IDFG Turns to a Hired Gun
- Thread starter idnative1948
- Start date
jryoung
Well-known member
Idaho logic, sport hunters have difficulty accessing an area where wolves have killed all the elk so spend money hiring a guy to get into those difficult access areas and kill the wolves and at the end of the day, hunters will still have a difficult time accessing the area.
They should just remove Wilderness Designation and build some roads in there.
They should just remove Wilderness Designation and build some roads in there.
smarandr
Well-known member
Parallels a movie I saw once. Gus is just missing his wife and kid with psychic powers.
Elkmagnet
Well-known member
I hope you are kidding?
idnative1948
Well-known member
jryoung
Well-known member
Your sarcasm meter broken? 
idelkslayer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2013
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jryoung,
Am I missing something or does your statement that we need to remove wilderness designation and build roads conflict with the stance of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers?
I am more than happy to see the IDFG send someone out there with the dedicated purpose of killing wolves. I disagree with Isaac Babcock who was quoted in the article as saying "now I'm watching us step back 100 years to see wolves viewed as vermin predators"
He is going to the extreme for dramatic effect. This is not wholesale slaughter and extermination, it is wildlife management.
Am I missing something or does your statement that we need to remove wilderness designation and build roads conflict with the stance of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers?
I am more than happy to see the IDFG send someone out there with the dedicated purpose of killing wolves. I disagree with Isaac Babcock who was quoted in the article as saying "now I'm watching us step back 100 years to see wolves viewed as vermin predators"
He is going to the extreme for dramatic effect. This is not wholesale slaughter and extermination, it is wildlife management.
That made me laugh. It gets a bit serious around here sometimes.
jryoung
Well-known member
Your sarcasm meter broken?
You don't think the anti-crowd does the same thing? Whole lotta stupid when it comes to who gets the microphone when it comes to wolves. That said, taking out two packs of wolves with a hired gun is much closer to wholesale slaughter than it is management.
Elkmagnet
Well-known member
Your sarcasm meter broken?
Ill check it out.
smarandr
Well-known member
That's dang near signature worthy.
Elkmagnet
Well-known member
I disagree with this statement, having cut my teeth in the exact drainage we are talking about I believe this is the only way that Wolves can effectively be managed in this type of terrain.
I do think its funny that when idaho fish & game is trying to sell non resident tags they do nothing but say how the cow elk are meeting objectives and that wolves are having a minimal effect in this area. And now...
I stopped hunting there in 09 because of the wolves. I moved on to greener pastures. Now don't get me wrong there wolves where I hunt now but nothing like the BC/YP area.
Elkmagnet
Well-known member
I bet Idaho can do all three at once BL. It will likely only be effective at two of the aforementioned goals. But at least they're trying something.
Ben, what would you suggest they do?
This is an actual question not ment to be taken as a smarmy retort. I don't see a lot of other options and waiting for another study doesn't get things done. I agree this may be a bit of a knee jerk reaction by IDF&G but they do get plenty of feedback from the public.
This is an actual question not ment to be taken as a smarmy retort. I don't see a lot of other options and waiting for another study doesn't get things done. I agree this may be a bit of a knee jerk reaction by IDF&G but they do get plenty of feedback from the public.
Elkmagnet
Well-known member
They should be trying Cam Hanes & his stick.
I heard at the bar that they checked with him and he was going to be the more expensive of the two options.
Admittedly I'm not as familiar with the overall dynamics of the elk herd in the FC but it's important to note that elk populations sky-rocketed after the great burn & severely restricted hunting opportunities in the early to mid 20th century. All of that open country created by the burn is now lodgepole pine, overgrown and in need of more fire. Unless we take an honest look at habitat conditions & hunter opportunity first, since those are generally the easiest to quantify. Predation loss is usually much more difficult to quantify and usually seems to be an indicator of larger problems. You would more than likely have some short term gains in cow/calf numbers, but increasing herd numbers over a long period of time would require constant action in terms of lethal removal of carnivores. Economically, that's not sustainable and it generally results in another crash once you stop lethal treatments.
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