Washington State Elk Herd Plan YAKIMA ELK HERD Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Program 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, WA 98501-1091 DECEMBER 2002 Director, Washington Department of Fish and wildlife Date i December 2002 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Table of Contents Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................. iv Executive Summary .................................................................................................................v Introduction ................................................................................................................................1 Area Description ........................................................................................................................1 Location............................................................................................................................... 1 Ownership ........................................................................................................................... 3 Topography ..........................................................................................................................3 Vegetation ........................................................................................................................... 4 Human Influences ............................................................................................................... 4 Other Ungulates .................................................................................................................. 6 Distribution ..................................................................................................................................6 Historic Distribution ............................................................................................................. 6 Current Distribution............................................................................................................. 6 Proposed Distribution .......................................................................................................... 6 Herd Management....................................................................................................................7 Herd History, Current Status, and Management Activities............................................................. 7 Cascade Slope Sub-herd - PMU 33 ................................................................................................ 7 Herd History ........................................................................................................................ 7 Herd Composition.............................................................................................................. 10 Estimated Population Size................................................................................................. 11 Population And Composition By Pmu................................................................................ 11 Mortality............................................................................................................................. 13 Harvest .............................................................................................................................. 13 Tribal Harvest .................................................................................................................... 13 Rattlesnake Hills Sub-herd - PMU 34 .............................................................................................13 Herd History ...................................................................................................................... 13 Herd Composition.............................................................................................................. 14 Estimated Population Size................................................................................................. 15 Mortality............................................................................................................................. 15 Harvest .............................................................................................................................. 16 Tribal Harvest.................................................................................................................... 16 Social and Economic Values .......................................................................................................... 16 Number of Elk Hunters and Elk Hunter Days.....................................................................16 Harvest Strategies ..............................................................................................................17 Damage..............................................................................................................................18 Fencing ...................................................................................................................19 Feeding...................................................................................................................20 Cascade Slope Sub-herd (PMU 33, 35, 36)...................................................................... 22 Rattlesnake Hills Sub-herd (PMU 34) .............................................................................. 23 Rangeland/Elk Conflicts......................................................................................................24 Loss of Open Space .........................................................................................................25 Nonconsumptive Uses ........................................................................................................25 Habitat Management.............................................................................................................25 Cascade Slope Sub-herd (PMUs 33 ,35 ,36)..................................................................... 25 ii December 2002 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Rattlesnake Hills Sub-herd (PMU 34)................................................................................ 27 Research Needs ..................................................................................................................27 Herd Management Goals ..............................................................................................28 Management Objectives, Problems and Strategies .......................................................................28 Herd Management ............................................................................................................ 28 Habitat Management ........................................................................................................ 34 Spending Priorities ...........................................................................................................36 Winter elk feeding......................................................................................................................... 36 Herd population/composition surveys........................................................................................... 37 Improve collection of hunter harvest and effort information ....................................................... 37 Address landowner/elk conflicts.................................................................................................... 38 Elk fence construction................................................................................................................... 38 Habitat preservation program ....................................................................................................... 39 Road management ........................................................................................................................ 39 Elk habitat improvements ............................................................................................................. 40 Elk habitat study............................................................................................................................ 40 Herd Plan Review and Amendment ......................................................................40 Literature Cited...................................................................................................................41 APPENDIX A. Elk Harvest and Hunter Trends for the Yakima Herd, 1970-2000 .........................44 APPENDIX B. Elk Hunting seasons in the Yakima Herd Area.......................................................45 APPENDIX C. Amendments to Wildlife Damage Rules - HB 1752................................................65 APPENDIX D. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Projects – Yakima Elk Herd ................................69 LIST OF MAPS Map 1 Yakima Elk Herd Area .........................................................................................................2 Map 2 Yakima Elk Fence and Feedlot Locations............................................................................5 Map 3 Yakima Elk Herd Distribution ..............................................................................................8 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1 Land ownership (acres) Cascade Slope Sub-herd above the elk fence .............................3 Table 2 Cascade Slope Sub-herd post season herd composition ................................................. 10 Table 3 Yakima elk herd post season population estimates (1999-2001)