As Western range suffers, should Utah cull wildlife?

[Ben Lamb]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57944641-78/wildlife-elk-utah-board.html.csp

Cameron Hallows runs cattle on private land on Monroe Mountain, a mosaic of open meadows and massive aspen stands once home to an elusive bull elk that still holds a world record for its massive antlers.

Elk, deer and other wildlife have shared the rangelands of the West with livestock for well over a century. But as drought continues and forage becomes scarce, ranchers’ frustrations with a surging overpopulation of wild horses are spreading to big game.

Thoughts?

 

[SFC B]

Start pulling the cattle grazing permits. Let the price of beef reach a natural level and see how much folks really want to eat it versus other meat. The wild horses are a man made issue that should be dealt with but wild game should always have priority on public land.

 

[----]

The fact that horses are considered wildlife and can be lumped together with deer and elk is mind blowing to me.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Feral Horses (the appropriate name) are managed under the Wild Horse & Burro Act. While not considered wildlife, they are offered protections, unfortunately.

http://www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov/92-195.htm

Most wildlife advocates and livestock advocates agree on removal of feral horses. The article describes how that desire to eliminate other critters besides livestock is now moving on to elk.

Which according to Utah's elk management plan, are over abundance by 1,000 animals ( State population is 41,000 - plan calls for 40,000).

 

[shoots-straight]

Feral Horses (the appropriate name) are managed under the Wild Horse & Burro Act. While not considered wildlife, they are offered protections, unfortunately.

http://www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov/92-195.htm

Most wildlife advocates and livestock advocates agree on removal of feral horses. The article describes how that desire to eliminate other critters besides livestock is now moving on to elk.

Which according to Utah's elk management plan, are over abundance by 1,000 animals ( State population is 41,000 - plan calls for 40,000).

That's most likely a social number the same as Montana's. The livestock Industries run the show when we're talking about grass.

Montana's elk numbers 146,000 elk
State population objective 90,9100 elk.

Lets talk "pain at the pump" if those numbers get to where they are required by law.

We will see those reductions coming to a district near you.

To all those concerned, (page 55) of the EMP will save your bacon.

 

[jryoung]

How much for a horse tag at auction at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo?

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I seriously question if they can even estimate their elk herd with enough precision to detect a change in 1,000 individuals.

Pulling permits is a knee jerk reaction that will result in a fantastic amount of litigation and wasted tax dollars in court. Federal lands are multiple use by law so they can't just defer to wildlife in every instance, for better or worse depending on your take. It's not as sexy, but more pressing than dietary overlap between species is the effect of each on riparian area function and ecological integrity on a landscape scale.

Every side (including the horse lovers) has their money, special interests, and political tools in the toolbox. Hopefully reasonable and responsible conservation is the outcome, but I'm betting lots of money is going to fly and blood will be spilled before there is any sense resolution on public rangelands.

 

[1_pointer]

I seriously question if they can even estimate their elk herd with enough precision to detect a change in 1,000 individuals.

Pulling permits is a knee jerk reaction that will result in a fantastic amount of litigation and wasted tax dollars in court. Federal lands are multiple use by law so they can't just defer to wildlife in every instance, for better or worse depending on your take. It's not as sexy, but more pressing than dietary overlap between species is the effect of each on riparian area function and ecological integrity on a landscape scale.

Every side (including the horse lovers) has their money, special interests, and political tools in the toolbox. Hopefully reasonable and responsible conservation is the outcome, but I'm betting lots of money is going to fly and blood will be spilled before there is any sense resolution on public rangelands.

Wanted to quote this so folks will hopefully read it more than once.

 

[Zach]

How much for a horse tag at auction at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo?

Ask Don Peay...

 

[Rat Fink]

It will take some acts of civil disobedience to get the feral horse issue under control. Native wildlife continues to falter in places because preference has been given to an invasive species.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I seriously question if they can even estimate their elk herd with enough precision to detect a change in 1,000 individuals.

Pulling permits is a knee jerk reaction that will result in a fantastic amount of litigation and wasted tax dollars in court. Federal lands are multiple use by law so they can't just defer to wildlife in every instance, for better or worse depending on your take. It's not as sexy, but more pressing than dietary overlap between species is the effect of each on riparian area function and ecological integrity on a landscape scale.

Every side (including the horse lovers) has their money, special interests, and political tools in the toolbox. Hopefully reasonable and responsible conservation is the outcome, but I'm betting lots of money is going to fly and blood will be spilled before there is any sense resolution on public rangelands.

Excellent post.

I tend to look at this broader than just this issue. We have folks upset that riparian habitat is being fenced out in NM, the bundy fiasco in NV, attempts to undermine public land management in most western states and we have a decade long (12 years actually) drought that is effecting both public land habitat and the multiple use dictum.

The old adage that "whiskey's for drinking and water's for fighting" is becoming just as appropros for public land as it is for water rights. The conflicts are about allocation of a changing resource. The outcome will shape public land management for decades.

 

[2rocky]

Snowy 's response is very adroit.

I have seen Nevada add doe-fawn antelope tags in winter range areas after a big fall burn in 2008 or 2009. The idea was that they were trying to reduce the number of starving antelope in a given area.