Report Nr. 3473 Summary of the 2004 Michigan Elk Hunt

In 2004, 125 elk hunt participants were randomly drawn from a pool of 40,502 applicants. During the eight day season (December 7-14), 105 elk were harvested. A majority of the elk harvested were female (58), and young elk (0.5 to 2.5 years old) comprised 41% of the total harvest. Nearly equal numbers of elk were harvested on public and private lands. No positive cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) or chronic wasting disease (CWD) were found in the harvested animals, though one case of brain worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) was diagnosed in a 1.5 year old female. This report summarizes the results of the 2004 Michigan elk hunt and discusses hunter success, hunter effort, hunting distribution, and elk biological data.