Jacks Fork Wild Horses

[Terrapin Station]

Al, I've never heard anyone say that they "don't like horses." That's kinda like saying you don't like puppies or chocolate

Anyhoo, I've heard several mention culling...aren't those critters protected by federal law?

[taxidermist]

Sadly they are protected by Federal law. I agree that hogs are worse but niether have a place in the Americas.

Bad thing is the BLM is left to control horse in the USA and people are releasing more everyday. Yes I am a horse lover currently have five had 24 last summer.

I doubt the water quailty is effected much by any horses, humans are the prime source of coliform in the water.

I am also a member of Backcountry Horsemen. I dont shoe my horses either as shoes are exptremly damaging to the enviroment. and with proper trimming a horse can go barefoot. I also agree that large numbers on trail rides do some damage.

Feral is feral and every feral animal needs to be removed from the wild!

[jdmidwest]

Trout are a feral fish, do we get rid of them too?

[taxidermist]

Trout are used to replace the WARM WATER FISH the DAMS killed and the habitat the dams destroyed.

Trout as you know will not live outside of their habitat. Wild horses, feral hogs, feral dogs, feral cats will live and reproduce and damage habitat that wildlife could use.

BLM controls all wild horse popualtions and their adoptions are down, they still bring in horses and burros from the range but people are not adopting them in the number they once did. The Wild horse act of 1974 prohibits the killing of Wild Horses, so as they damage Elk and deer habitat so badly that elk and deer and Pronghorn are starving which should take priority? Which was here first?

Native horses died out 20,000 years ago!

So by your ideal I could have just taken the excess in my herd and turned them loose on Buffalo River, right?

[gobblergetter]

taxi for some reason I just cant seem to agree with ya on this one. trout can adapt to warmer waters. they are stocked into lake taneycomo but i have caught them not in large numbers mind you but i have caught rainbow trout way up in beaver creek and swan as well they are warm water creeks, there was no dam in these streams that destroyed warm water fish habitat but they are still there regardless. The horses arent going to hurt a thing. however i wil agree that people should not be allowed to just release horses out in the wild anymore. but these horses are there, and have been there for many years. they are a staple in that part of the state.

[Kayser]

You're also forgetting the spring fed streams in the ozarks, like the current and 11 point. They've (as in MDC and random grant studies) actually been doing some studies recently, and found very few native fish species, and no juvenile hellbenders or hellbender eggs. Apparently big trout really like the smaller hellbenders that are needed for a successful breeding population. They also have a tendency to outcompete, eat, and generally displace most native species where they are introduced. In short- trout are an introduced species and people just tend to look the other way on an introduced species if they really like them, despite harmful effects on the environment.

Rob

[jdmidwest]

Trout generally replaced native Smallmouth Bass habitat in spring fed streams. They compete for basically the same food sources in Missouri, minnows and crayfish.

But I like the open season on trout.