One of the things I look forward to on a visit "up north" is my brother Grizzl's and my early morning jaunt out into the Pigeon River area to look for elk. Michigan's elk herd was non-existent at the turn of the century. In 1918 seven Rocky Mountain elk were introduced in the Pigeon River area. This was enough to set things back in motion, and the herd at one time numbered about 1500. Limited hunting is now allowed, and the herd is between 800-850.
It's been a couple of years since we've been able to spot any of the critters out in the Pigeon River game area. The trip is always interesting, but we were a little worried we had lost our spotting touch. The good news on this trip is that we did spot them. The bad news is that they were on the other side of an "elk" fence...so it looks like they're in a ding-dong zoo. *sigh* The good news is that we probably saw 20-25 all told.