Closing Wyoming Elk Feeding Grounds

[sasquatch]

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! and a lot of people don't correctly understand it, they just blurt out how the animals may be overpopulated, vs understanding how its relative to the encroachment of us humans. All wanting our beautiful piece of land in the valleys thinking " look at all that mountain space for the animals"

those animals cant feed in 5' of snow! The winter habitat is crucial. Or we will eventually end up with overpopulated but tiny resident herds

 

[Bubblehide]

I think it would be wonderful if the discussion started including imminent domain of the now urbanized wintering grounds as a means of returning it back to its natural state so that the natural balance can be restored.

 

[4ester]

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.

Well said and agree.

Ive talked with some of the people that run these groups, and they are anti-hunting for sure. They keep spitting out that CWD is going to decimate the herds.....We have huge herds that congregate in southeast Wyoming which is a known CWD hotspot for a long long time. Infection rate is only 6-7% there. The CWD argument doesn't hold water, as elk are not as susceptible.

They sit there overlooking the National Elk Refuge in their multi-million dollar homes, with an 8 foot fence out front blocking the elk from their original winter feeding grounds. These elk have nowhere to go.....they would have to migrate up over the Gros Venture Range and nearly 100 miles to get out of that valley.

 

[Deadfall]

If livestock disease is a problem, then grazing leases on public ground for livestock should be done away with as well.

 

[Timberline001]

If livestock disease is a problem, then grazing leases on public ground for livestock should be done away with as well.

That would start a civil war out west. A Bundy situation on a much larger scale


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[Deadfall]

That would start a civil war out west. A Bundy situation on a much larger scale


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Lmao...for sure it would. Be fun watching though.

 

[Bull_n_heat]

Probably a relevant development in this discussion:

CWD discovery to trigger discussion of Jackson Elk Herd size - WyoFile

Discovery of elk infected with Chronic Wasting Disease in Grand Teton National Park accelerates fears of rapid spread on feedgrounds.

www.wyofile.com