Bitterroot elk herd appears to be rebounding

The elk herd in the East Fork of the Bitterroot may be on the rebound.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist Craig Jourdonnais counted 56 elk calves per 100 cows during his July aerial flight over the area. There has only been one other time since those flights began in 1976 when elk calf numbers were so high.

The elk herd in the southern reaches of the Bitterroot Valley has been struggling for several years. At one point, that ratio between elk calves and cows dropped into the teens in the East Fork. In the West Fork, the numbers were even worse.