Elk Hunting on Vancouver Island

Anything you need to know about the best time, places, outfitters, and regulations of Vancouver Island elk hunting, you can find them here. We are ready to help you make a rewarding BC hunting opportunity.

Elks are important game animals in British Columbia, prized for their meat and antlers. Over several decades, harvests have ranged from 500 to 4000 animals per year. Four subspecies of elk inhabit North America, and two of them live in British Columbia; Roosevelt elk and Rocky Mountain elk (with lighter-coloured than their bigger-bodied cousin, the Roosevelt elk). Roosevelt elk (Roosies, as the locals know them) are indigenous to Vancouver Island, and they are the only species that can be found on the island. The University of Victoria estimates that approximately 3,200 Roosevelt elk exist in BC, and its number on Vancouver Island is about 3,000. Among all other species, Roosevelt elk are larger in size with larger and more rugged antlers. A mature bull (Male elk) can weigh over 500 km (1000 pounds), and a cow (Female elk) about two-thirds that size. Elk hunting is considered a challenging sport during hunting season because big game such as elk has a very specific habitat.
Taking the time to understand where you are hunting can pay off in spades when the elk are not bugling and are hard to locate. They have smaller home ranges. Elk prefer being in remote areas, away from road access and the accompanying negative human activity. Rugged coastal valleys and misty mountain slopes are home to this majestic big game animal. Elk behave a bit like white-tailed deer; they stay close to cover and are extra careful. Elks withdraw to even full cover if they are under pressure from hunters or other human activity.

The name Roosevelt elk is after President Theodore Roosevelt. Historically, elk are relative newcomers to North America compared to the fossil history that goes back a million years to southwestern Asia. Long before the first European explorers came to British Columbia, elk had an essential role in the First Nations subsistence economy. They hunted elk to use their products for food, clothing, decoration, implements, weapons, and as a medium of exchange. Nowadays, Vancouver Island First Nations people harvest small numbers of elk for food and ceremonial purposes. According to the BC Government Elk Document, BC elk hunting is almost regulated. It has created substantial licence revenue for conservation programs, income for hunting guides and their employees, and thousands of recreation days.

Book Your Guided Elk Hunting Trip

• Your elk hunt adventure can be upgraded to include other big game and small game animals. • Non-hunters are accepted and welcome with an additional price. • They are prized for their meat and antlers. • Although Roosevelt elk horns are massive, they tend to have slightly shorter points than the Rocky Mountain subspecies. • Their meat is lean and high in protein. • They are big animals, and you can expect to get so much meat from your harvest. • Elk can be used for food, clothing, and decoration.

Roosevelt elk inhabit the dense, nutrient-rich coastal rainforests where the environments provide great cover for the elk. Their diet initially consists of sedges, grasses, and ferns, supplemented by browse from willows, elderberry, blueberries, cedar, and hemlock. The surplus of food enables them to reach the heaviest weights of all North American elk subspecies. As most of BC's Roosevelt elk are on Vancouver Island, chances for Roosevelt elk hunting are at its different areas. The Salmon River Valley in Sayward, Lake Cowichan, Port Renfrew, and Nanaimo are where you can find elk. But hunters should be aware of no hunting and shooting areas on Vancouver Island. In the winter, elk are primarily found in open forests, grassy benchlands or floodplain marshes. From May to June, elk migrate to subalpine and alpine basins.

Vancouver Island elk hunting may vary in price depending on duration, hunting methods, licence, tags, services, guide, and tax. It has to be mentioned that Roosevelt elk hunts are slightly more expensive rather than most other elk hunts. The elk hunt prices usually are offered from $8,500 to $10,000. Your elk hunting trip may be combined with other big game or small game animals.

According to British Columbia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis, non-resident and non-resident alien hunters are required to be accompanied by a guide outfitter, assistant guide outfitter or a holder of a permit to accompany at all times when hunting big game, regardless of the type of licence (restricted or unrestricted) they have. To experience a successful hunting tour: 1- Plan for it in advance. 2- Choose the areas where you intend to hunt for your trophy elk hunts. 3- Apply for and obtain the necessary licence. 4- Select the right outfitter. An outfitted hunting trip is not only for unskilled hunters. Hiring a professional outfitter or guide provides a truly world-class hunt. It helps you access the best areas for hunting on Vancouver Island and new vistas of outdoor adventure.

• In the late spring/early summer, which is calving season, cow elk are extremely protective of their newborn calves. • When it is the mating season in September and October, bull elk aggressively protect their harem from other bulls and different intruders, such as people. • If you see an elk calf, the mother is probably very close, so be careful about that. • Signs that an elk is anxious and angry include: sending its ears backward/ grinding its teeth/ curling its lips, and elevating the hair on its rump.