Good article in the Chronicle about elk hoof rot study.

[Mudman]

Y'all shouldn't forget we are infected too!!  We eat fish and produce etc.  Our streams are polluted as well as some of our wells.  Yards full of roundup.  Sprays in the ditches of county roads.  Oceans...  Even organic grown produce sometimes show chemicals from soil saturation.   

[bornhunter]

While this concerns hoof rot, I bet we would see more grouse with less spraying too.

I used to live next to a large parcel of weyco ground. After watching spraying and fertilizing from the air, it wasnt long and you could walk up to grouse and pick them up. The breast meat of the birds was black. Didnt take long and grouse ceased to exist in the area.

[fireweed]

What is amazing is that the DNR is spray happy too--not just private industry.  Up on the Toutle block they even spray high elevation huckleberries.

[Mudman]

It is no coincidence that deer got mangy, elk footy and grouse vanished at around the same times and areas...What about the honeybee mystery?  Where all all the frogs and salamanders I remember from youth?  How are the fish doing?  Alzheimer/dementia/autism?  Who knows?  It all seems to have elevated after 1980's?  Gotta wonder...

[BDildine]

It is no coincidence that deer got mangy, elk footy and grouse vanished at around the same times and areas...What about the honeybee mystery?  Where all all the frogs and salamanders I remember from youth?  How are the fish doing?  Alzheimer/dementia/autism?  Who knows?  It all seems to have elevated after 1980's?  Gotta wonder...

I have no doubt that they are somehow either directly or indirectly connected, Theres no way you can introduce chemicals in masse to the environment on large scale and not have rippling effects, and after years/generations of spraying your now seeing the effects of it.
The thing is unless you can prove beyond reasonable doubt, that much change will happen. They wont change willingly, and they have millions to spend on lawyers to tie it up in court for years. You'll about have to legislate it out with massive public backing/pressure IMO.

[bbarnes]

Members and hunters in general need to show up,make phone calls and have your voice heard,LOUD AND CLEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!To date not one elk has been saved ,and we've written countless articles,thesis papers on the issue not to mention millions of dollars.We need ACTION from WDFW on this issue or we all need to quit buying tags.No hunter is interested in just hiking in the woods all day to see nothing.Get involved and make a differncce.It is crazy to me how every hunting show has millions of sponsors but we can't get any sporting goods company's or hunting organizations to help out WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!

[Tinmaniac]

Packing up camp now just outside of Pe Ell.4.5 days hunting,25 elk spotted.Every single one was limping bad.It won't be long before there are no elk left on the West side.

[High Climber]

Packing up camp now just outside of Pe Ell.4.5 days hunting,25 elk spotted.Every single one was limping bad.It won't be long before there are no elk left on the West side.

Sad. Weyco land or state?

[JBar]

I'm suprised with Inslee being such a "leader" in saving the environment that he hasn't signed an emergency order banning the use of pesticides on timberlands!

[pianoman9701]

Packing up camp now just outside of Pe Ell.4.5 days hunting,25 elk spotted.Every single one was limping bad.It won't be long before there are no elk left on the West side.

Sad. Weyco land or state?

I'm suprised with Inslee being such a "leader" in saving the environment that he hasn't signed an emergency order banning the use of pesticides on timberlands!

The state sprays that crap, too, on DNR land. Check Inslee's political donors and see where Syngenta, Monsanto, and Weyerhauser rank on the list. That will give you an idea of how principled our governor is regarding the environment. The environment is only important to the left as a vehicle to socialism. Getting re-elected is more important than elk.

[Bob33]

I don't anticipate change happening soon. First, the assumption that spraying contributes to hoof rot must be true. Secondly, the study must confirm it. If it does, a change in spraying practices must be legislated. If that all occurs it may take several generations of elk for the causes and genetic changes to take effect.

[Tinmaniac]

After seeing the condition these elk were in my son spent each evening reading about hoof rot.Within an hour he confirmed what I already suspected.Herbicides may have an effect but are not the cause of hoof rot.I am not going into detail and would suggest everyone do their own research before blaming it all on spraying.The fact is that hoof rot is a death sentence for any elk that gets it.It is not just a bad case of toe jam,these elk are dying of infection and it is plain to see.Hoof rot knows no borders,without a vaccine it will continue to spread.It's in a large part of the landscape now and as more elk get it the further it spreads.

[Mudman]

Um, do some more reading.  Trep bacteria is a normal occurring thing.  So why is immune response not working?  Vaccines are for viral not bacterium.  Elk are immune suppressed.  Why?  Time and research will tell the truth if people listen and the big $ doesn't shut it down.  Fact is the truth has been out there for a decade but people are not listening because the science is attacked as flakey/junk discredited by who?  Yup Monsanto etc.

[jstone]

Sample the water. The water runs off into the creeks into the rivers into the ocean. Can this also be killing the fish!? Getting into our water system?

[Tinmaniac]

Um, do some more reading.  Trep bacteria is a normal occurring thing.  So why is immune response not working?  Vaccines are for viral not bacterium.  Elk are immune suppressed.  Why?  Time and research will tell the truth if people listen and the big $ doesn't shut it down.  Fact is the truth has been out there for a decade but people are not listening because the science is attacked as flakey/junk discredited by who?  Yup Monsanto etc.

What makes the science saying it's the Trep bacteria credible and not junk science?So your saying that they should be able to take a healthy elk and soil from a known non- contaminated area and spray the elk and soil with herbicide and the elk will get will get hoof rot.Interesting.