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Elk in the Boxley Valley along the Buffalo River in Newton County attract viewers from near and far. (Photo by Joe Mosby) Elk add popular element to Arkansas' outdoors Saturday, Nov 5, 2005 By Joe Mosby It's approaching a quarter century now that we've had elk in Arkansas. The general picture is bright. The big animals have made an impact, definitely. These effects, though, may be different from what enthusiasts like Hilary Jones imagined back in the early 1980s, and the long-range benefits of the elk may be even greater than Jones and his Buffalo River country associates expected. Elk in Arkansas are game animals, and the few permits allotted each year for hunting them are highly sought after and prized. Elk in Arkansas are also a tourist attraction and a source of pride for most residents of their limited range in Arkansas. On the upper Buffalo River, canoeing and kayaking attract outdoors people from all over, and they are joined by many who are not really outdoors people or adventurous in the usual sense. They enjoy the scenery, the backcountry, the Ozarks uniqueness that is difficult to put into words. Elk have become a plus, an added attraction. This is not a country of big hotels or major chain motels. It means a drive from Harrison, Fayetteville, Springdale or other area cities. The elk country has a couple of little motels in Jasper, cabins from rustic to luxurious and bed and breakfast inns. A visitor to any of these can expect a question early in the meeting with the proprietor or clerk: "Have you seen the elk yet?" The most visible elk in Arkansas, the ones a visitor is nearly guaranteed to see - early in the morning or late in the evening - are those that live in the Boxley Valley. This is along Arkansas Highway 43 mostly, with Arkansas Highway 21 joining it for about the southern third of the valley's run. Elk are grazing animals, and the fields along the Buffalo River on Boxley Valley offer excellent grazing. Some of the grass is even fertilized, and elk relish this as much as cows and horses do. This is National Park Service land, but is operated by private citizens under strict and sometimes complex rules. Boxley Valley is gaining in population with elk. This area is closed to hunting, and the elk that numbered a dozen or so in the early 1990s now total about 70. Conditions are getting a little crowded, so they are moving out to nearby areas some of the time. One Boxley Valley resident reported seeing several bull elk on Walker Mountain, east of the Buffalo River but not far away. Mike Cartwright, elk program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said, "That's the first report we've had of elk on Walker Mountain." Near sunset, a slow drive along Highway 43 will generally result in seeing some elk at distances of 100 to 300 yards. Binoculars help. Cameras need telephoto lenses. Some visitors have learned to just look for cars parked along the side of the highway and head for that spot. That's where the elk can be seen. The Game and Fish Commission has its Ponca Elk Education Center in the village of Ponca on Highway 43, and it is a tourist attraction in itself. Admission is free, and exhibits are worth a stop for young, middle-aged and elderly visitors. The center is a handy reference point for first-time visitors to Arkansas elk country as the staff can provide tips, directions and literature on the animals and other wildlife of the region. Arkansas' elk hunting started in 1998 and can easily be termed "high profile." Just 20 permits are issued, 18 through public drawing and two through fund-raising auctions of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which helps AGFC in its elk work. To win a permit at one of these auctions requires a healthy checkbook. But the 18 other permits are free. Thousands of Arkansans, and these permits are limited to Arkansas residents, apply each year. The drawings are done from a rotated wire cage on Jasper's courthouse square each June in the Buffalo River Elk Festival. A team of number crunchers may come up with a value of Arkansas elk, which are officially the Hilary Jones Elk Herd. He's the Newton County resident who initiated the stocking of elk in 1981. But most area residents and most visitors will just identify with the familiar Arkansas State Parks slogan: "Aren't you glad we've got 'em?" -------- Joe Mosby is the retired news editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas' best known outdoor writer. His work is distributed by the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. He can be reached by e-mail at jhmosby@cyberback.com. |
