1) Why is the August hunting season being eliminated? The August hunting season was first implemented as a way to harvest elk that were coming out of Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) but returned to the park before the traditional October elk season opened. This was very effective and elk hunting opportunities and harvest were fairly good. Over the past several years as TRNP elk populations have grown, elk behavior has changed and the number of animals leaving and not returning to the park has increased. This results in more opportunity in the months following August. In addition, there has always been a concern about the hot weather during August and all the problems that come with hunting and retrieving a big game animal at a time when warm to very hot temperatures are common. In 2006, an October time period was added and in 2007 additional time periods spanning November and December was also added. By having successful elk hunting opportunities available September through December negates the need to have an August season.

2) Why are lottery license holders allowed to hunt in either unit after the first three days of the September and October season openers? Hunters are restricted to the unit on their license for the first three days of the September and October seasons to make sure hunting pressure in Unit E4, which is directly adjacent to TRNP, is not too high. The unit is relatively small and allowing all of the license holders to be in that area during the opening weekends would lead to problems. Giving people the option to hunt in both units later in the season may help maximize the opportunity to harvest elk. Elk are very mobile animals and they move over significant distances during the elk season.

3) Why are there three seasons - September, October and Extended? The goal is to maximize elk hunting opportunities by providing a significant number of licenses throughout the season. At the same time it is important to spread out hunting pressure which makes it more manageable for landowners and more enjoyable for the hunters. In 2007, the season structure was confusing with a split August season (early and late), followed by an October season for the same hunters, a Second season (added later in the year) which was set between the August and October seasons, and then an Extended season in November and December for all elk hunters in the two units. This caused a good deal of confusion and the department wanted to simply the season structure in 2008. Therefore, there will be a September season, an October season, and an Extended Season in November and December in which both the September and October license holders can hunt.

4) Why are landowner preferential license holders required to hunt only in their unit? Landowner preferential licenses in Unit E4 are guaranteed each year. Allowing those license holders to have the additional benefit of being able to hunt in E3 would not be fair and would cause hard feelings among E3 landowners and lottery license holders. E3 landowners are not allowed to hunt in E4 because it is a small unit and allowing more hunters into the area would complicate things and create more competition among E4 landowners and lottery license holders.

5) Licenses remaining after the lottery will be issued on a first come, first served basis. These will be once in a life time licenses. How can that be and how will it work? There may be a chance that cow (antlerless) elk licenses may remain following the lottery. The thinking behind first come, first served option is that if someone wanted an antlerless elk license they had their chance to apply in the lottery. It will be much simpler, less confusing, and save another application and lottery process to issue these licenses first come, first served. The details on how and when a person may apply for these first come, first served will be announced following the lottery, if licenses remain.

6) Why is it mandatory for all elk hunters in Units E3 and E4 to provide their harvest information with a failure to do so resulting in a loss of eligibility for 2009 lottery licenses? Because of the situation in and around TRNP it is imperative that we know exactly how many elk have been harvested or not harvested in any given year. While response rates to previous hunter harvest surveys have been fairly good there always are a number of people who do not or will not respond. We need to have this information and that is why the requirement and penalty has been added to the proclamation.

7) Why is there such a dramatic increase in the number of elk licenses in E3 and E4 for the 2008 season? Elk numbers continue to grow at an amazing rate inside TRNP and more elk are coming out and staying out of the park. The National Park Service is currently working on a plan to reduce numbers in the park but the implementation of whatever plan they might choose is several years off. Therefore in an effort to use this resource and reduce the possibility of elk depredation problems on surrounding private land the department has deemed it necessary to dramatically increase not only elk license numbers but also the length of the season.

8) What were hunter success rates in E3 and E4 in 2007? In Unit E3 there were 197 license holders who hunted elk and they harvested 135 animals for a 69% success rate. While the 78 license holders in E4 who hunted elk harvested 43 animals for a success rate of 55%. The large increase in licenses for 2007 resulted in a very successful season that increased the harvest of elk outside the park and provided additional hunting opportunities.

9) Units E1, E2 bow only option. Why can people who choose the "bow only option" hunt not only in the designated bow season but also any other open season in that unit? We have received this request several times in the past and based on the limited number of people who select this option see no reason why they couldn't be allowed to hunt in the bow season and the other seasons as well. It is important to remember that if a person selects the bow option they cannot use any other weapon no matter what season segment they may be hunting in. In addition, if bow hunters choose to hunt in one of the gun seasons they must wear orange clothing.

10) Unit E5 encompasses most of North Dakota outside traditional elk range. Why is this area open to all lottery license holders? Over the past several years the number of instances where wild elk have been attracted to farmed elk operations has increased. It is critically important for both the farmed elk industry and the management of wild elk that wild elk are not allowed to co-mingle or have contact with farmed elk. The first course of action in these situations is to haze the wild elk away from the farmed elk enclosures. Should hazing or exclusion by double or electric fencing not work then the wild elk must be removed. In the past, the department has killed some of these animals while in other instances we have used the legislatively authorized method of drawing a name from the unsuccessful applicant list and allow that person to kill the elk. In almost all cases this solution bears no resemblance to fair chase hunting. The elk killed in these situations are not critical to a population and are mostly young males wandering in search of breeding opportunities. As an alternative Unit E5 has been established and any lottery license holder from any unit will be able to take an elk in this area during the time period September 5 through December 31st. The hunter is restricted to the type of elk designated on their license.

11) Why isn't the Turtle Mountains included in Unit E5? There are a small number of elk on the US side of the Turtle Mountains and there is a fairly substantial number elk on the Canadian side residing in the Turtle Mountain Provincial Park. We have heard from a number of local people including the Rolette and Bottineau County Commissions, that there is an interest in having more elk in the area. The department recently denied a request to transplant elk into the Turtle Mountains preferring to let elk expand on their own which will determine if landowner tolerance and habitat are in place. Allowing a hunting season would eliminate any possibility of the natural expansion of elk.

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