Wolves in Rocky Mountain Park

[Bambistew]

Rocky Mountain National Park officials are mulling ways to trim elk numbers. Among them: wolves.

By The Associated Press





Rocky Mountain National Park - Creating a hunting season is no longer an option for controlling some 4,000 elk living in and around Rocky Mountain National Park.

A hunting season is out because it would restrict access to large areas of the park, said park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson.

Officials have announced six alternatives for managing the herd, which park managers say is too large. Options being considered include wolf reintroduction and allowing hunters who qualify as marksmen to hunt with park guides, Patterson said.

Biologists have said the herd - estimated at between 3,000 and 4,000 elk - needs to be reduced. The animals are overrunning some areas around Estes Park, leading to property damage and confrontations with people. The elk are also munching through young willow and aspens and threatening habitat for songbirds, butterflies and beavers.


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Introducing 14 to 20 wolves into the park could reduce the elk population by 15 percent to 40 percent, Patterson said. A fund would be created to reimburse livestock owners who lose animals to the predators.

Other options include using nonlethal fertility methods, allowing park staff to hunt a specific number of cow elk or taking no action.

A suggestion to move the animals is not being considered, because of fears the move could spread chronic wasting disease, Patterson said.

Park officials want to cut winter herds to between 1,200 and 1,700 animals.

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[1_pointer]

I'd be suprised if a wolf intro that close to that many people would fly, but then again the Park Service and I aren't always on the same page.

The only way they were able to get a handle on the deer herds in state parks in IN was to institute hunts. The park would be closed for 3 days and plenty of deer hit the ground. For the first five years of this you weren't able to keep the antlers from the deer you killed as they didn't want people being picky, they just wanted dead deer. Has worked pretty well.

I do like their qualification of hunter's passing a marksmenship class.

 

[Ten Bears]

Marksmanship test would be great. Are they going to pay for the testing for CWD of the harvesteed animals?

We've got wolves to spare, and nobody (federally nor hugger alike) bats an eye when they come near a town here.