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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outdoors blog

Panhandle hunters report seeing more elk

Elk antler rubs scar aspens on 921 acres the Idaho Panhandle National Forests acquired in a land exchange with Stimson Lumber north of Lake Pend Oreille. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation helped broker the deal. (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)
Elk antler rubs scar aspens on 921 acres the Idaho Panhandle National Forests acquired in a land exchange with Stimson Lumber north of Lake Pend Oreille. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation helped broker the deal. (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)

HUNTING -- During the first week of the main big-game hunting seasons, Idaho Panhandle hunters reported seeing a lot of moose and grouse and they saw more elk and elk sign than the past few years, according to reports for Idaho Fish and Game Department hunter check stations.

The number of elk calves seen varied. Some hunters reported a lot of calves with groups of cows while others reported few or no calves.

But hunters saw a lot of spike elk, which typically means good overwinter calf survival.

Most deer taken in early October in the Panhandle are incidental to elk hunting. Deer hunting success is gauged by what happens during the November 1 to December 1 part of the deer season.



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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