Elk Rancher sues Idaho

[Ithaca 37]

Idaho elk rancher Rex Rammell is seeking $1.3 million in damages from the Idaho government.
The tort claims filed Tuesday named former Idaho Gov. Jim Risch, the Department of Agriculture and Idaho Department of Fish & Game along with staff members.

In August, up to 160 domesticated elk escaped from veterinarian Rex Rammell's Chief Joseph private hunting reserve near Rexburg.

Then-Gov. Jim Risch ordered state officials to find and kill the escaped elk, saying the farm-raised elk could spread disease and pollute the genetic pool of the wild herds.

Rammell clashed with hunters and game officials over shooting his animals. He was arrested in September.

Court documents say Rammell claims 89 head of elk were killed or lost as a result of state actions against him. He's asking for $1.3 million in damages.

The incident led to a flurry of proposed regulation bills in the Idaho legislature and renewed the debate over so-called "canned hunts."

Rammell has said he sold his elk operation and his 168-acre preserve is now owned by a California real-estate investor.

 

[Washington Hunter]

What an ass. He should be paying the state 1.3 million instead of the other way around.

 

[Tom]

He had almost 1 elk per acre? No wonder they escaped.

 

[Oak]

Tom, what are you "on" today? You're making a little too much sense.

 

[TheTone]

Idiot. His elk are now living essentially in the town of Rexburg. Its amazing the condition of some of the elk farms and shooter operations in that part of the state. Some of his escaped elk are still turning up and being looked for.

 

[Michaelr]

I got mixed feelings about this deal, I don't like penned hunts one bit!
I do however think that the state did trample his property rights, and went overboard on this whole deal.

He was just found not guilty of obstruction of justice from an incident in September. A jury of six found Him not guilty.
He was accused of sitting on the carcass of an elk that was shot by the Fish and Game as they tried to remove it. I heard him on a local radio show and as much as I don't like him he did make some valid points.
He said that that elk was only about 50 yds form the gate to his enclosure and that if they would have just left it alone he would have had it back in the fence.

 

[JoseCuervo]

He said that that elk was only about 50 yds form the gate to his enclosure and that if they would have just left it alone he would have had it back in the fence.

Does all real estate in that area include 150 feet of the neighbor's property? How were his "property rights" trampled if he had his elk on other people's property?

 

[A-con]

I got mixed feelings about this deal

I've got some mixed feelings as well.
Should Rammel be fined, thrown in jail and left to rot, or tarred, feathered and ridden out of town on a rail past all of his dead zoo pet elk.

 

[Michaelr]

Hey your looking at the wrong guy if you think I'm going to argue for Ramell.
I think the guy is an arrogant assclown.

I just wouldn't want to be treated the way he has, Those tame elk were his property, no different than a cow.

 

[TheTone]

Once they were escaped for I believe 7 days he basically lost any claim to them other than them being escaped livestock. State laws enabled them to be killed once that was met.

 

[wyomingtim]

I don't know about Idaho, but down here if a privately owned animal that is a species controlled by the state, and that animal gets off the owners property, it is then 'owned' by the state.

Example: I had a guy who owned a mink farm. He kept having his mink get out and kill a neighbor's chickens. Statute, case law, and Div of Wildlife all led to - if the mink get off his property then have fun trapping/killing mink. Anyone need a new coat for the missus?

 

[shoots-straight]

I do however think that the state did trample his property rights, and went overboard on this whole deal.

Ok, I have a nuclear waste dump up wind of your home. A few of my atoms escape the underground, depository that is totally escape proof, but get out none the less. Any way their hanging around your property and I'm working on luring them back home, The state comes in and sucks them up with a giant atom sucking machine. I sue because my property rights were trampeled on. Poor me you sucked up my atoms and ran me out of business.

Toss me a bone here but I thinks thats bull shit.

Tom, I 'll bet those elk on that 168 acres would be a tough hunt. Lots of place to hide.

Games Farms suck, ban them all before it's too late. If you like seeing animals in pens go to the zoo.

 

[TheTone]

Now a license for game farms has been killed off in the Idaho legislature. We went into this session looking like some big things might happen; banning at the best and a license and possibly double fencing at the least and Idaho's sportsman and those that care about wild animals got nothing. Doesn't help when there are people with elk farms in the legislature and sportsmans groups aren't asked to provide any testimony in hearings but the game farmers are. We need a citizens iniative. The Idaho Wilidlife Federation is supposed to be working on one, it can't come soon enough nor be tough enough on these dorks.

 

[shoots-straight]

You'll need to go the referendom direction, just as we did in Montana. To many pockets get lined through the congress. Somone has to organize and champion the task. Good luck.

 

[Michaelr]

I'm all for shutting them down. But, when you have guys like Siddoway in the gov who are also elk farmers it's going to be an uphill fight.

 

[Ithaca 37]

A citizen's iniative is the only way to get this done. Ya gotta collect about 45,000 signatures to get it on the ballot in Idaho.

 

[Tom]

We should plot the progress of CWD in the wild.

Eventually, people might be thinking about double high fencing some pure wild elk inside of Yellowstone and a corridor down to the winter grounds or something like that, to preserve the pure elk stock from CWD in the wild.

Call it, the Noah's Ark Elk and Deer Project, eh?

 

[AZ402]

Call it, the Noah's Ark Elk and Deer Project, eh?

Or we could call it the Super Douche project instead, eh?