WDFW to cull hoof rot injured elk?

[Goshawk]

FYI,
I heard that the WDFW is going to start shooting hoof rotted elk in hopes of clearing up the hoof rot epidemic before more damage is done to the west side herd.
Stay Tuned!

[MLBowhunting]

Make it a permit harvest 

[kentrek]

going to start ??


ive heard of them doing this years ago when the hoof rot started getting bad,it was rummer but i still have proof of over 60 head of elk disappearing over the course of one winter..its that or the rot killed them all at once which seems unlikely

this was..give or take 6 years ago in the Stella and the elk haven't been back since, there is a small group of 4 that show up now but 2 of them still have the rot

hopefuly we can still hunt elk in the next 5 years after they do this "culling"

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

Maybe they should look into the herbicides being used. I don't buy for one bit that the herbicides don't have any effect on the deer and elk. Hair loss? Hoof rot? I think the herbicides are compromising there immune systems. But what the hell do i know. Just seems coincidental.

[Curly]

Maybe they should look into the herbicides being used. I don't buy for one bit that the herbicides don't have any effect on the deer and elk. Hair loss? Hoof rot? I think the herbicides are compromising there immune systems. But what the hell do i know. Just seems coincidental.

[D-Rock425]

 

[Griiz]

Maybe they should look into the herbicides being used. I don't buy for one bit that the herbicides don't have any effect on the deer and elk. Hair loss? Hoof rot? I think the herbicides are compromising there immune systems. But what the hell do i know. Just seems coincidental.

I've been wondering the same thing for a few years now.

[chukar hunter]

I don't want to hi-jack this thread, but was thinking about another, possibly more effective solution a few days ago, that I was wanting to bring up for discussion on this forum:

Introduce Wolves into SW Washington

I realize I'm going to take some flak for this idea, but I can defend to the end that I hate wolves as much as any other and I consider myself a true ethical hunter and an outdoor activist.  My idea is based off of three simple facts:

1. Due to wildlife laws, wolves are here to stay.  Like it or not, political and anti-hunting activists have forced us as hunters to enter a post wolf re-introduction era that hunters in WA and many other states will face the rest of our lives. 

2. Wolf management by hunters will not begin to take place until all regions have the appropriate number of breeding pairs as outlined by the WA Wolf Management Plan.  The more people who "shoot, shovel, & shut-up" in regions with less than adequate numbers of breeding pairs are only slowing the legal process by which we as hunters will be able to hunt these predators.  Introducing wolves into SW Washinton will lead to achieving this requirement faster. 
   I personally believe that wolf populations will become well over management objectives prior to naturally migrating into SW Washington and west of I-5.  Therefore huge tolls on our deer and elk herds will be taken prior to achieving the Management Plan objectives.  Thus we currently have a flawed management plan, and introducing wolves in these areas will lead to a more even wolf dispersal throughout our state.

3.  In THEORY predators including wolves are opportunistic feeders.  Given the choice between a large mature bull or a weak limping yearly cow with hoof rot, I'll put my life savings on the line that they'll kill the injured cow.  This predator food source theory makes the herd stronger as they eliminate the contagious elk that may not be culled from the WDFW efforts. 

Just my  like it or not!  What do you think?  Flaws in my idea?

[skywalker253]

I don't want to hi-jack this thread, but was thinking about another, possibly more effective solution a few days ago, that I was wanting to bring up for discussion on this forum:

Introduce Wolves into SW Washington

I realize I'm going to take some flak for this idea, but I can defend to the end that I hate wolves as much as any other and I consider myself a true ethical hunter and an outdoor activist.  My idea is based off of three simple facts:

1. Due to wildlife laws, wolves are here to stay.  Like it or not, political and anti-hunting activists have forced us as hunters to enter a post wolf re-introduction era that hunters in WA and many other states will face the rest of our lives. 

2. Wolf management by hunters will not begin to take place until all regions have the appropriate number of breeding pairs as outlined by the WA Wolf Management Plan.  The more people who "shoot, shovel, & shut-up" in regions with less than adequate numbers of breeding pairs are only slowing the legal process by which we as hunters will be able to hunt these predators.  Introducing wolves into SW Washinton will lead to achieving this requirement faster. 
   I personally believe that wolf populations will become well over management objectives prior to naturally migrating into SW Washington and west of I-5.  Therefore huge tolls on our deer and elk herds will be taken prior to achieving the Management Plan objectives.  Thus we currently have a flawed management plan, and introducing wolves in these areas will lead to a more even wolf dispersal throughout our state.

3.  In THEORY predators including wolves are opportunistic feeders.  Given the choice between a large mature bull or a weak limping yearly cow with hoof rot, I'll put my life savings on the line that they'll kill the injured cow.  This predator food source theory makes the herd stronger as they eliminate the contagious elk that may not be culled from the WDFW efforts. 

Just my  like it or not!  What do you think?  Flaws in my idea?

So what if they never find a cure for hoof rott? You would then have hoof rott killing elk off, and wolves. It seems like it would be a double whammy and potentially decimate the herds. Even if the WSDFW starts killing hoof rott elk off; how do we know that it will cure the problem. Either they know what the problem is or they are speculating. They should get a definitive answer before any solution is put into play. Perhaps they don't have enough time to determine the problem, so they are better off shooting them off to see what happens versus waiting it out. I don't like the idea of wolves in WA. We don't have near the herd numbers of the other western states to support quality hunting and wolve predation. Not at the rates wolves breed and thrill kill game.

[Crunchy]

So what if they never find a cure for hoof rott? You would then have hoof rott killing elk off, and wolves. It seems like it would be a double whammy and potentially decimate the herds. Even if the WSDFW starts killing hoof rott elk off; how do we know that it will cure the problem. Either they know what the problem is or they are speculating. They should get a definitive answer before any solution is put into play. Perhaps they don't have enough time to determine the problem, so they are better off shooting them off to see what happens versus waiting it out. I don't like the idea of wolves in WA. We don't have near the herd numbers of the other western states to support quality hunting and wolve predation. Not at the rates wolves breed and thrill kill game.
[/quote]

Exactly my thoughts.  Wolves we just dont need.

[kentrek]

I don't want to hi-jack this thread, but was thinking about another, possibly more effective solution a few days ago, that I was wanting to bring up for discussion on this forum:

Introduce Wolves into SW Washington

I realize I'm going to take some flak for this idea, but I can defend to the end that I hate wolves as much as any other and I consider myself a true ethical hunter and an outdoor activist.  My idea is based off of three simple facts:

1. Due to wildlife laws, wolves are here to stay.  Like it or not, political and anti-hunting activists have forced us as hunters to enter a post wolf re-introduction era that hunters in WA and many other states will face the rest of our lives. 

2. Wolf management by hunters will not begin to take place until all regions have the appropriate number of breeding pairs as outlined by the WA Wolf Management Plan.  The more people who "shoot, shovel, & shut-up" in regions with less than adequate numbers of breeding pairs are only slowing the legal process by which we as hunters will be able to hunt these predators.  Introducing wolves into SW Washinton will lead to achieving this requirement faster. 
   I personally believe that wolf populations will become well over management objectives prior to naturally migrating into SW Washington and west of I-5.  Therefore huge tolls on our deer and elk herds will be taken prior to achieving the Management Plan objectives.  Thus we currently have a flawed management plan, and introducing wolves in these areas will lead to a more even wolf dispersal throughout our state.

3.  In THEORY predators including wolves are opportunistic feeders.  Given the choice between a large mature bull or a weak limping yearly cow with hoof rot, I'll put my life savings on the line that they'll kill the injured cow.  This predator food source theory makes the herd stronger as they eliminate the contagious elk that may not be culled from the WDFW efforts. 

Just my  like it or not!  What do you think?  Flaws in my idea?

i dont like your idea..at all

wolfs are not going to just kill the hoof rot elk but they will kill everything

why make the same mistake as the idaho ??

i would rather have them kill off all the elk and then have them rebuild the herd then to introduce a random species of wolf that we would never be able to get rid of

wolfs could have moved into these regions long ago but they haven't yet so why force them

should we start helping sealions over populate just so we can get a law passed allowing us to "manage" them ?? or should we just go down to the river and do what needs to be done ?? seems silly to screw up sw wa just so you can do what you can already do...

dont play god to solve mans issues with red tape

[Mudman]

What!  Dont ya guys know there already are wolves at St Helens.  Pack of 4 have been spotted many times now.  Wolves are there to stay. Plenty of food for em.  I think this is the plan to manage hoof rot make greenies happy and it will help lead to delisting wolves for eastern Wa.  Win Win!   

[kentrek]

What!  Dont ya guys know there already are wolves at St Helens.  Pack of 4 have been spotted many times now.  Wolves are there to stay. Plenty of food for em.  I think this is the plan to manage hoof rot make greenies happy and it will help lead to delisting wolves for eastern Wa.  Win Win!   

there are no wolves up at st helens...sorry mudman

i know there's a bunch of rumors but really..ive even talked to a guy that shot one and seen four more all in different locations  all in one year but then i spend all summer up there watching elk an never even seen a  single wolf track ?? not one mhmmm must be loads of wolves up there..they just know how not to leave any tracks behind 

sorry off topic

[Lcl 66 Tinner]

Im all for no wolves. I think that us that use trail cams and trace minerals need to buy the minerals with selenium. Atleast that way your helping the elk that you want to hunt with this disease.

[chukar hunter]

I think that we can all agree that we don't like wolves and we don't want them in WA. 

But as previously stated, they are here to stay whether we like it or not due to federal laws.  The only LEGAL methods of removal other than the WA Wolf Management Plan would be repeated documented livestock depredation, which I don't see happening. 

dont play god to solve mans issues with red tape

Kentrek,  Isn't the WDFW doing the same thing by shooting hoof rot animals?