Antelope Capture - WE HAVE ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WE NEED NOW. THANKS!

[Bushcraft]

For a variety of reasons, they are being translocated to a place on the Yakama Indian reservation with the hopes that they intermix with large and growing herds that are wintering there that already have GPS tracking collars on many of the speed goats.

[Bushcraft]

A big thanks to everyone that has written or called. We have all the volunteer help we need at this point.

I/we appreciate it!

Thanks,

Allen

[KFhunter]

that is good news 

[bearpaw]

I commend SCI and the Yakima Tribe for doing this... 

[Bushcraft]

And so people know for future reference, there are a lot of variables that need to line up perfectly for a green-light "GO!" when it comes to doing these capture and translocation projects. 
Weather, road conditions, available agency professionals, availably vets, available volunteers, available tribal bios, helicopter contractor availability, legal issues, etc., etc., etc.,...all have to fall in line.

In as much as we'd love to have this sort of thing planned out and have plenty of notice with a firmly locked-in date & time...it unfortunately doesn't work that way and the window of opportunity can be pretty fluid. You sometimes literally have to have a bag packed and in your fueled up rig ready to hit the road at a moment's notice.

Another aspect is that our SCI chapters have developed a good working relationship with, and has built a lot of trust with, the Nevada F&G as well as the Yakima and Colville nation's bios.  Accordingly, they are depending on us to make sure we are vetting people for these activities. The last thing anyone wants is someone from PETA or HSUS slipping through the cracks and sabotaging a major conservation project.

To that end, you are more likely to learn about these sorts of projects sooner if your are an SCI member and get involved with one of the local chapters.

www.sci-washington.com

I hope we get lots of good photos and video to share...and at least 50 more speed goats and their DNA into our growing population(s).

Thanks folks!

Allen 

[Dan-o]

Thank you for doing this.

[bornhunter]

Emailing now to see how I can help! Sounds like fun too.

If I can get one more commitment rescheduled then I get to go! Woo hoo!

[Special T]

Emailing now to see how I can help! Sounds like fun too.

If I can get one more commitment rescheduled then I get to go! Woo hoo!

Envious! Id fly down right now if i could make it happen!

[MtnMuley]

I'm surprised at all the support for SCI putting in all the time and effort to transplant lopes to the Yak Rez. Do you guys have hopes they will move off rez and hope WDFW will invest time, money, and resources to making an eventual season? WDFW can't effectively manage the game they have nowdays. I certainly don't like the idea of my money donated to SCI going to fund projects for the Yak Rez. What have they done to help us manage any game or bring in animals on off rez lands, besides over harvest animals on "ceded" ground? Again, just curious for all this support.......

[Special T]

I'm surprised at all the support for SCI putting in all the time and effort to transplant lopes to the Yak Rez. Do you guys have hopes they will move off rez and hope WDFW will invest time, money, and resources to making an eventual season? WDFW can't effectively manage the game they have nowdays. I certainly don't like the idea of my money donated to SCI going to fund projects for the Yak Rez. What have they done to help us manage any game or bring in animals on off rez lands, besides over harvest animals on "ceded" ground? Again, just curious for all this support.......

perhaps it is the hope that Speed Goats will thrive in spite of the challenges  the department faces. Turkeys have done so thanks to the efforts of  the NWTF despite the politics of the department.
politics make strange bedfellows.

[bornhunter]

I'm surprised at all the support for SCI putting in all the time and effort to transplant lopes to the Yak Rez. Do you guys have hopes they will move off rez and hope WDFW will invest time, money, and resources to making an eventual season? WDFW can't effectively manage the game they have nowdays. I certainly don't like the idea of my money donated to SCI going to fund projects for the Yak Rez. What have they done to help us manage any game or bring in animals on off rez lands, besides over harvest animals on "ceded" ground? Again, just curious for all this support.......

I am 65 years old and have beem hunting since I was 8 years old. I have taken a s#%tpot load of big game, migratory birds and upland birds in that time. For me, its time to give back some and do a little something for all the enjoyment all those critters gave me (and my dogs). The only speedgoats I have seen in Wa were two does I found poached while I was pheasant hunting on the eastside. Maybe this effort will get something going for some lucky hunter to take a speedgoat someday. Sorry for the ramble.

[bearpaw]

I'm surprised at all the support for SCI putting in all the time and effort to transplant lopes to the Yak Rez. Do you guys have hopes they will move off rez and hope WDFW will invest time, money, and resources to making an eventual season? WDFW can't effectively manage the game they have nowdays. I certainly don't like the idea of my money donated to SCI going to fund projects for the Yak Rez. What have they done to help us manage any game or bring in animals on off rez lands, besides over harvest animals on "ceded" ground? Again, just curious for all this support.......

Hopefully bushcraft will correct me if I get any of this wrong. The antelope that were released in the past have multiplied and have been seen all over south central WA. The tribes can more easily facilitate releasing them, it's hard for opponents to stop the release in courts. Whether we ever have a season or not it's great to have antelope in WA, but I suspect if poaching can be kept in check that as the herds continue to grow, eventually the tribes and WDFW can allow some hunting.

There are numerous topics on the forum with antelope photos from many different locations in WA.

[Oh Mah]

The most promising news in WA. in years.In my opinion that is.NWTF has done everything they said they would and more with the member dues and other donations.Other than just SCI is there gonna be a North West Speed Goat ASSOCIATION (NWSG) in the future for specific funding of this? Thank you to all involved in this. 

[Bushcraft]

I'm surprised at all the support for SCI putting in all the time and effort to transplant lopes to the Yak Rez. Do you guys have hopes they will move off rez and hope WDFW will invest time, money, and resources to making an eventual season? WDFW can't effectively manage the game they have nowdays. I certainly don't like the idea of my money donated to SCI going to fund projects for the Yak Rez. What have they done to help us manage any game or bring in animals on off rez lands, besides over harvest animals on "ceded" ground? Again, just curious for all this support.......

No offense, but I'm really having to bite my tongue when it comes to responding to this uninformed comment.  Particularly when I'm in a bad mood after spending a couple days in Olympia fighting the anti-gun crowd and see hardly anyone showing up to help.  I've said it before and I'll say it again. Firearm owners are incredibly lazy. Lot's of bitching and almost no engagement when the chips are down. Hunters as a whole are even lazier. It's pathetic and hugely frustrating for those of us that are pouring a TON of time, energy and money into the fight.  Okay...rant over.


A brief history of SCI's antelope reintroduction efforts:

- We wanted to reintroduce antelope to their historical ranges in Washington State in an effort to improve biodiversity and eventually have another huntable species in this state.

- WDFW was adamantly oppossed to the reintroduction of a historically native species, to the point that we were warned that severe prosecution of anyone attempting to do so would happen.

- We determined that it was illegal to bring antelope into Washington lands, but not "sovereign" lands of the tribes.

- We approached the tribes and began a dialog with them, which ultimately resulted in a good working partnership with them and their biologists that helped in turn pave the way for good relationships with biologists in other states.  (As an aside, the best biologists in this state work for the tribes!)

- We had ZERO help from WDFW in this regard, in fact the convoy of the first reintroduction was stopped by a WSP roadblock. Because the antelope were with tribal members and destined for tribals lands, we were able to essentially flip them the bird and drive on and complete that initial translocation.

- The first sets of antelope were affixed with radio collars - reasonably cost effective technology for the time, that allowed us to keep loose tabs on them as they spread out in the Spring, Summer and Fall to areas far outside the Rezervation boundaries.  They tend to band up in the winter and for whatever reason  lot of them move back onto the Rez.

- With follow-on reintroductions, we paid for and equipped the antelope with GPS collars, thereby helping keep much closer tabs on their whereabouts. 3 pings a day.

- Because they are here - hopefully to stay, and seem to be growing and spreading around the state outside of the Rez in healthy sustainable numbers with continued injections of new DNA, WDFW has finally accepted that they need to be involved and are working with us in the management and protection of the species.

- As antelope spread well beyond the boundaries of the Yakima and Colville reservation boundaries, we need to work with landowners and convince them that having antelope on the landscape again is a good thing. Outside of the rare hard-case, they have been very supportive.

I hope this brief explanation helps clear up the who/what/where/when/why it is important to support SCI in our hunter advocacy and wildlife conservation efforts.  This is the tip of the iceberg of what we do for hunters and wildlife.

No offense to other conservation org's, (I belong to and support a laundry list of them) but I would encourage people to join SCI before joining or donating to any other organization.

First - NRA, they are the big dog in the fight. Damn hard to hunt if you can't own/use a firearm.
Second - SCI, we are the 800 lb. gorilla with massive political influence at the local, state, national, and international level.  It's in our logo, but we are literally FIRST FOR HUNTERS!  Join us...there is strength in numbers!

Third...the critter club of your choice. Like to hunt elk? Join RMEF. Like to hunt ducks? Join a waterfowl organization like DU, Delta Waterfowl or Washington Waterfowlers. Like to hunt Sheep...join WSF. Etc.

Please join and get involved in this order.

Thank you.

Allen

[bornhunter]

Very well said