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Commission staff proposes new Special Southeast elk zone and quota changes to ease expanding herds
Summary
Staff recommended raising quotas in the Panhandle, adjusting quotas in the Special Northwest and Southwest zones and creating a new Special Southeast elk zone to address local herd growth and safety concerns near Ardmore; commissioners asked for more survey detail before a final vote.
Staff from the wildlife division told commissioners that statewide elk numbers have risen since a 2013 baseline and recommended a package of quota and season changes aimed at encouraging antlerless harvest and easing localized conflicts.
"Statewide, 2013, we're at 3,300. We're looking closer to 6,000 now," Dallas Barber, the wildlife biologist presenting the proposal, told the commission, summarizing recent aerial and ground surveys and town-hall input from landowners.
Barber outlined several specific recommendations: raise the Panhandle elk quota from 60 to 88 (with no more than 60 antlered tags), modify Special Northwest zone quotas to require a greater share of antlerless harvest, expand some early-season archery/gun opportunities in the Special Southwest zone, and establish a new Special Southeast elk zone covering portions of Carter and Murray counties east of I-35. Barber said those measures aim both to provide hunting opportunity and to reduce depredation and public-safety problems where herds have expanded (he cited elk observed on an Ardmore airpark runway).
Commissioners questioned the precision of some population estimates and the survey cadence. One commissioner asked about the variance in block estimates in Barber's slides; Barber said the department has replicated its surveys and plans to fly similar targeted aerial counts in the coming year to build trend lines. On survey frequency, Barber recommended repeating detailed surveys every five to seven years when resources allow.
Staff requested commission approval to proceed with the resolutions and implementation plan; the transcript records discussion and questions following the presentation but does not show a final roll-call adoption of the elk package in this segment of the meeting.
The proposal would change season dates and quotas in multiple zones and adds a narrowly defined new zone to direct harvest opportunity where herds are densest. Commissioners asked staff to return with clarifying survey detail and implementation steps before a final vote.
