Trophy Elk Revival And A Blues Video

Mike Agidius found himself in elk heaven as he watched 13 bull elk, antlers blanketed in velvet, browse among the grass and moss of a sheltered canyon.

After all, this wasn’t Yellowstone National Park, where the elk grow accustomed to the constant presence of humans. It was a remote corner of the Blue Mountains in northeast Oregon.

Agidius, the band director for Milton-Freewater schools, captured the sight on video, making it the closing scene of his documentary on Rocky Mountain elk in the Walla Walla hunt unit.

“I’ve become addicted to going up into these mountains ever since I moved here,” he said. “It’s the peace and quiet, compared to what I do every day.”But it was only a year ago, when his first child was born, that he bought a 8mm hand-held camcorder. Soon after, he decided to produce a film highlighting the elk of the Walla Walla unit.

Much of the Blue Mountains in Oregon and Washington in recent years has been managed under a spike-only hunting regulation, requiring that hunters pass up shots at mature bull elk.

It’s a regulation fully endorsed by Agidius, who says it’s led to a monumental rise in the number of impressive bulls. And it was the regulation, as much as anything else, that inspired him to produce a 30-minute video documentary.

“Before they passed that regulation, the largest bull I saw up there was a four-point rag horn,” Agidius said. “I got into filming them because I wanted to take advantage of the fact there’s more big branched-antlered bull elk now than before they were first hunted.”

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife just this year allotted a handful of hunting tags for branched-antlered bulls in the unit, recognizing that bull numbers were at or near management levels.

Agidius and his brother-in-law were among the lucky few who beat the odds and drew tags. Agidius bagged a six-by-six point bull, while his brother-in-law tagged a five-by-six.

Whether hunting with a video camera or a rifle, Agidius says the same rules apply.

“You have to sneak up on them, just like hunting,” he said.”If at all possible I try not to let them see me.”

The band director spent one day each weekend between December and April filming the documentary. He also performed the music included on the sound track.

While filming, he gave particular attention to the sensitive condition of the wintering elk.

“I try to be careful to avoid harassing the elk because they have a hard time surviving,” he said. “On the video you will notice the elk aren’t running off on me.”

Agidius’ documentary won’t appear in video stores anytime soon because he’s not interested in advertising the Walla Walla hunting unit in which he did the filming.

However, state biologists in Pendleton say they’ll use the tape to emphasize the point that spike-only regulations work well.

“Spike-only regulations are not popular, even within the department, but when you see things like Mike’s video it helps make the point,” said Mark Kirsch, a wildlife biologist.

By limiting hunters under the spike-only regulation, the department hopes to improve the number of mature bulls, which are considered the cornerstone of a healthy herd.