Tango,

I am located up out of the South Okanogan between the Kootenays and the Okanogan Valley. Boundary country. Our back fence is the Canada/US border. . There have been a number of fires that definitely help the elk out by way of regen grass lands. The elk herds here are thriveing. With a 6 point or better season and a minimal Limited Entry cow harvest each season the herds are growing. Not much by way of predators in the area, although I did hear wolves and cut sign amonth or so ago and they are not common in this area. I guess they followed the Elk into the region.
The following is GPS location of our ranch. May be of interest if you have google earth or a topo.

N 49* 01'00.1"
W 119*03'25.2"