Lawsuit Over Wyoming Elk Feeding Seeks Sooner Phase Out

[WyoDoug]

Personally, I have mixed feelings on feeding grounds. But yet, I do not know enough to make a firm opinion on this.

New lawsuit over Wyoming elk feeding seeks sooner phase-out

Environmental groups have filed a new lawsuit against the feeding of elk on a Wyoming wildlife refuge.

www.wyomingnewsnow.tv

 

[wytex]

It seems they are necessary in some areas but I too do not like the idea of feeding wildlife.
May open up some ranch lands to elk hunting but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[buffybr]

If "Environmental groups" are pushing it, it can't be good for the wildlife or sportsmen.

 

[Ben Lamb]

The feedgrounds are a disease incubator. Would be nice to see Wyoming focus on winter range habitat conservation instead of being forced to feed elk.

 

[Hunting Wife]

If "Environmental groups" are pushing it, it can't be good for the wildlife or sportsmen.

If you’ve ever seen 4000 elk running towards the sound of a tractor while the stench of pee stings your nostrils and lame/sick animals struggle to stay upright on the shit-covered snow-packed ice, you might think otherwise.

I spent several winters down there doing necropsies. Hands down the nastiest animals I’ve ever taken apart have come off the feed grounds. That is a disservice to wildlife if there ever was one.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

The feedgrounds are a disease incubator. Would be nice to see Wyoming focus on winter range habitat conservation instead of being forced to feed elk.

Yes! The demise of the Western Wyoming elk herd due to disease transmission over the last 100 years of feedground operation is well documented.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

There are a lot of biological and political ships that have sailed on this one...knowing which ones to go out and sink is very complicated. I know where I fall, though I don't express my opinion on it very vehemently because I feel that most of the biggest points have pretty compelling counterpoints. On the whole you have three federal and one state agency with land involved, which is enough to make a mess on it's own. I know the case linked above is in regard to the NER specifically.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Yes! The demise of the Western Wyoming elk herd due to disease transmission over the last 100 years of feedground operation is well documented.

It certainly is as it relates to brucellosis. Those feedgrounds are reservoirs of the disease that wouldn't exist in it's current prevalence if they weren't around. I've known enough WGFD personnel to know they don't like the feedgrounds and wish they weren't mandated to operate them.

Fun story: The grandson of a legacy Wyoming legislator (Kids name is Matt Teeters) took over Grandpa's seat one term. He proposed eliminating the feed grounds because they were poor uses of gov't funds. He was primaried the next election & taken out by ag interests.

 

[WyoDoug]

I favor improving habitat over feeding myself. For the most part, I frown on feeding wildlife period as it makes them too dependent on humans for survival. Feeding wildlife in my opinion does more harm than good.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

It certainly is as it relates to brucellosis. Those feedgrounds are reservoirs of the disease that wouldn't exist in it's current prevalence if they weren't around. I've known enough WGFD personnel to know they don't like the feedgrounds and wish they weren't mandated to operate them.

Fun story: The grandson of a legacy Wyoming legislator (Kids name is Matt Teeters) took over Grandpa's seat one term. He proposed eliminating the feed grounds because they were poor uses of gov't funds. He was primaried the next election & taken out by ag interests.

Yet the herds continue to thrive. I think it is safe to say that the feedgrounds have some negative consequences. They also have many positive consequences. Not sure who your G&F friends are but I would venture to guess that they would agree with both of these statements. The G&F is on record saying as much.

I cant help but view shutting down the feedgrounds due to the negative consequences of disease transmission as a solution in search of a problem. They have been running them for over 100 years. First the concern was brucellousis would whip out the elk. This has not happened. Then it was TB. Now its CWD. All the while the feedground counts show either stable or increasing headcounts with some yearly decreases which even the G&F attributes to wolves and hunting.

If I ran my business according to what random employees did not want to do anymore, we would have shut the doors long ago.

 

[Oak]

Edit: Never mind...

 

[Ben Lamb]

Brucellosis doesn't wipe out elk. Never has, never will. The consequences of that disease are in line with causing market crashes for livestock producers, which leads to call for test & slaughter of elk from the Green River to Livingston. The feedgrounds in Wyoming are causing significant problems in other states as we have to deal with the mess they create.

 

[WyoDoug]

The bigger problem I see is you just can't stop the feeding on a dime. You have to ween the elk off it over time. If you stop a source of food that they have been used to for nearly a century now, you are likely to cause mass starvation because they do not know how to forage on their own in the harsh winter. It's got to be reduced gradually over time. Now I am no biologist. This is just my opinion based on years of experience hunting and being around wildlife.

 

[madtom]

The bigger problem I see is you just can't stop the feeding on a dime. You have to ween the elk off it over time. If you stop a source of food that they have been used to for nearly a century now, you are likely to cause mass starvation because they do not know how to forage on their own in the harsh winter. It's got to be reduced gradually over time. Now I am no biologist. This is just my opinion based on years of experience hunting and being around wildlife.

It won’t take them very long to realize they can cross the road from a feedground and eat to their hearts’ content on private hayfields.

 

[sbhooper]

Another welfare state that cannot be shut off abruptly, without badly affecting its users.

 

[BuzzH]

Brucellosis doesn't wipe out elk. Never has, never will. The consequences of that disease are in line with causing market crashes for livestock producers, which leads to call for test & slaughter of elk from the Green River to Livingston. The feedgrounds in Wyoming are causing significant problems in other states as we have to deal with the mess they create.

Once again our wildlife taking it in the shorts due to a livestock induced disease....and yeah, I get it the Ag interests are more important, even though OR is a bigger industry here.

Too bad oil and gas drilling didn't cause cattle to abort...our wildlife could be left alone.

I agree that in the beginning feed grounds were probably not a good idea. But, sometimes trying to put the Genie back in the bottle is more disruptive and damaging than just letting it be.

 

[brian flatlander]

we have public feedgrounds in minnesota too, but we are feeding humans that cant seem to fend for themselves.

 

[Fremont15]

These environmental groups are clueless morons hell bent on destroying our Wyoming elk herds with an ultimate goal of ending hunting in general! The feed grounds in Wyoming are absolutely crucial to the survival of our elk herds. The cessation of feeding can’t happen or the consequences will be dire!

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

These environmental groups are clueless morons hell bent on destroying our Wyoming elk herds with an ultimate goal of ending hunting in general! The feed grounds in Wyoming are absolutely crucial to the survival of our elk herds. The cessation of feeding can’t happen or the consequences will be dire!

The sky is falling!

 

[bullbugle]

Brucellosis may not be killing elk at the feedgrounds right now... just wait til CWD gets a foothold at the feedgrounds. Then we're gonna have a serious problem on our hands. I think it would be awful smart to try and mitigate that disaster before it happens rather than after.