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Environmental News
Mathew Holding Eagle III
Bemidji, Minn.

DNR elk survey set to begin in northwest Minnesota 

elk in the wild
A male elk stands in a field. The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has submitted a formal proposal to the Minnesota DNR to move up to 150 elk from the northwestern corner of the state beginning in 2025.
Courtesy of Mike Schrage, Fond du Lac Resource Management

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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources could begin its annual aerial elk count survey in the northwest as early as this weekend. The areas include along the Manitoba-Minnesota border, down through Kittson and Marshall counties. The information gathered will help the DNR assess future elk management and harvest regulations.

Doug Franke, DNR area wildlife supervisor, said the survey will be conducted using a fixed-wing aircraft traveling at about 80 mph, approximately 300 feet off the ground.  

“We’re not trying to survey all the elk in northwest Minnesota,” he said. “(We’re) just trying to get an idea of approximately how many elk we have in this part of the state. And just to kind of keep track of them.”

Franke said the survey’s success relies partly on weather conditions because elks tricolored coats can help them blend into the landscape.

elk herd in a forest
DNR wildlife supervisor Doug Franke said the Grygla elk herd (pictured) is managed to a population between 30-38 animals. However, it has not exceeded 30 since 2012, for the DNR to consider a hunt.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

“We can observe the elk much easier when there’s snow,” he said. “The elk will tend to group up in wintery areas that are fairly consistent from year to year. So, we can kind of get an idea of where they might be even before we start flying.”

Franke said elk populations in the state have increased over the past 25 years. He encourages people to report when they see elk to their local DNR office or use the new elk sightings tool on the agency’s website.

“We don’t use it for any population determinations at all,” Franke said. “It’s used as a guide to help us understand movements of elk in Minnesota and maybe the timing of them, because people date it.”

Franke added a DNR partnership with the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation could someday result in elk intentionally being placed in the northeast. The effort would be similar to the way the herd near Grygla was established in the ‘80s.

Franke said once the survey begins it should take about 10 days.