Closing Wyoming Elk Feeding Grounds

[Marbles]

I don't know much about this and am curious as to what others think. First impression is that eliminating the feeding grounds sounds bad for elk numbers, sounds bad for elk hunting, sounds bad for ranchers. I don't know if long term there would be benefits for controlling CWD. I can see how a case can be made for that, but I think (but don't know) that it is only deductive without any evidence to support it.

I certainly don't trust the groups trying to close the feeding grounds, so that makes me skeptical as well.

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[Tick]

A complex situation with pros and cons on both sides of the debate. The online meetings held by WYFG last week were very informative. My opinion after the meeting was WY has a good working relationship with the federal agencies involved. The future solution may not make everyone happy but I feel will be well thought out and discussed.

 

[robby denning]

grrrrrr, but my mind is still open. Just wouldn't want to see that fabulous elk herd on the decline....

 

[Mtncowboy]

I think it's a bad idea!

 

[Ucsdryder]

Did you see who was behind this? All the animal lovers. I can’t quite wrap my head around their reasoning.

 

[jlaner0408]

Did you see who was behind this? All the animal lovers. I can’t quite wrap my head around their reasoning.

Agreed. With the types of people that live or have second homes in Jackson, it’s quite mind boggling that they would be supportive of this

 

[5MilesBack]

I can still remember as a little kid in the late 60's those elk herds using those wintering grounds, so it's been going on for a long time. Would be a shame to try and shake that up now.

 

[Jbehredt]

Just based on the list of sponsors of the lawsuits I can state unequivocally that I am opposed to this.

 

[sdcowboy]

The more healthy the heard the better they can fight disease. The idiots can’t figure that out. Take away the feeding grounds and the herds health is going to deteriorate and so does the herd. The elk are still going to bunch up and now they are going to starve or take a toll on all the ranchers feed for there cattle. In the end they will try to shoot their way out of it and the losers are us and the elk!!!!!! Reactive not proactive. Deal with it on a daily basis here in South Dakota!!!!!!

 

[Shrek]

The members of the groups that are pushing this are the same people that have covered the rest of the Jackson Hole winter range in multimillion dollar houses. If they cut off the feed the elk have nowhere to go.

 

[wyo2track]

It would take time to retrain them. National Elk Feedground been in existence for what 100+ years. That's alot of elk generations. There'd be some elk that could winter out in the Teton valley, but not all. I live in Sublette County, WY. Every hear of Teton to Red Desert antelope migration? All the antelope from Grand Teton National Park migrate up and over the Union Pass, upper green river area through the Gros Ventre River corridor, back and forth every year, 100+ miles to our southern winter ranges. Before homesteading, those elk herds came this way. We have overpasses across the highway for the antelope, under passes for the mule deer coming out of the Wyoming and Gros Ventre Mtn ranges. The Yellowstone elk herd would either have to be trained to do the same thing or go out over the Buffalo Fork and down the Wind River towards Dubois. If they come this way and the other feedgrounds between the teton valley and here are eliminated, were not just kicking 7000 head from the elk refuge down here, but 13,000+ head onto the desert. It would probably take a good decade or two to shift their patterns, get them to migrate out of those valleys with feed lines going out over the top. Then to get them down through all the private out to the desert. Dealing with constant hay stack depredation and cattle feeding. Get a big herd of elk hungry their going to be waiting every morning for the rancher to bring the feed wagon out, especially if you have generations of elk that is used to that. It'd be quite the process, alot of patience, and alot of money, and perhaps many miles of high fencing. In the end, the elk herd is ultimately going to be smaller. My biggest question if feedgrounds get eliminated is how thousands of elk would affect our Wyoming Range and Sublette mule deer herds (think region G&H). They certainly would share habitats, some of the same forage, and have to coexist on the same winter ranges. What would that do to our mule deer and antelope herds?

G&F has moved feedgrounds before around the county, but your just showing them the way to another feedground with a feedline through the desert. Once there there they have new feed. Now were trying to get them to go browse on native plants in a totally new area. It would be a long process. G&F has already implemented different feed programs on our local feedgrounds, delaying feeding till absolutely necessary and pulling feed off sooner in the spring to help with dispersion. But these environmentalists don't want to hear it. They don't like hunting, they don't care about losing hunting privileges if there is less game to hunt. They like this so called balanced environment with a shitload of apex predators that are way over their capacity wandering the hills. Using disease just as an excuse. We have some pretty damn good vets and biologists figuring shit out, give them a chance, perhaps donate some of your sue happy money to state and federal labs to help with disease research or develop habitat, nope, instead the give this knee jerk the sky is falling attitude, but, that's what their good at. Anyways, I see it as being way more complicated than just simply closing the feedgrounds.

 

[Tick]

Game and Fish updates Wyoming lawmakers on elk feedgrounds public process | Wyoming Game & Fish Department

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department presented an update to the Wyoming Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources committee Tuesday on the Department’s work to develop an elk feedgrounds management plan. Game and Fish recently held four virtual meetings to educate the...

wgfd.wyo.gov

Recorded meetings posted on online. Taking written public comments until January 8th.

 

[Shrek]

Our opinions won’t matter. This is going to be a friendly suit with the incoming Biden administration. The suits are big money makers for these groups so they’ll drag out the process for awhile to rack up the legal fees then government will give them everything they ask for and we the taxpayers will pay their legal fees at very generous rates. This is just the beginning of the disaster the Biden administration will be for hunting. Look for a bunch more suits about every possible issue. These groups and lawyers have been starving for the last four years.

 

[Timberline001]

Did you see who was behind this? All the animal lovers. I can’t quite wrap my head around their reasoning.

They call themselves animal lovers but at the end of the day these groups are predator lovers. And that’s what it comes down to, without these feeding grounds animals will be dispersed through out available natural feeding areas and will make more food for the predators.

 

[Bull_n_heat]

I caution against holding onto the "we've done it this way for a long time" argument. Keeping artificially elevated elk populations was a bad idea then, and it's still a bad idea now. And that is independent of CWD, which, in my opinion, would be a game changer for all ungulates that call Western WY home. For the 12 million bucks were dumping on the ground annually, we could probably acquire quite a bit of real habitat to winter elk on.

Not to say that without feedgrounds we wouldn't have a few less elk around. Heck, we might even have to manage them at their objective. But, aside from Game and Fish telling us the actual numbers, if there were 20% less elk in Western Wyoming, would anyone even be able to tell the difference?

 

[foldem_aug]

Me humble opinion is that the nature lovers responsible for filing these lawsuits are doing nothing more than attacking gun loving Americans desire to hunt. If they can lower the population of game, then less permits will be issued and in return fewer hunters and less opportunity for the next generation to become hunters. Same reason they are pushing wolves, lions and grizzlies every where in North America. The Yellowstone elk heard population is way down from what it was in the 80s and early 90s. And I'm sure the hunting revenue from the herd is way down to, along with the hunting opportunity to harvest these elk when they cross fence.

 

[Timberline001]

I caution against holding onto the "we've done it this way for a long time" argument. Keeping artificially elevated elk populations was a bad idea then, and it's still a bad idea now. And that is independent of CWD, which, in my opinion, would be a game changer for all ungulates that call Western WY home. For the 12 million bucks were dumping on the ground annually, we could probably acquire quite a bit of real habitat to winter elk on.

Not to say that without feedgrounds we wouldn't have a few less elk around. Heck, we might even have to manage them at their objective. But, aside from Game and Fish telling us the actual numbers, if there were 20% less elk in Western Wyoming, would anyone even be able to tell the difference?

Are they artificially elevated populations though? That’s a tough argument because it’s less than the population that the land supported before man moved in and it’s higher than what the land could support on its own now. Is it an artificially elevated population of we’re keeping it close to nature’s previous population size? Seems to me the feeding areas are an artificial means to keeping near natures intended population Sizes. The amount of summer grounds really hasn’t been affected by urbanization, just the wintering grounds. It makes sense to me to substitute loss of wintering habitat with feeding so that the backcountry is still full of animals on there summer grounds.

 

[Timberline001]

Sorry for all the grammatical errors

 

[EdP]

I agree with Timberline001. The elk population is only artificially high compared with the number the current habitat can support and that habitat was reduced by human encroachment. This happens with many species across the glove but in Wy herd numbers can be maintained because it is only winter habitat that is affected. That to me seems a good thing.

As far as predator numbers go, the animal lovers will be screaming about them eventually after enough of them have been mauled or killed hiking or riding their mountain bikes.

 

[Timberline001]

I agree with Timberline001. The elk population is only artificially high compared with the number the current habitat can support and that habitat was reduced by human encroachment. This happens with many species across the glove but in Wy herd numbers can be maintained because it is only winter habitat that is affected. That to me seems a good thing.

As far as predator numbers go, the animal lovers will be screaming about them eventually after enough of them have been mauled or killed hiking or riding their mountain bikes.

Exactly! That why’s happening in OR and WA currently. They illegalized hound hunting lions decades ago and now that there’s been several attacks they’re finally discussing opening it up.


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