Outfitter herding Elk?

[TheJason]

Maybe I'll have my Military Friends do some High Altitude Flight Training next year in the area.

The helicopter pilots at Malmstrom AFB usually garner a few complaints every year.

 

[QuazyQuinton]

The helicopter pilots at Malmstrom AFB usually garner a few complaints every year.

EVERYBODY knows that ODFW flies all the herds to break them up before the seasons start here in Oregon. Sometimes they even jump out of the helicopters and saw the antlers off the biggest bulls so they won't get shot.

QQ

 

[Deleted member 28227]

You fellas ever considered the logistics of running cows... you know grassing leases, timing of bringing cows outta the hills, and or your hobby verses their livelihood?

 

[Elkmagnet]

You fellas ever considered the logistics of running cows... you know grassing leases, timing of bringing cows outta the hills, and or your hobby verses their livelihood?

I know as many ranchers as I do hunters. There is definitely innocent conflicts especially in September because cows need moved by October in most of this area.
However if you ever have an owyhee elk tag and plan on hunting the big bulls in that herd around the Josephine ranch expect to be dive boomed by a plain with balloon tires every morning that they are on public.
A partner of the association has been ticketed and won in court with "looking for cows" So f&g won't touch him anymore.
Funny thing is he starts looking for those lost cows with a lot of urgency on Oct 15 opening day of elk every year.

A percentage of them are as bad as any other segment of the population. They just happen to be treated with total impunity in rural Idaho and I imagine the rural west.

 

[FI460]

EVERYBODY knows that ODFW flies all the herds to break them up before the seasons start here in Oregon. Sometimes they even jump out of the helicopters and saw the antlers off the biggest bulls so they won't get shot.

QQ

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that I could buy one of those starbucks drinks I'm told are very expensive.

 

[ol_spark]

The good folks on the Jicarilla Reservation use a helicopter so I suppose a Colorado rancher could do it also.

 

[Phaseolus]

I hunted unit 40 in Colorado years ago. I watched a group of about 15 guys on horses ride through the FS section on top. They were spread out about 50-100 yards apart and ridding from the north west to the south east towards Gabbo (sp) Cattle Co. they were shooting hand guns from the horses with one shot between them about every minute. We confronted them and they said they worked for Gabo and they were trying to make sure no cattle had wondered onto the FS. I asked if they were actually missing any cows and they said not that they knew of. I told them them were ruining our archery elk hunt. Their response was that there were several private property areas that would allow us to hunt for a few. They even suggested we contact the Gabbo (so) Cattle Company. They said they had quite a few elk on their property.

We had a significant snow storm that night. It was a terrible early sept storm and we got 12-14 inches of snow (I think it was 2003). The next day my buddy and I hiked a huge portion of the FS. There were absolutely no elk tracks anywhere.

We had been in elk every day before the fake cattle drive and no elk after. We ended up hunting another area and found elk again.

I believe this was a private land owner/company/outfitter trying to drive elk off FS. It really believe this does happen.

That’s Gobbo, I worked with one of younger ones. A very contentious family, I don’t think they own much of it anymore, rather than work together they squabble and fight over the failing legacy their Grandfather gave them.

 

[SaskHunter]

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that I could buy one of those starbucks drinks I'm told are very expensive.

I keep hearing the same here in Saskatchewan. "The ministry keeps pushing the elk deep in the bush with choppers the day before rifle opener".

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the orange army arriving en masse!!!

 

[K2WJ]

I've heard of it happening in my unit from a group of guys that have been hunting there for 40+years (several generations). They said the ranch hands were doing a drive onto one of the large ranches in the area. I have not seen it.

 

[WYelker]

Absolutely no doubt that it happens up in that country. Have had it happen to me on more than one occasion and the outfitters will even do it to other outfitters. Have seen some of the areas/ranches set up electric fences 3 rows deep to keep elk on the property.
Have seen elk get shot on said ranches and since they don’t want to scare the entire herd off the ranch have watched a bull flip with a broken back for over 39 minutes while it died as they would not allow or take a second shot.

big money, big herds results in poor decisions.