Elk problem

[pauline]

A herd of 10 to 13 elks come onto our pasture every day now this week. They have damaged our fence and hot wire. Other than shooting them, what are the ways to stop them from coming onto our pasture?

Thanks
Pauline

 

[Dave]

Good luck with that problem. Elk fence is pretty expensive and works marginally. An 8 foot tall high tensile electric fence with a real hot charger. I know one dairy farmer who would chase them on a 4 wheeler and shoot them in the rear with trap loads. When he was done there wouldn't be a fence left standing on the place but the elk would stay away for a month or so. Just long enough for him to fix all the fence.

 

[MikeC]

Other than shooting them, what are the ways to stop them from coming onto our pasture?

Get yourself a large pack of wolves. ;-)

 

[Dave]

A mountain lion would work too

 

[Lammie]

Is anyone else here reminded of the children's book called The King, The Mouse And The Cheese? Got a mouse, get a cat. Too many cats, get a dog. Too many dogs, get some elephants. Too many elephants? Get mice...

I don't know anything about elk and they would prolly scare the pee outa me if I saw one face to face.

Is this because it is winter and there isn't any good grazing in their territory so they are visiting your's?

 

[Susie David]

Bird shot works well on the deer...I just shoot over their backs not close enough to do any damage...and yes I let the dogs run them. Have no love for deer. Haven't had elk down in a few years.
DMc

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

If somebody can tell me how to keep the darn things out of my fences i sure would like to no how its done. They can tear down more fence in one night than you can fix in aweek. Black buzzards an't protected in Arkansas but them dang elk are. Don't use bird shot Pauline Buckshot works better.

 

[spoon]

Would one of the different breed of dog that are supposed to be so protective of cattle work for this? I've read and heard that they will keep anything that doesn't belong out of the pastures. I've been thinking of getting one to keep the neighbors dogs at HIS place. We aren't on good terms anyway and everytime I shoot one of his dogs on my place he gets a little more upset. Never heard anything about them relating to deer or elk.

 

[I luv herfrds]

They are really big deer Lammie.

Cracker shells are what is normally given out by our FWP, but it is best to use them in a short barrel shot gun rather then a long barrel. Not fun having the dang thing explode right at the end of the muzzle. My response is not fit to print when that happened.
I agree with the buckshot though.
Here in Montana a hunter can shoot your dog if they catch it chasing wildlife.

 

[Chum]

We've had Elk on our place for 5 years now. Herds from 60 to 6. Once they got used to our place and the location of the fence lines, we haven't had fence problem at all.
Our biggest problem now is with the idiot neighbors during hunting season. :roll:
We learned a few lessons the hard way re: fences.
Don't chase them. Let em able off at their own pace.
Don't spotlight them. They aren't like Deer, they don't freeze, they run like heck.
If you come upon them in your rig, don't stop. As long as you keep rolling they'll graze and chew their cud, but if you stop....they run like heck.
They can kill a dog, or so I've heard. I know for a fact that they don't run from a dog that takes off after them.

Anyway, they've been a pleasent addition to our place and as the old timers around here say, you aren't going to beat them so you might as well enjoy them.

 

[dun]

Jim Gerrish has recently retired from the U of MO and moved to ID or somewhere up north. He just did an article in BEEF or Drovers or soemwhere about elk and hi-tensile electric fence. He said that once the started keeping the fence powered all of the time regardless if it needed to be for the cattle that the elk problems with fence damage ceased.

 

[Caustic Burno]

They are really big deer Lammie.

Cracker shells are what is normally given out by our FWP, but it is best to use them in a short barrel shot gun rather then a long barrel. Not fun having the dang thing explode right at the end of the muzzle. My response is not fit to print when that happened.
I agree with the buckshot though.
Here in Montana a hunter can shoot your dog if they catch it chasing wildlife.

That is a two sided coin in Texas, you shoot somebodies coon, or squirrel dog your going to jail no matter if it is own your property or not. Seen it happen and to be very costly. Here in East Texas you would most likely be better off moving out of the community. Harassing livestock is another story.
And you can tell when you see a Walker, Black in Tan, Redbone, etc with a collar and a name tag he is somebodies fox hound or coon dog. The squirrel dogs usually won't be to far from there master.
Whole different game for the crap eaters pit's dobies, etc.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Dun

I will give you my share of the Elk from down here in Arkansas. Any hay feilds around me gets eat by the elk. Fences high tensil or barb wire they shred ride them down, or the bulls will take their horns and rip to peices. Lots of trouble.

 

[dun]

Dun

I will give you my share of the Elk from down here in Arkansas. Any hay feilds around me gets eat by the elk. Fences high tensil or barb wire they shred ride them down, or the bulls will take their horns and rip to peices. Lots of trouble.

Works for me, you won;t even need to cut and wrap, just quarter them.

 

[I luv herfrds]

CB if the dog is chasing your livestock you can shoot it, but the wildlife is a different story. :roll:

Funny watching my Corgi chasing antelope though.

 

[mnmtranching]

I'm not saying this is the case, But it's OH SO COMMON :roll: in Elk country, to not allow hunters on to harvest the Elk. But then bitch like crazy :cry2: when the Elk cause damage. YUP it's true.

 

[BAGTIC]

If somebody can tell me how to keep the darn things out of my fences i sure would like to no how its done. They can tear down more fence in one night than you can fix in aweek. Black buzzards an't protected in Arkansas but them dang elk are. Don't use bird shot Pauline Buckshot works better.

Black buzzrads are protected in Arkansas. They are protected EVERYWHERE by federal law.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Bagtic sorry they are not protected here. This has been dicussed on another thread.

 

[pauline]

Thank you for the posting.

Here in Oregon, as far as I know, people can shoot elk if they get a hunting tag. We, landowners, will automatically get the license for shooting elk because they damage our property. But we don't want to get into shooting them and all the aftermath. We don't want to set dogs on them too because if dogs run after them barking, they will run wild and damage even more fences. So right now, we just live with them, and not to disturb them, hoping they will jump clear of the fence. But, they will eat the grass that we try so hard to grow for our cattle. One thing we did do is that when we see the elks in one pasture day after day, then we put our cattle there to take over the pasture. I don't think they will mingle and make friends, will they?

Pauline

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Pauline moving your cattle on to the pasture with the elk is what i do, the elk like the cream of the crop, so when i move the cows in with them they move on. Hay feilds and stocked piled pastures is where i have most of my trouble. They are hard on fences no matter what you do.