Sequim elk will feel more hunting pressure this fall

Peninsula News Network

7/20/03

Sequim, WA - The Sequim elk herd might be enjoying one of its last peaceful summers, with the state planning to put many of the animals in hunter’s sights this fall.

The herd has been wandering back and forth out of the foothills for the past several years, ever since development began encroaching on their territory in the building boom of the early 90s.

One winter the elk even traveled as far north as Sunland, although they’ve been staying closer to the mountains recently. They’ve been transplanted and tagged with radio collars in an effort to track their movements, keep the herd size down or even moved to other areas. That included a complicated, and never repeated operation in the early 90s where the elk were tranquilized, flown to a loading area by helicopter and then trucked to a new range near Brinnon.

But now it looks like the Department of Fish and Wildlife will be using good old fashioned hunting methods to keep the herd from growing too large.

The final hunting season rules have increased the number of permits hunters will be able to get for elk hunting in the Sequim-area “game management units”. And that includes both special seasons such as archery and muzzle-loaders, and modern firearms.

Although the number of permits are significantly higher, Fish and Wildlife managers tell the Peninsula Daily News other changes in the rules should offset the increase.

There’s also one other factor that always impacts hunters’ abilities to bag one of the Sequim elk, the rule that limits hunting with modern firearms in any of the areas north of Highway 101.