Sokaogon Chippewa Community News

GLIFWC Tribes Stress Conservative Omashkooz Management for 2021

GLIFWC Member Tribes Urge the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board to Follow Best Available Science

With an eye on the present and future health of the Clam Lake omashooz (elk) herd, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) member tribes declared five bull elk for the 2020 season but chose a more conservative harvest approach out of concern for the population.

To date, the Tribes have not harvested any elk from the Clam Lake herd for the 2020 season. The decision to limit hunting is rooted in heeding the best available science and an abundance of caution for the long-term success of elk, known as omashooz in the Ojibwe language.

“We have been a part of elk restoration work for many years, and we want to see omashkooz populations thrive again. The best way we will achieve this is if we listen to the advisory committee that was established to help us follow the best available science. We are always thinking of future generations to come,” said GLIFWC Voigt Intertribal Task Force Chairman John Johnson, Sr.

In the spring of 2020, the Wisconsin Elk Advisory Committee recommended a safe harvest quota of six bull elk, based upon the most recent data and management goals. Comprised of biologists with the US Forest Service, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Ho Chunk Nation, and GLIFWC, as well as other partners, the Elk Advisory Committee meets regularly and is tasked with making recommendations on the reintroduction and management of wild elk.

Following the recommendation, however, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board overturned the Committee’s decision and chose to enact a quota of 10 bull elk.

Read the full announcement here.