Hunting, Depredation, or Slaughter?

[Losing_Sanity]

Saw this on my Facebook Page. I'm not to sure I agree with this practice. Why not transport to a depressed area, like the Lolo area? I don't know, seems to be a slaughter to me.

Idaho Fish and Game responds to pictures of slaughtered elk that surfaced on social media | East Idaho News

POCATELLO — After photos surfaced on Facebook claiming the Idaho Department of Fish and Game slaughtered over 200 elk, sportsmen are furious but fish and game don’t believe they’re in the wrong. The Idaho For Wildlife Facebook page said they received images of dead elk carcasses piled on top of...

www.eastidahonews.com

 

[El Jason]

First thing to do is consider the source. Idaho for Wildlife are a bunch of hacks.

 

[Jape]

I would prefer that as well, but @JLS makes a great point and it sounds like they have been trying several different methods with killing being a last resort. It does represent some of the challenges hunters face as their prey make behavioral adjustments.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

I'm too mad to type!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hunting Wife]

Why not transport to a depressed area, like the Lolo area?

Not a chance these days with CWD concerns.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

Not a chance these days with CWD concerns.

Good point and I considered that. But they could be tested first, couldn't they?

 

[520 Road Sow]

Im not even sure why the information and photos would be broadcast over social media. Pretty piss poor way of presenting their "depredation" efforts.

 

[TheTone]

When the legislature of farmers and ranchers hates elk and wants to give more and more money to themselves for wildlife problems it backs you into a bit of a corner when elk are in crops

 

[El Jason]

When the legislature of farmers and ranchers hates elk and wants to give more and more money to themselves for wildlife problems it backs you into a bit of a corner when elk are in crops

It's easier to blame agencies and woofs.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Good point and I considered that. But they could be tested first, couldn't they?

They could, but live animal testing is not as accurate or reliable as the gold standard testing of retros. It would also require holding animals for some length of time pending results. Wild animals just don’t generally tolerate that kind of stress well - it can lead to a whole host of other stress related health issues and mortality.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

They could, but live animal testing is not as accurate or reliable as the gold standard testing of retros. It would also require holding animals for some length of time pending results. Wild animals just don’t generally tolerate that kind of stress well - it can lead to a whole host of other stress related health issues and mortality.

I can see that as well.

Idaho has now no known cases of CWD, and transplanting elk has been done successfully. Even to other states that needed to help their herds. Still seems a better option than slaughter. But I am no expert, just don't seem right to me, no matter the excuse.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I can see that as well.

Idaho has now known cases of CWD, and transplanting elk has been done successfully. Even to other states that needed to help their herds. Still seems a better option than slaughter. But I am no expert, just don't seem right to me, no matter the excuse.

Given the distribution of CWD in Montana and Wyoming, Idaho will detect their first positives sooner rather than later. Regardless, I’m certainly not arguing in favor of slaughter as a solution to depredation. I’m with you...not sure how that option even arrived on the table.

 

[LuketheDog]

At least they were prepared to salvage and donate the meat, it always shocks me when a government agency has that foresight...

 

[Yettislayer]

HuntingWife is correct; there are no approved tests for CWD in live animals. There are a couple methods that may hold promise for the future, but for now it's postmortem.

I bet some of the eastern folks are drooling over the chance at a couple hundred extra elk.

 

[SAJ-99]

The farmer planted corn and then got mad when the elk ate it. Let that sit for a second. Just increase the tags in the zone and tack on a "depredation mitigation fee" to the license and pay the farmer. Corn is not that expensive. The best part of this article is "...partnered with a student at the University of Idaho to conduct research on ways to modify elk behavior ..." I can say for sure how shooting an elk will modified its behavior. I think any rancher in elk country can write this student's masters thesis. if it wasn't so pathetic it would be comical. Maybe there is a bright side to this and the student will conclude that shooting elk to keep them from eating high-quality food claimed by farmers/ranches is not an effective solution and Montana will get rid of shoulder seasons...OK forget it. I'm back in reality now.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

HuntingWife is correct; there are no approved tests for CWD in live animals. There are a couple methods that may hold promise for the future, but for now it's postmortem.

I bet some of the eastern folks are drooling over the chance at a couple hundred extra elk.

I guess research is pretty expensive, but they need to step up testing efforts and get a test to check live animals. But, if you transplant in an area with CWD, the healthy transplant has a chance of getting it there. So they need a vaccine as well. CWD is not going away on it's own.

It would be nice to help out other states and increase all elk populations.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

lol that’s all I got to say,
Matt

 

[Arctic_Snow_Seeker]

Impossible. The wolves have killed them all.

 

[Red Fox]

If farmers want to get paid for crop loss they should first have to allow hunting on their land. To many times they don't want anyone to hunt but complain and want paid for any loss.

Corn is a draw for the elk but also the fact that no hunting around the field or area during the day kept them there. Collage must be hard these days

 

[Muley_Stalker]

If I was a farmer in elk/deer country. I'd be thinking about high fences.