Mdc Killed An Elk

[ness]

Here's a good way to see some elk:

ness 2.1 in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Loafing above treeline RMNP

[ness]

why not...

[jdmidwest]

Yep, they really do eat all the weeds. And the pasture looks like horses have been clipping it.

[Outside Bend]

I'm still lost as to why elk are an exception.

Yes, these elk are tagged- just like MDC tags whitetails, turkey, smallmouth, largemouth, paddlefish, sturgeon, ducks, geese, doves, and other critters. I'm not sure how that makes them anyone's pet. MDC's job is to manage wildlife populations. To manage wildlife populations, they need data. To acquire data, they need tags. Tags are expensive, but far less costly than hiring agents or technicians to track and monitor elk 24/7. Folks are already whining about the cost of the reintroduction program, how do well do you think hiring more people would go over?

The collars look silly, but it's no different than any other tag MDC uses on wildlife, and collects volumes of valuable information on these animals. Would it have been better to blindly release elk, with no means of collecting data on where they are, what habitat they're using, or whether they're even alive and healthy? IMO complaining about collars is a pretty lame reason for poo-pooing the entire program, like saying we shouldn't bother managing stream smallmouth because those reward tags clash with their color scheme.

Folks can see elk in parks and zoos, just as folks can see ducks and geese in county parks, whitetails and turkey in Grant's Farm, smallmouth bass in the tank at Bass Pro. Should we therefore ignore their wild populations? Not bother worrying about their interactions with people and the health of their ecosystems? If a fenced elk in St. Louis county has the same value as an unfenced elk in Carter County, why wouldn't a smallmouth in a tank have the same value as a smallmouth in the Meramec? And if those two are equivalent, why bother managing to benefit wild smallmouth?

And sure, elk roam. Deer roam. Turkeys roam. Bobcats roam. Squirrels roam. Smallmouth, walleye, sauger, paddlefish, sturgeon, suckers, catfish- they all roam. Doves roam. Ducks roam. Geese roam. Songbirds roam. Hawks, eagles, ospreys...heck, box turtles roam. It's not just elk. And we find ways of managing these species, so why not elk? No one here is getting their panties in a wad over raccoons trapped in attics or skunks trapped under stoops- or flocks of geese shot because they landed on a tarmac. These animals are killed solely because they wound up in areas they weren't wanted- just as this elk did. It's not a novel concept.

[OzarkFishman]

Nice OB, that is a great post.

Very logical; sympathizing with some of the objections, yet explaining that they are silly complaints.

Defintely post of the week in my opinion (that would be a fun thing to start ...).

[ColdWaterFshr]

Disagree. He glossed over the major points.

The collars on these elk are on every single one of them. MDC doesn't tag every single smallie, bobcat, whitetail, or whatever. Every single one of these PET ELK are being radio collared and tracked and will have to be, presumably for as long as they continue with this thing. And they will want to roam but they don't want them to?? Guess thats why they need to keep tabs and each and every one of them, because they are a massive creature and could cause issues with landowners.

Look, I love elk. They look cool in Colorado or Wyoming, or Montana. Roaming around those peaks and bugling and it gets me all fuzzy and warm. But out there, they don't have to keep tabs and each and everyone of them, do they? Because they got more room to spread out in places like RMNP, or on these massive mountains and dense forests. Peck is pretty big, but it ain't Montana big. This is just a silly fantasy project.

Why not re-introduce bison? Don't stop with just elk!! Lets go for broke and get things as close to authentic as they were 300 years ago.

Silly boys, dream on.

[oneshot]

So let me get this straight...elk roam. Yep. They aren't going to be doing much roaming to get away from wolves in MO. The reason they'll roam in MO is to find better food. Given that 99% of the open ground in and around the Current River country is pasture, and 99.9% of the pasture is fescue, which is basically worthless for most wildlife and not all that appealing to elk, they might not be very attracted to it, but if they get tired of browsing the woodlands they may start looking for some practically non-existent cropland.

Which is why MDC is trying to appease the landowners and keep them in the wild, public lands. It seems like the biggest complaint among those here, who don't have a stake in the game in the form of land ownership in the area, is all the money they spent. I get that. I'd like to see money spent on other things. But geez, give this a chance to work. It ain't like it's irreversible. If elk suddenly begin to cause a lot of problems, it would be pretty easy to turn the locals loose to wipe them out. Then, yes, the money would have been wasted. But in the meantime, I think it's worth a shot. Elk seem to be doing okay in Arkansas without too many problems.

Whom told you Elk aren't causing major problems in Arkansas? There is plenty problems with them there with private Landowners that are very POed.

oneshot

[eric1978]

Well I've seen areas they have killed all the Bull Frogs,Crawdads and who knows how many Fish.They are Aquatic Killing Machines.

Sounds like someone we know. LOL

[Feathers and Fins]

Elk Migration

The National Elk Refuge

In the high country, deep November snows cause elk to migrate to their winter range on the National Elk Refuge, In strings of 200 or more, thousands of elk arrive, some after traveling more than 65 miles from southern Yellowstone National Park and surrounding national forests.Settlement and development eliminated nearly three-fourths of the elk's natural winter range. The 23,000-acre National Elk Refuge was established in 1912 to protect the remaining winter habitat.

Throughout the year, several different national and state agencies manage the herd and its habitat. The elk (properly called watiti) leave the Refuge in April when winter snows began to melt. Calves are born in late May and June as the elk migrate to their summer ranges.

The winter herd on the National Elk Refuge exceeds 7,500 animals. About one-half of these elk summer in Grand Teton National Park. The elk are not confined; the Refuge fence protects them from the road.

So what will happen when the Elk decide to migrate. Pecks is nowhere near the size of the National Elk Refuge.! Is MDC just going ot kil them off? If that is the case ten why was this project undertaken?

Only two solutions I see possible... Allow the animals to roam without killing them or HIGH FENCE the park and make it a zoo. If they are going to enforce shooting ( problem andimals ) then shoot them all now and be done with it.

[OzarkFishman]

I think these question could clear up the situation ... just don't know if anyone has the answers ...

What was it about this particular case that caused the shooting?

Are all shot when they leave the "area" OR is it a case by case thing?

These questions would allow all of us to get a better judgement of the situation.