What the
Tribe Opposes Increased Elk Hunt .....
Read it here Hot off the Press
Wed, Feb 11, 2009 - 10:32 am
Tribe Opposes Increased Elk Hunt Biologist: Herd Is Fragile; Commissioner: Thinning Will Reduce Property Damage...
Go to link here or read below...
http://www.outdoorslc.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1234373577&archive=&start_from=&ucat=5By Dan Schreiber
dschreiber@chronline.com
Dan Schreiber: (360) 807-8239
A state recommendation for increased elk hunting in East Lewis County has prompted the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to put out a petition aimed at reversing the move, which was prompted in part by residents' damage complaints of trampled yards and gardens.
No solid figure exists for the number of elk that make up the so-called South Rainier herd, which migrate between the mountain and the valley where U.S. Highway 12 passes through Morton, Randle and Packwood. Residents there are accustomed to the roaming and grazing of the animals, which sometimes tromp through fences and hang around the paved areas of the towns.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife held meetings over the summer in East County to decide what hunting regulations to set for the 2009-2011 biennium, and concluded in a draft report that it would be appropriate to issue hunting tags for 79 female elk, an increase of about 45 over the area's 2008 threshold.
Barbara Moeller, a biologist for the tribe, says that will diminish the herd that she estimates to be about 1,000 large, especially since the taking of females will reduce its reproductive ability.
"It would be devastating," Moeller said, adding that male elk -- called bulls -- tend to roam away from grouped females, or cows, and their young. "It makes them easy targets. This idea that there are too many is not based on science."
Moeller and state biologists have said there is little interaction between the South Rainier herd and the Mount St. Helens herd, which exploded in numbers following the volcano's 1980 eruption that took down trees and provided plenty of low shrub and berry grazing land.
The Mount St. Helens numbers have increased so much that the state has sponsored programs to feed starving elk and then issue tags to thin the herd until the population becomes naturally sustainable.
Moeller describes the smaller Rainier herd as "fragile," but Lewis County Commissioner Lee Grose doesn't see it that way.
"I think that 39 elk cows will not diminish the herd significantly and it will help with the damage complaints," Grose said.
Grose says he has been characterized as an elk-hater at pubic meetings on the issue, but that he actually loves living with the elk in his East County district. They are a boon for tourism, and it is neat to be near such a majestic animal outside a zoo, Grose said.
As chronicled in this newspaper, Grose had somewhat of a late night altercation with an elk after he was awoken by his wife, who wasn't happy when one of the animals was eating flowers in her garden. After the commissioner wielded a piece of firewood to try to scare off the elk, it rose to its hind legs and one of its hoofs came down on Grose's foot.
Aside from that night, the commissioner said he has enjoyed an amicable relationship with his antlered neighbors.
"People have got me all wrong," Grose said. "They think I hate the elk and I don't hate the elk."
Grose contends that it is inappropriate for an Indian tribe to oppose the hunt, when other Native American individuals are permitted to hunt in East County without tags. Grose isn't sure what tribe they belong to, but their activities are common, he said.
"If we're going to talk about limiting the hunt, let's limit the hunt for the Indians, too," Grose said. "Let's limit the hunt for everyone."
How to Comment
The public comment period on WDFW's proposed hunting regulations ends Feb. 20.
Comments can be sent to: WDFW, Wildlife Program, 600 Capitol Way N. Olympia, WA 98501-1091.
E-mail comments can be sent to wildthing@dfw.wa.gov.
The Web site for the tribe's petition is:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/wdfw-proposing-to-kill-79-more-cow-elk-annually-in-the-packwood-area 
