Tom, I agree with you that he should be allowed to bring in his own "shooters" if he does it in a timely fashion. But like the first time he was found to have CWD on his ranch, he had 9 elk go "unaccounted for" with no consequences. Him being a business man, I would think the probability of him have a few of his biggest bulls go "unaccounted for" would be pretty good should he be allowed to maintain his infected herd. They should coral the elk, let the shooters write out their checks and start whacking and stacking.....that way they have their trophies, the infected elk are dead and everyone is happy.
Try looking at it in this light for some clarity. Let's say my $5000 purebread huntin hound comes up with rabies. Now I like that pup and paid way too much for him to just put him down. But like CWD, rabies is ALWAYS fatal and can be transmitted to other healthy animals and possibly even humans, so the authorities will, without question or regard to my emotional or monetary loss, come in immediately and put my animal down. While I am not at all happy about it, I do understand it had to be done for the general welfare of both the public and other healthy animal populations. Oh, and they didn't cough up the 5k for fido either. I simply had to suck it up and move on.
So how is the CWD issue any different? It is always fatal. It can be spread. It HAS to be quaranteened as best as possible when it is identified. The ONLY difference is the money behind the pet elk industry has enough muscle to slow down what would otherwise be cut and dry procedure with you or I had it been our animals infected with the fatal disease.
Furthermore, you can't sell livestock that dies of disease, so why should the state pay for infected elk? It is a cost and liability of doing business where the risk on such contamination exists as with all animal herds. And in the event they do agree to pay him for the infected animals, it should in no way be even close to the 10's of thousands he gets selling healthy animals as "trophys" to his "shooters". Afterall, the state is not in the business of buying "trophy animals" from high priced pet ranches but rather are more in the business of protecting the states natural resources of wild herds.
As far as ol' Bob......no, he may not sell elk hunts, but he is in the elk business all the same.
There is really no difference whether he butchers them and/or uses their antlers and meat himself, occasionally buying and selling animals ...and the ranches who choose to let shooters come in and do the killing. Both business kill animals, and both buy and sell captive elk. Would you consider Bob on their level should he let a shooter come in to do his killing? Captive elk are captive elk......and Bob's are no less worthy than any other ranch.
Kudos to you Bob on your stance. I know you would do the right thing should the situation ever arise for you. Hopefully your elk will remain healthy and disease free and you will continue to enjoy raising them for years to come.
Tom, I haven't posted in so long that I lost my host site at Boomspeed therefore have no place to host pics. Until I do, I can't post any pics. That big ol' Muley was the last critter I shot.
I didn't pick up a rifle during the whole 4 month deer season here this last fall. Maybe I will get it back soon....
I have had to deal with tradgedy and adversity multiple times and that took president over my hunting and internet time. Things seem to be leveling out now and I am starting to plan hunts now for the first time in a year. Hope you and Connie have been doing well.
Yes, things are looking up. After burying a marriage of 20 years and a son of 19, I have met a great woman who wants nothing more than to marry me. Why I am not sure 
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