Shooting cow with calf

[Bigshooter]

Elk herds in this state are weak and are getting weaker every year due to this mentality of "shoot anything that moves". Shooting a cow with a calf or shooting a calf  to me is greed and the "I have to get something" syndrom. I could understand if you where living off the land and that was your sole means of survival, however, no modern hunter in this day and age fits that bill. Instead of buying tags, weapons and gas spend that money at costco,you will get way more meat for the dollar.

FUNNY stuff there!!!  This is exactly verbatim what birkenstock wearing peta smoking tatoo'd and pierced up chicks say at Seattle cocktail parties when they find out I'm a hunter.    If you're that concerned about the "health" of the WA elk herds, don't kill them.

    

I love it.  Because it's so true.

[Bigshooter]

Elk herds in this state are weak and are getting weaker every year due to this mentality of "shoot anything that moves". Shooting a cow with a calf or shooting a calf  to me is greed and the "I have to get something" syndrom. I could understand if you where living off the land and that was your sole means of survival, however, no modern hunter in this day and age fits that bill. Instead of buying tags, weapons and gas spend that money at costco,you will get way more meat for the dollar.

    If you're that concerned about the "health" of the WA elk herds, don't kill them.

Not killing elk at all will do more damage than anything, that statement proves you are not educated on elk management. Do a little research about the deer on Anderson Island in california and see how your suggestion of "don't kill them" worked out! The issue is not about killing animals, I have no problem doing so, and have done it more than once, however, I am now selective on what I do shoot. We all should be concerned about the "health" of the elk herds in washington. Our elk herds are not in good shape compared to other states the manage elk.

The game department wants to reduce the size of the St. Helens herd.  Because they are starving to death down there because the herd is to big and there is not good wintering grounds.  I don't think they care if you kill a calf or a cow.  They just want the herd reduced so we don't have a bunch of people bitching about all the dead elk after each winter.  They figure this will make the herd more healthy.

[Bigshooter]

Moral issues for shooting a calf?  Really?  So is it ok to shoot a 1 1/2 year old?  Or a 2 1/2 year old?  Or does it need to be over 5 1/2 years old before you shoot it?  When is it not a moral issue any more?  If you have moral issues for shooting a legal calf elk, you really should think about why you are hunting.

Even with all the slamming of both sides, this still surprised me the most (Just caught up on the whole thread.) I wouldn't shoot one personally, but as said... that is my personal choice. But to say that maybe I should reconsider my hunting career because I would rather continue my hunt and pass on an animal that doesn't meet my personal standards... not sure I agree with your logic.

I did not say that you should reconsider your hunting career because you passed.  I said if you had moral issues for shooting a legal calf elk you should reconsider why you are hunting.  You should not feel bad for shooting a legal animal.  If you do maybe hunting is not for you.  I have no problem with someone passing up a cow, calf or bull because they want to continue hunting.

[Glockster]

I never said anything about "stockpiling" animals, I am talking about balance. Trained bilogists said that Idoho could support a wolf plan, how did that turn out? Trained biologists are starting to plant wovles here now, how do you think it is going to turn out? Trained biologists said that the elk herds in soutwest washington need to be reduce. I can tell you first hand that just 3 short years ago I could easily be with in bow range of over 20 elk a day, now you are lucky if you see 5 in a week. Ask anyone that has hunted down there if they have witnessed the dramtic decrease in elk. Now lets throw this in the pot, 5 months of hunting elk, over 800 special permits,wolves and winter kill. And you put your trust on what a "trained biologists" calculated? Yeah, they never make mistakes

Biologists are used to support agenda driven wildlife management in every state.  If the agenda is to provide the most possible deer and elk for human hunters that's a great thing!  If the agenda is to provide the least possible for human hunters and the most for predators, that's what you see here in WA.  The feds told the states to "recover" wolves....USFWS biologists did the planting.  You have pictures of state biologists involved in this we'd all love to see it.