You might not suspect it, but big game hunting is becoming big business in North Dakota...

North Dakota Game and Fish wildlife officials are saying big game hunting was very successful during the 2007 season.

One-hundred percent for big horn sheep, ninety-two percent for Moose and sixty percent for elk. Randy Kreil, Chief of Wildlife, says the biggest surprise is the number of elk harvested.

435 licenses were issued.

More than half of those tags were filled.

(Randy Kreil / ND Game and Fish) "Elk really don't have many natural predators in this state, so they are very productive. Infact, the elk herd in Theordore National Park has been documented as one of the most productive in the whole world. It doubles every three years and so with no harvest and no hunting to control the population, the numbers grow, and more and more elk come out of the park.

Kreil says North Dakota Game and Fish is looking at increasing the number of elk licenses for next year. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list