euthanizing elk with hoof rot....

[Bulldozer77]

http://www.columbian.com/news/2014/jun/25/outdoors-state-expects-to-euthanize-crippled-elk/

Sad. Sorry to all who drew tags for Margaret and Toutle.

[pianoman9701]

Another thread on this:

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,155822.0.html

[Curly]

I'm glad I didn't waste points applying for hoof rot elk in SW WA.  But, I would volunteer to go down and shoot some hoof deformed elk and deliver them to a food bank. 

[Bulldozer77]

I think I'm done with the wet side. Wonder if WDFW would let me change my tag?

[Bulldozer77]

I'm glad I didn't waste points applying for hoof rot elk in SW WA.  But, I would volunteer to go down and shoot some hoof deformed elk and deliver them to a food bank. 

[Tbob]

Wow! That sucks all around.. I can't believe wdfw knew this was going to happen and didn't say shizzle until every penny was collected from applications! They just keep going from bad to worse don't they?!

[bobcat]

I don't see how the killing of sick elk really affects people hunting in those areas this year. The elk that will be killed prior to the hunting season are ones that a hunter wouldn't want to harvest anyway, and these sick elk may not have survived until hunting season even if the WDFW hadn't decided to go in and kill them.

[pianoman9701]

I don't see how the killing of sick elk really affects people hunting in those areas this year. The elk that will be killed prior to the hunting season are ones that a hunter wouldn't want anyway, and these sick elk may not have survived until hunting season anyway.

There will be fewer elk than ever before. This stuff is spreading fast.

[bobcat]

Yes there will definitely be fewer elk due to the hoof disease, but I'm just saying hunters were already aware of that prior to purchasing tags and special permit applications. This is exactly why I bought an east side tag this year.

[pianoman9701]

Yes there will definitely be fewer elk due to the hoof disease, but I'm just saying hunters were already aware of that prior to purchasing tags and special permit applications. This is exactly why I bought an east side tag this year.

I think most people have no idea of how badly this has affected the Mt. St. Helens herd. It's huge. I think that's precisely why the announcement from the WDFW came out after the draw.

[Curly]

Yes there will definitely be fewer elk due to the hoof disease, but I'm just saying hunters were already aware of that prior to purchasing tags and special permit applications. This is exactly why I bought an east side tag this year.

Yes, but not everyone were as informed as the guys on this forum or other guys that have been paying attention to the various news releases.  I could see where maybe a guy had drawn a Toutle tag in 2007 and had pretty good success there and saw lots of elk might have applied and drawn this year and will be surprised at the reduced amount of elk and the increase in limpers.  I guess that is there fault for not paying attention, but it does seem like wdfw could have warned people of the possible euthanizing prior to hunting season...........maybe had something listed in the regs by the elk permit section. 

[bobcat]

Maybe I should have said that hunters who are on the hunting-washington site were aware of the problem.

But really I can't imagine a hunter not being aware of the issue with hoof disease, even if he doesn't spend time on this site.

It's been in the newspapers and the WDFW has put out news releases prior to the decision to kill off the most severely affected elk.

All I'm saying is I'm pretty sure this wasn't methodically planned to keep people in the dark so they'd spend their money on elk tags. The wdfw is trying to do the right thing and still people find something to complain about.

[Curly]

I think you may have a little too much faith in wdfw.  Yes, they appear to finally be trying to do something, but I think it is going to be too little too late.  The timing is suspect; seems like killing off some of the affected elk would have been a solution discussed months ago.........why come out with that decision right after the permit draw?  Just seems fishy.

[JimmyHoffa]

I don't see how the killing of sick elk really affects people hunting in those areas this year. The elk that will be killed prior to the hunting season are ones that a hunter wouldn't want to harvest anyway, and these sick elk may not have survived until hunting season even if the WDFW hadn't decided to go in and kill them.

Maybe those sicklies are what's keeping the cougars and other predators fed.  If you go kill off a big chunk of kitty chow now, what are those cats going to be eating in the weeks after?  The healthy elk that the hunters do want to harvest.  Plus you get the added benefit of the herd being pressured by humans well before the season.

[bobcat]

Either way, people hunting in areas with the sick elk have no excuse for not knowing about it.

There will still be plenty of hoof rot elk to hunt by the time hunting season comes around.

Just be sure to buy your Weyerhaeuser pass.