Elk Don’t Like Hikers

[AvidIndoorsman]

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

I gotta suggestion...make facebook, Instagram, twitter, etc...illegal. 50% of this activity will stop cause 50% just do it for the "likes" and "look at me" purpose. With no "likes" activity plummets!
If ya cant tell I absolutely hate social media and am displeased with part of myself for using hunt talk. The reason I do use it is because most people on here are the real deal and do the things they do because of an unadulterated passion for those things and nothing else.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

There is a large body of science that shows elk, deer, etc avoid areas of heavy human activity.

If you want to keep wildlife populations high, then you have to limit human activity, whether that's motorized use, developing natural resources or hiking.

I think that in many ways mountain communities can sustain both robust herds, and recreation but it is going to require self policing and positive social media education. In this case the issue is winter range disturbance: alpine skiing/ back country skiing at certain elevations, and even trail running and fat biking can all be done in areas with little to no impact on elk and deer, we had a good snow year people should be playing at the top of the mountains where the snow is good for recreating and problematic for elk and deer. There is no reason way vail resorts can't work with the towns to open trails on the tops on the mountains for various activities other than just skiing. Pro athletes across sports should be talking about the impact and advocating for utilizing these new trails.

On the hunting front we can punch the the mountain ops guys in the face, especially E.... reach out to various influences in our sport and hopefully help them to understand why shed hunting is problematic, what they themselves do is probably not impactful, but they are promoting the activity and therefore driving the harmful activity. If Pete at SG, Erik at MtOps, Aron at Kifaru, all started posting about how shed hunting was hurting the herds and telling hunters to leave the deer alone until June that would likely help with the pressure.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I think that in many ways mountain communities can sustain both robust herds, and recreation but it is going to require self policing and positive social media education. In this case the issue is winter range disturbance: alpine skiing/ back country skiing at certain elevations, and even trail running and fat biking can all be done in areas with little to no impact on elk and deer, we had a good snow year people should be playing at the top of the mountains where the snow is good for recreating and problematic for elk and deer. There is no reason way vail resorts can't work with the towns to open trails on the tops on the mountains for various activities other than just skiing. Pro athletes across sports should be talking about the impact and advocating for utilizing these new trails.

On the hunting front we can punch the the mountain ops guys in the face, especially E.... reach out to various influences in our sport and hopefully help them to understand why shed hunting is problematic, what they themselves do is probably not impactful, but they are promoting the activity and therefore driving the harmful activity. If Pete at SG, Erik at MtOps, Aron at Kifaru, all started posting about how shed hunting was hurting the herds and telling hunters to leave the deer alone until June that would likely help with the pressure.

You ignore the base issue in the hopes that people will rise above their base instincts & narcissistic tendencies. We have too many people competing for a finite resource to keep this for the long run until we figure out how to limit our numbers.

 

[Sytes]

Encroachment is a constant... How many bought a home that further encroaches on our flora and fauna.

All talk of doom and gloom and hate for this or that does little. Elk will have to adapt and have ever since humans encroached upon the West. From plains to Mountains. Humans will adjust slightly though adapt to not impede on wildlife? Realistic, NO.

From hiking, biking, horsing, skiing, sledding... public land v private it all presses on. Angst against one does nothing other than help the other fight for and gain excess - find people representing the various groups that speak with reason and potential for modified pressure and provide flora/fauna time to adapt.

More focus should be on this situation and others alike vs - no to this and that... but yes to our type of use... ..I..

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

You ignore the base issue in the hopes that people will rise above their base instincts & narcissistic tendencies. We have too many people competing for a finite resource to keep this for the long run until we figure out how to limit our numbers.

I'm hoping in the short term we can maybe just maybe influence people into not being dicks... if you will allow a butchering of Niebuhr: I accept that I cannot shift the course of humanity, but I'm wise enough to know that I'm a heck of a keyboard warrior and I know I can shame the shit out of people on instagram...

 

[Ben Lamb]

Prepare for the inevitable.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

^ thanos was a BHA member, for sure

 

[Ben Lamb]

^ thanos was a BHA member, for sure

I don't think he's much of a joiner.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Na, not buying that one. If you're ducking under a gate, which has a huge sign on it that says closed temporary closed for winter range, your just a POS.

/[/URL]

Well that’s your opinion.So now in Colorado you face winter range closures and now potentially spring calving closures? Ummm no. I’m going to walk around that gate and the elk can GTFO. If they can adapt from plains animals to mountain dwellers they can overcome this. If not....we’ll good bye!

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Well that’s your opinion.So now in Colorado you face winter range closures and now potentially spring calving closures? Ummm no. I’m going to walk around that gate and the elk can GTFO. If they can adapt from plains animals to mountain dwellers they can overcome this. If not....we’ll good bye!

Certainly the opinion of a lot of ignorant people, and then they bitch about the fact that CPAW eliminated cow tags in those units.

"If they can adapt from plains animals to mountain dwellers", this state is a red herring. Elk originally lived in both it wasn't an adaptation just a habitat preference; historically when pressured out of habitat on the plains they fled to habitat in the mountains, now they are being pressure in the mts and have nowhere to flee.

Despite by best attempts I have been unable to find a solution or cure for stupid.

 

[Irrelevant]

SARS was supposed to make this all irrelevant, then it was bird flu, then ebola, at some point somethings actually going to wipe out 50% percent of us and the half still left can look forward to cheap OTC tags.

 

[onpoint]

SARS was supposed to make this all irrelevant, then it was bird flu, then ebola, at some point somethings actually going to wipe out 50% percent of us and the half still left can look forward to cheap OTC tags.

That and someday all hunting will be walk-in and primitive weapons only.
& hunters once again finding themselves without social media, nobody will care about greenhorn's trophies

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

SARS was supposed to make this all irrelevant, then it was bird flu, then ebola, at some point somethings actually going to wipe out 50% percent of us and the half still left can look forward to cheap OTC tags.

My wife always rolls her eyes when I argue that enemy #1 of conservation was Maurice Hilleman.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Na, not buying that one. If you're ducking under a gate, which has a huge sign on it that says closed temporary closed for winter range, your just a POS.

There are certainly lots of areas that people are bumping elk and deer that aren't marked or with numerous access points, but I've seen first hand were non-consumptive users are walking straight passed well marked closures.

I’m not saying it’s not a deliberate act but I am saying they may not understand the ramifications of their actions. And for some, they may not care. We have those apples in all segments of society. That’s what law enforcement is for, and why they should help fund it.

 

[OverlordBear]

This is my home town, short answer... no.

What can CPAW do is more the question. I drew a turkey tag for this area this past spring, there were some area closures for winter range that I wasn't aware were in place until I got to parking lot. I noticed cars parked at these trail heads and fresh tracks going up them. I called and left a message for the warden and never heard back, once I actually went and knocked on his door, as he lives literally at the trailhead and no one was home.

The reality is, in my experience, there just isn't any appetite to enforce anything. Non-consumptive users care more about their activity than animals, they just don't give a rip, they want to post there record time on strava and their not going to let elk get in the way of their training regime, on the other side of the spectrum you have hunter's who apparently would rather kill elk and deer busting through winter range looking for "brown gold" than with a rifle or bow during hunting season, the Utards are in full force all spring.

Sure CPAW can and has worked with user groups and other agencies to mitigate the issue and you could close down trails on a large scale basis, and eliminate or strictly enforce shed hunting, but there are far too few LEOs to enforce any rules and the local as well as NR seem completely unwilling to modify their behavior.

It is the same up here in Jackson Hole.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Same in OR and WA. Hikers everywhere "loving nature" on IG with no understanding of it.

Looks like we need a tax on Subaru, Prius, and Patagonia to fund further studies on this topic. In the meantime they can #keephammering until the animals are all gone.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Despite by best attempts I have been unable to find a solution or cure for stupid.

Don’t feel bad, a lot of unqualified people attempt all kinds of stuff in their lives.

 

[zpooch]

I gotta suggestion...make facebook, Instagram, twitter, etc...illegal. 50% of this activity will stop cause 50% just do it for the "likes" and "look at me" purpose. With no "likes" activity plummets!
If ya cant tell I absolutely hate social media and am displeased with part of myself for using hunt talk. The reason I do use it is because most people on here are the real deal and do the things they do because of an unadulterated passion for those things and nothing else.

How do I like this?

 

[RockinU]

The hardest part of The Zombie Apocalypse will be containing my excitement...there'll be elk everywhere within a few short years.