Hunters in Northwest Montana could get an early crack at an elk next summer: State wildlife officials are considering a shoulder season for a troublesome herd of elk in the Eureka area.

During the state Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting earlier this month, Tim Thier, a Trego-based wildlife biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, recommended an early shoulder season for elk in Hunting Districts 101 and 109.

“This last year, because of the hot, dry conditions, we had more elk show up than ever,” Thier said in an interview Friday. “We had a lot of issues with these elk in irrigated alfalfa fields. We’ve had some issues before, but nothing like this.”

The herd is more than 200 animals strong and Thier said they roam on both sides of U.S. 93 in the Tobacco Valley.

The hunt would begin Aug. 15 to target the resident elk population. During the winter months, many of the elk in the area are visitors from Canada and don’t pose a threat to crops during the summer months when they return to their ranges north of the border.

The hunt, as proposed, would continue through the end of archery season, one week before the general rifle season begins. Thier added it could be limited to archery, shotguns with slugs or muzzle-loaders.

It would be one of the first elk shoulder seasons in the area, although the management tool has been used in the Thompson Falls area. The alternative is to hold game damage hunts, but Thier said the pattern of land ownership in the area makes that a bit complicated.

“When you do those, they’re on a parcel-by-parcel basis, so you work with essentially one landowner at a time,” he said. “We don’t have big ranches like they do in Eastern Montana. If a guy’s got 300 acres up here, that’s a big place.”

And because elk respond quickly to hunting pressure, after the first day or two they might simply move to a different property, meaning Thier will have to start the process of securing hunting permission all over again.

During a Dec. 8 meeting with local hunters and landowners, Thier said he encouraged communication between the two groups.

“While the landowners are open to public hunting, they get nervous when they have people who they don’t know,” he said. “I think sportsmen need to go up and get to meet the landowners during the summer months. Volunteer to go pack bales of hay for a day and get to know the lay of the land.”

The hunt would apply only to private property, and the hope is that the herd would be pressured toward state and federal lands by the time the general hunting season arrives.

Anyone can apply for a spot on the roster of hunters who get to participate, but even those who draw a tag for the special season still must get permission from the landowner to access and hunt on the property. Hunters wanting to participate would have to apply for a permit by June 1.

Thier and other regional wildlife managers will be on hand to discuss the proposed shoulder season, along with other hunting regulations for the 2016-17 season, at a meeting in Kalispell next month.

The meeting will be Jan. 9, 2016, at Flathead Valley Community College’s Arts and Technology Building, room 139. An open house from 9 to 10 a.m. will be followed by presentations of individual proposals by agency staff.

Following the shoulder season hearing, the Fish and Wildlife Commission would vote on the proposal. The commission’s next meeting is Jan. 14, 2016.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.