Missouri elk released from holding pen

The 34 elk and five new calves in the Peck Ranch Conservation Area were released on June 1 from their three-acre holding pen.

Their release followed health tests performed by the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Peck Ranch will remain closed to the public for the time being to allow the elk to acclimate to their new environment. It will be reopened within a few months. The area is administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Conservation staff say that they expect additional cows remain pregnant.

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MDC makes final preparations for elk

WINONA, MO (KRCU) - The Missouri Department of Conservation has made final preparations for the transfer of 34 elk to the Peck Ranch Conservation Area. 

The elk will be moved from Kentucky on April 30 to the expansive elk zone in Carter, Shannon, and Reynolds Counties.

Department of Conservation agents have been managing the 36 square mile Peck Ranch Conservation Area to improve habitat for elk and other animals.

Wildlife biologist Ryan Houf says that the department has established food plots of clover, alfalfa, orchard grass, wheat, and rye. They have cleared undergrowth through prescribed fire, which Houf says clears off undesired vegetation and improves ecosystem health.

“"It’s our major component of natural community management," Houf said. "We’'ve been doing that for like 30 years. It’s just not elk management, we’re doing natural community management. And elk are just part of that natural community, that native species.”"

Conservation agents led media members through a five-hour tour of the backroads, forests, and glades of the remote Peck Ranch Conservation Area on Tuesday.

One of the highlights was a three-acre holding pen that will hold the animals for several weeks before they are released into the wild. The holding pen contains multiple compartments and eight foot fences to protect the elk. The pen allows the elk to adjust to their new environment.

The elk are currently being held in quarantine in Kentucky, where they are under medical observation. Conservation agents say that they hope in bring in about 150 elk over the next few years …and they believe that the elk zone has enough space and suitable habitat for 450 of the animals.

Photo: One of the elk holding pen's compartments.
KRCU, Jacob McCleland

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Elk to arrive in Missouri on April 30

The first group of elk that are part of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s elk restoration project are scheduled to arrive in the state on April 30.

The 34 elk will complete their 90-day quarantine and final health testing in Kentucky before being transported by a semi-driven livestock trailer to Missouri.

The elk will be released from Kentucky pending approval by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The elk also have been fitted with ear tags, microchips and GPS collars.

After their arrival in Missouri, the elk will be held in a pen at Peck Ranch Conservation Area for up to two weeks, before being released into the wild.

Peck Ranch is part of a 346-square-mile elk restoration zone in Shannon, Carter, and Reynolds counties.

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Turkey hunting limited at Peck Ranch this spring

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is closing portions of Peck Ranch Conservation Area to turkey hunting this season due to its elk reintroduction project. 

The MDC says that turkey hunters would disturb the elk, which will have recently arrived from Kentucky. They want to minimize human to elk contact during this time.

Area manager Ryan Houf says that other hunting seasons will not be affected by the elk.

“By the time any of our other hunting season come about, the elk will already be released out into the wild. This is just specifically dealing with spring turkey season,” Houf says.

The elk will be released slowly into the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in Shannon and Carter Counties. The release is scheduled for late April. Spring turkey season runs between April 18 and May 8.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Peck Ranch Closure Map courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation

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