ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has extended the elk hunt, starting Saturday.

The agency cites the need to manage the size of the elk population in northwestern Minnesota and control depredation.

DNR big game program leader Leslie McInenly said the rules for the elk hunt authorized an extended season if harvest goals were not met during the regular seasons.

Only six elk were harvested in the September and December hunts. That’s well below a quota of 23 elk the DNR had set to meet population management goals and control depredation.

Two small elk herds exist in northwestern Minnesota — one near Grygla in Marshall County and another in Kittson County. Minnesota’s elk population ranges from 80 to 120 animals.