#Cow elk vs deer size license

Landowners typically start scheduling hunts on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is best to start calling in early August.Īll applications close at 8 a.m.

#Cow elk vs deer size license

Hunters who are successful in drawing a license should call the Rapid City office at 605.394.2391 to inquire about participating landowners in their unit. Unlike White-tailed deer, elk do not have interdigital glands between their hooves, but the dribbling of urine while they walk may serve as a tracking scent. Most recently, EHAP acres have existed in Black Hills units 3 and 4 and Prairie units 11, 35B, and WRA. The agreements with landowners aren’t signed until late summer, so the number, size, and location of the properties participating in the EHAP program is unknown during the time of application. Landowners are paid an incentive for each elk harvested off their property, so it is in their best interest to maximize hunter use and harvest during the season.Īs the program has grown over the years, the number of inquiries from hunters has increased. As we’ve seen in the past, too much hunting pressure will move the elk to new locations, and hunter success declines.

This difference in volume becomes especially apparent when a rich diet causes the animals’ droppings to become a soft mass, similar to a domestic cowpie, but smaller. Landowners schedule times for hunters to access their property to ensure that elk remain unpressured and hunters generally have a higher success rate. However, elk droppings are slightly larger, and whereas an adult deer may leave 20 to 30 pellets at a time, elk may deposit twice that many.

Because this program is for elk only, no properties are marked as being open to public hunting, nor are they listed on any public maps. This program pays landowners an access fee, and Game, Fish, and Parks pairs those landowners with hunters. The elk hunter access program was developed several years ago to pair elk hunters with private landowners in units where elk spend considerable time on private land.