MO Elk poacher busted

[fishinwrench]

40 minutes ago, Mitch f said:

What is the process the  MDC uses for deciding which animals get reintroduced?

Yeah I wonder which chair holder-downers pet project that was? 

"Rather than tending better to what we already have, let's bring in something else that we can fail to keep track of".   And while we're at it, let's do nothing with the trout program but raise the price of a trout tag anyway.   🙄

[Gavin]

The trout program is pretty darn good considering the limited habitat that will support trout in this state. Better than allot of more famous trout states. Better than it was 20 years ago on the Current. Used to be a  3 fish > 15” limit and you could fish live bait. The “Minnow Days” are long gone, and the fishing is better for it. The Niangua & Meramec have always been 2nd class trout rivers. Marginal habitat and to much pressure on both.

[fishinwrench]

13 minutes ago, Gavin said:

The trout program is pretty darn good considering the limited habitat that will support trout in this state. Better than allot of more famous trout states. Better than it was 20 years ago on the Current. Used to be a  3 fish > 15” limit and you could fish live bait. The “Minnow Days” are long gone, and the fishing is better for it. The Niangua & Meramec have always been 2nd class trout rivers. Marginal habitat and to much pressure on both.

Yeah it really is. They do ok at Bennett for only utilizing 1/4 of the hatchery system they built.   I'd sure love to see them ramp it up though.   The park and river both fished much better back when they had  less tools to do their jobs with, and less guys doing it.   I can't even imagine what those guys do all day long now.   Cut grass I suppose.  

[tjm]

I think the guy that pushed so hard for the elk is retired/gone now but they will keep costing us for a long time more. Truth is reintroducing  any wildlife is a forever project, they only need to be reintroduced because the habitat needed has become corn fields and lawns, so until we cut back the population to 1820 levels the critters that roamed then are not going to have enough suitable habitat without clashing with humans more or less constantly. Think how many $$millions  deer have cost in car wrecks alone and deer are pretty  good at adapting to human pressure. The otter have been a huge success, the few they started with now have populated most of the state and parts of the neighboring states. So they trash a few boats every day, only the boat people care about that.