SB 5474 Would Create Year Round, Unlimited Season on Hoof Rot Elk

[chester]

I like it, kill them all and start over with transplants from Olympic NP. Get rid of the limpers, watch the Weyco permit system go broke and bring in better genetics.
 

[Blacktail Sniper]

I like it, kill them all and start over with transplants from Olympic NP. Get rid of the limpers, watch the Weyco permit system go broke and bring in better genetics.
 

Of course, if the underlaying issue that is causing the problem is not addressed and corrected, the "new" elk will just end up in the same condition...

[bbarnes]

This is not hoof rot,its a lack of habitat putting these animals into poor body condition.The timber company's are killing all of the spring, and fall habitat by spraying the toxins on the clear cuts.The first sentance of this bill, i completely agree with.The rest needs a complete overhaul.Hope to see all the REAL,elk hunters at the hearing Tuesday.

[ghosthunter]

This would truly create an enforcement mess!

There is no definition of what a "severe limp" is so what I may think is a "severe limp" may just be a 'normal limp' to the next guy. It'll basically come down to people shooting elk and just telling officers "well it had a severe limp" and there's nothing officers could do if they didn't see the elk walking itself.

The whole road kill savage law has created issues, but this one would create huge issues! 

We are walking the same trail on this one. Too open. I was with it till we got to authorized person.

[Elkcollector82]

Don't like it. Here there are lots of limping elk and if every one was open season year round there wouldn't be any elk left.  The elk need a chance to fight the infection off--and if they succeed their calves might inherit a better ability to deal with hoof rot.  Nature works that way. But herd immunity will never develop if every limping elk is shot before it has a chance to fight the disease. 

Nature is hard, Animals suffer, everything dies.  But it works that way.

So 15+ years of hoof rot. You think if an animal gonna beat the infection off it would have happened. But it comes from herbicide spraying. Can't beat that infection. When they keep doing it every year. People created the infection not nature. So there for people have to solve the problem. Could this turn into a poachers dream. Yes, but what's stopping the poachers now? Nothing! If someone gonna poach there gonna poach. No matter what laws or rules you put into effect. I've seen so many elk with this inflection it's sickening. So before you past judgement what's more cruel or unethical leaving a suffering animal that can't walk or put it out of its misery? They say it's ok to eat. But I would like to see them dish them self up a healthy plate and eat it with confidence. Highly doubt they will. This bill with some fine tuning could really end the hoof rot problem. Just like the road kill law. Yea there are people that take advantage of it. But then there's not. I know for a fact if I was driving down some highway with the family in car and seen some record bull standing in middle of the  road. I'd slow down. Not worth risking my family for some horns. (Plus I don't think pope and young have a firestone/Bridgestone  category) people are gonna do whatever they want. Right or wrong. That's just the way the world is.

[fireweed]

Is there any evidence that killing the hoof rot elk will stop the spread of the disease?  Or is killing limping elk just euthanasia? 

If the immune system (for whatever reason) is the issue, then killing off sick elk won't help much, especially if the bacteria is in the soil (as the WDFW claims).
There is such and outcry to "do something" that I am worried that lawmakers will jump in and do the wrong thing just to say the took action and did something.  There is simply not enough information about the cause, spread, source of the disease to be shooting all the elk with symptoms.

[Practical Approach]

I like it, kill them all and start over with transplants from Olympic NP. Get rid of the limpers, watch the Weyco permit system go broke and bring in better genetics.
 

There are limpers already documented on the Peninsula.

[Mudman]

How many grouse do you see in sprayed timberlands?  Enough said.  Stop spraying please.

[Curly]

How many grouse do you see in sprayed timberlands?  Enough said.  Stop spraying please.

 

Stop spraying and bring back burning.  Much better for the environment.

[JimmyHoffa]

How many grouse do you see in sprayed timberlands?  Enough said.  Stop spraying please.

There used to be some nice seasons in this state for band tailed pigeons.  Used to seem like whole clouds of them would cover clear cuts (especially when the elderberries were ripe).  The spray really knocked back the elderberries, now there's hardly a season for the band tailed pigeon.

[dreamunelk]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4693204/

[dreamunelk]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4290963/

[dreamunelk]

https://www.dovepress.com/the-etiology-of-digital-dermatitis-in-ruminants-recent-perspectives-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-VMRR

[bbarnes]

How is this possible when WDFW has killed 76 elk,and only 4 of these elk had trepaniemes.three of them had leptospirosis, a total of 7 tested positive.trepaniemes are a secondary virus,so what's killing them ?

[Mudman]

How is this possible when WDFW has killed 76 elk,and only 4 of these elk had trepaniemes.three of them had leptospirosis, a total of 7 tested positive.trepaniemes are a secondary virus,so what's killing them ?

I don't understand can you specify that comment?  76 were tested for all bacteriums?