
Maybe they are trying to reestablish their ancestory? Just speculations on my part. No scientific basis.

I’ve seen a couple rouge elk over the years hunting nw Oklahoma, however two state records killed back to back in the same county makes me believe there is an established herd near carmago, rhea, aledo, and tologa.

 

[Whitetail Regulator]

If they have been spotted in carmago,it makes me wonder if the are established on the 4 canyon preserve