In summary, DFWP has goals to maintain a 5- 

 week hunting season, spread a larger harvest 

 throughout the season, and maintain a high 

 level of older bulls. DFWP would like to reach 

 these goals primarily through maintenance of 

 habitat security, rather than direct control of 

 harvest through regulations and permit sys- 

 tems. On the other hand, DNRC provides for 

 elk primarily through its biodiversity ap- 

 proach, as opposed to a concerted effort to 

 maximize hunting opportunity. 



Bull elk vulnerability 



In recent years, elk populations throughout 

 Montana have prospered, but the carryover of 

 bulls through the hunting season has been 

 problemahc. The issue of limiting bull vulner- 

 ability to hunhng has, thus, generated much 

 discussion and research. 

 Hillis et al (1991) emphasized the role of 

 security areas in maintaining low elk vulner- 

 ability (and thus high hunter opportunity). 

 They defined security areas as being nonlinear 

 blocks of hiding cover at least 250 acres in size 

 and no less than 0.5 mile from any open road. 

 They further suggested that such security 

 blocks must equal at least 30% of analysis 

 units to avoid increasing elk vulnerability. 



Affected elk population 



There are a moderate number of elk utilizing 

 this area, with some being resident year-round 

 and some migrating (Tim Thier, district wild- 

 life biologist, DFWP, personal communica- 

 tion). The project area contains some areas 

 that provide year-round habitat for elk. 



Current habitat situation 



• Calving grounds 



Although calving is suspected in the 

 project area (Tim Thier, district wildlife 

 biologist, DFWP, personal communica- 

 tion), it is probably of a dispersed nature, 

 so that concentrations of animals are not 

 disturbed by human activity. There is also 

 abundant cover in the area. Security for 

 calving elk in this area has not been an 

 issue to date. 



• Winter range and thermal cover 



Winter-range use seems to be variable, 

 depending on the severity of winter. 

 Perhaps because the area does not have a 

 reputation for over-wintering many ani- 

 mals, it has not received much attention, 

 and quantified information about levels of 

 use was not found. There are 472 acres 

 identified as elk winter range in the project 

 area south of Beaver Lake (see Figure III-9, 

 Elk Winter Range Map). 



Winter thermal cover, according to the 

 geographical information system (GIS) 

 analysis, covers 38.2% (180 acres) of the 

 472 acres of winter range. Where it fits 

 into other resource goals, DNRC may 

 strive to provide winter thermal cover on a 

 minimum of 25% of the winter-range 

 acreage. All of the existing thermal cover 

 occurs in blocks of 20 acres or larger. This 

 cover is well connected and well distrib- 

 uted on the winter range. 



Security 



Although 97.5% of the nonlake acres of the 

 project area provides hiding cover, only 6% of 

 the project area has road densities of less than 

 1 mile per square mile. Overall, the 19.7 miles 

 of open road on the analysis area creates an 

 open-road density of 2.9 miles per square mile. 

 According to Lyon (1983), this density reduces 

 elk habitat use to 39% of its potential. 



Current status of elk hunting objectives 



The hunting district is below its target for elk 

 population numbers, but has been on target 

 for the proportion of branch-antlered bulls. 

 The most recent data available (1996) was 

 provided by Harvey Nyberg (Region 1, 

 DFWP); Table III-9 shows the status of the herd 

 objectives as compared to the goals for hunt- 

 ing objectives. 



{in-24r 



Stillwater State Forest • Beaver Lake Timber Sale Project 



