Hunting, Depredation, or Slaughter?

[WyoDoug]

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.

It happens with domestic cattle too Entire herds of cattle have been slaughtered and buried when bovine TB and BSE and other bovine diseases. The worry is if they don't then healthy herds get infected along with domestic stock. I do think that happens more than it needs to though.

 

[Yettislayer]

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.

I know there's been a lot of folks trying to develop a live test, but the accuracy is just not there. If they suspect an animal has it with the live test, that's all it is, a suspicion. From my understanding you still have to euthanize that animal to get a confirmation. Kicker is, you won't even know if you're right or not (i.e., a false negative, animal wasn't sick) because the results of the test say "not confirmed" meaning it isn't definitive.

It's also very invasive. Rectal biopsies and tonsillectomies. Gives me the willies.

 

[COEngineer]

Sounds like a whole bunch to do about nothing. There was no waste (according to the article). The killing was sanctioned by the State, and was done according to current statutes and policies.

The people of ID can discuss if they want to change the statutes/policies (pay more to the farmer instead of paying to have elk killed or maybe paying to have fences erected or just not paying for crop damages and let the farmer figure out a different way to use his land).

As far as transporting 200 elk somewhere to boost another herd - that sounds exorbitantly expensive and is a very temporary solution (vs fences or changing the crop loss policy).

 

[bmt99]

10 Years Later: Looking In on Elk Restorations of 2002

August 28, 2012 10 Years Later: Looking In on Elk Restorations of 2002 MISSOULA, Mont.—As a flurry of new elk restoration projects unfold [...]

www.rmef.org

 

[Losing_Sanity]

Why not open it up and offer it to hunters that already had a tag, but did not harvest an elk already? Interesting that the previous IDFG Commissioner resigned due to pressure after legally harvesting baboons, because people didn't like him posting on Facebook. It didn't look good and got a bunch of negative feed back. This does not seem to be looking to good either...

Sportsmen Paid 120K For IDFG To Shoot Elk - Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals

That’s right, $123,241 dollars funded by sportsmen to be precise. The other 250K (roughly) for the r

blog.eastmans.com

 

[Deleted member 20812]

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

Everyone who is up in arms should read this again. Slowly. And understand policy and handbooks can go out the window when the said legislature also controls funding. It’s messed up, but it’s reality.