WDFW announces mountain goat removal in Olympic National Park

[CougHunter]

https://www.nps.gov/olym/getinvolved/mountain-goat-management-removal.htm

[kirkl]

Olympic National Park is recruiting skilled volunteers to assist with the lethal removal of non-native mountain goats from the park. Selected volunteers will be required to travel on foot up to 15 miles a day through park wilderness, much of which will be off trail in predominantly steep and extremely challenging terrain.

This program will occur from Sept. 9 - Oct. 17, 2020.
In order to participate, volunteers must apply in groups of 3-6 people, and participate in one of three scheduled removal sessions.
Participants must:

attend one day of training at the beginning of each designated removal session
pass a background check
meet requirements for physical fitness, orienteering, and experience recreating in extensive mountainous wilderness.
Groups may consist of field support personnel and expert marksmen; only those who pass a firearms proficiency test (which will be administered during each training) will be permitted to shoot goats in the park. Each group must have at least one person that passes the firearms proficiency test.

Volunteers must supply all their own required equipment and supplies, including suitable firearms and non-toxic ammunition.

Applications will be accepted until at least April 17. After that date, it will close as soon as 30 qualified groups apply, or on April 24 (whichever comes first).

For the past three years the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been a partner with Olympic National Park and many other organizations in this effort to return the ecosystem to a natural state. Thank you for considering participation in this important effort to remove nonnative mountain goats from the Olympic National Park.

Please visit nps.gov/olym/getinvolved/mountain-goat-management-removal.htm for more information.

 

[swordtine]

Unreal

[Alchase]

Do the hunters get to keep the goats?

[RG]

This is the stupidest thing I’ve read this week.  What about non-native wolves.

[Oldguy]

At least they aren't introducing wolves to the Olympics to control the goats.  Heck, the wolves will just magically migrate there sometime.  Wonder how much the WDFW could make selling goat tags as an alternate?   

[Katmai Guy]

Hey, a way to hunt goats without drawing a tag.

[Milkman]

Well if there doing *censored* *censored* like this that means we should have a hunting season after all

[downtownbrown0610]

I just read the email. Almost sounded like a joke at first. " Groups may consist of field support personnel and expert marksmen " Sounds like some sort of kill team haha. Definitely does not sound like something the state of WA would participate in. On a more serious note it sounds like an awesome opportunity to those that can physically make the cut!

[linxx77]

Anyone want to form a group with me?


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[Pegasus]

How many goats and why the need for "non-lead ammunition"?  How many bullets will be needed to kill the goats and are they using fully automatic firearms? This is what happens when non-hunters basically run the WDFW.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Non lead ammunition? Are they serious? Goats are one of the harder animals to kill with good ammunition.

[linxx77]

“Place a minimum of 3 out of 5 shots in an 8inch circle at 200 yards”

I’m guessing a ton of people on this forum can handle that!


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[timberfaller]

What, are the poor little goats still eating those little flowers that are on the ESL???   That is what started all this years ago!  Poor little flower sniffers in Seattle didn't think the goats should be allowed to live for eating those flowers!!

[acrim]

This really looks like a hunt of a lifetime !    Now to start losing that extra 35 lbs to get the doctors ok and not blow out knees or cardiac pumper during the hunt...  damn tempting !