North American elk are returning to the prairies of western South Dakota after more than 100 years of absence, a migration seen as a win for wildlife conservation but which has farmers and ranchers bothered by feed losses and property damage.
Eric Jennings, a cattle rancher living near Spearfish on the northern edge of the Black Hills, said elk have been expanding their range north and east of the Black Hills since the late 1990s. Elk can cause significant damage to fences and can make a serious dent in a rancher’s hay crop.
