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Cow Elk Hunt

by , Posted to on 04/05/2010 09:12 AM | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 03/09/2009
Location: ND
 

All hunters can help reduce TR National Park's elk herd

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Hunters who want to help reduce elk at Theodore Roosevelt National Park can come from anywhere in the country, but those involved think most will come from North Dakota or nearby.

The park released its final plan last month for shooting more than 1,300 elk in the park over the next five years, starting this November if the plan can be implemented that quickly.

Park superintendent Valerie Naylor said the how-to plan will be written in cooperation with the State Game and Fish Department once an official record of decision is inked by the park’s regional director, possibly in May.

A preferred alternative released last month sets out a plan of direct reduction by firearms to reduce the current population of more than 900 down to about 100, including the annual increase from pregnancies.

A team leader from the park service and four volunteer sportsmen and women using non-lead ammunition will shoot cow elk singly, or in unlimited numbers, depending on how they’re found by satellite tracking, with most of the meat donated to food pantries and tribes.

Each volunteer will be issued a tag and allowed to keep one elk among however many he or she shoots in week-long sorties that will run through the following January.

Volunteers will have to pass a target-shooting test and provide assurance that they are fit enough to spend a week pursuing the animals in the rugged park terrain.

It’s anticipated that “wranglers” on horse or mule back will remove the dead animals for refrigeration, processing and distribution to free up the shooting team to pursue more animals.

The elk reduction plan has been in the works since 2002, after a moratorium on relocating big game to prevent spread of chronic wasting disease. The final plan will be posted on the federal register on Friday, which begins a 30-day period leading to the record of decision.

Naylor said the process won’t be the same as hunting and shouldn’t be described that way.

Nor will it be limited to North Dakotans.

“People from all over could participate if they wanted to,” Naylor said.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., worked to ensure that no reduction plan would be funded unless it included volunteer hunters because of costs of using federal sharpshooters and helicopter teams to do the killing, as originally proposed.

“The park service cannot exclude others from participating in this program, but the truth is, the vast majority of the applicants and the vast majority of the volunteers will be from North Dakota,” Dorgan said.

Gov. John Hoeven also advocated for sportsmen participation.

His spokesman, Don Canton, said it is a national park and limiting the opportunity to North Dakotans was not an option.

“This is probably what’s going to work,” Canton said.

Game and Fish wildlife chief Randy Kreil said he expects most volunteers will come from within the state or nearby, primarily because only cow elk will be killed, not trophy bulls. He also said it’s unlikely someone from say, Pennsylvania, would fly in for a marksmanship proficiency test and return later for a volunteer week.

Kreil said bull elk are already getting hammered outside of the park and shooting cow elks is guaranteed to reduce the population and is the same way the department would handle the situation.

The park plans to use the volunteers to kill up to 275 elk each year.

That number will include however many are shot outside park boundaries during hunting season, which is typically about 70 elk a year.

If, after two years, volunteers aren’t able to shoot enough elk, other methods such as euthanasia after a roundup or relocating some animals will be used; that’s if the herd tests free of chronic wasting disease.

Kreil said he likes that the park plans to continue using volunteers to control the park’s elk population in the future.

Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/05/2010 11:36 AM | Reply #1 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 02/03/2004
Location: ND
Going unleaded even, nice! Do you suppose we have to provide our own ammo or will we be compensated for that cost? I would really like to see the specifics, anyone know if they are available yet?
Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/05/2010 12:43 PM | Reply #2 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 01/09/2002
Location: ND

"Park superintendent Valerie Naylor said the how-to plan will be written in cooperation with the State Game and Fish Department once an official record of decision is inked by the park’s regional director, possibly in May."

“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.” ~ Mark Twain
Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/05/2010 4:49 PM | Reply #3 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 10/27/2004
Location: ND
Count me out. No lead? WTF.
"The only enemy of guns is rust and politicians."
“You can roll manure in powered sugar but it still ain’t a jelly donut”

"The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry."

William F. Buckley, Jr.
"Unarmed helplessness is for sheep and the French."  Ted Nugent



Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/05/2010 4:54 PM | Reply #4 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 02/03/2004
Location: ND
Its the park service, they are notorious greenies, you expect them to let people throw toxic heavy metals all around the park? Seriously.....
Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/05/2010 5:14 PM | Reply #5 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 11/24/2004
Location: ND
3x - you better get ready for the barnes presentation.  When I first heard about it - I figured they would want no lead.   I also assume that you dont necessarily get the animal you shot.  Maybe thats why.  
Stay thirsty my friends
Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/06/2010 01:39 AM | Reply #6 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 01/05/2010
Location: nd
I think the park service wants this hunt to fail so miserably that will just hire sharp shooters.
 
Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/06/2010 07:00 AM | Reply #7 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 01/09/2002
Location: ND



"Naylor said the process won’t be the same as hunting and shouldn’t be described that way."

BringingTheRain Said:
I think the park service wants this hunt to fail so miserably that will just hire sharp shooters.


Why would you continue to think of this as a hunt?  I know I have mentioned it many times that a person won't be "hunting", so have several other members, and even in this story the Park's manager also says it isn't hunting. 
“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.” ~ Mark Twain
Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/06/2010 07:07 AM | Reply #8 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 10/27/2004
Location: ND
These people are so stupid is make me pissed off. Can you imagine "hunting" with one of these clowns? Can you imagine how they will react when somebody makes a bad shot, breaks a leg and they have to go after the cow? The "hunter" will probably get sued.
"The only enemy of guns is rust and politicians."
“You can roll manure in powered sugar but it still ain’t a jelly donut”

"The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry."

William F. Buckley, Jr.
"Unarmed helplessness is for sheep and the French."  Ted Nugent



Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/06/2010 07:39 AM | Reply #9 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 03/23/2009
Location: ND

Well i guess it's time to start experimenting with Barnes bullets out of the .308, .338, and if no caliber restrictions maybe the 50 since it's not really a hunt just a killing mission.  I figure i could probably take out 3 with one shot if they line up right then.  I'm not looking forward to this clusterf*** but I also wouldn't mind being there to be part of it.  The accuracy test might be interesting, would like to be there to watch it.  I know I have a tough time shooting when the pressure is on so i'm guessing there will be alot of others also.  Oh well i guess it's still better than paying people to shoot them or the other options.

Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/06/2010 07:44 AM | Reply #10 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 09/11/2002
Location: ND
That ought to get them moving, which is good for the rest of the badlands area.  With this in place, the G&F ought to be able to drop their tag #'s outside the park so its not such a cluster &$%*.

I say to hell with that pot o' gold.

Re: Cow Elk Hunt
by on 04/06/2010 08:19 AM | Reply #11 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |

Joined: 12/16/2001
Location: ND
3X, don't be so .....................???   .Man, IMHO you are showing more than your usual hatred of any government thing.     Lately your posts have gotten so wild and wierd that I'm sure I'm not the only one worried about your sanity!   Anger and full of hate of all things remotely associated with any government, and most things non government even!!    ????Sued??   Good Grief!!!  If you don't like 'unleaded' then stay home - they make the rules, not us!

Yes, Allen, definitely NOT a hunt, nor was it ever intended to be.   From the start, many on this website have repeated that it is not a hunt and not intended as such.  Wouldn't matter to some posters here anyway.  Even if they let unlimited hunters out there to shoot anything that moves, it still wouldn't be good enough and FBO would fill up with complaints from a few people!  LOL

I'm going to wait till the final rules come out before deciding about it.  I doubt I'd have the physical wherewithall to help them out for a week, though the idea of having people with horses available for grunt work   is appealing.  Whether the average working guy could/would spend a week of his vacation remains to be seen.
I understand that you can't necessarily keep "your" elk because of national park rules that pertain to every Ranger, paid or volunteer,  have been discussed here many times.  At least they seem to be genuinely trying to work around rules that were written 80 years ago.  
I doubt they will get many volunteers, but it will be interesting to see what happens once the dust settles.   I'd shoot a cow elk, or as many as they tell me to, if I didn't have to pack it out myself. I love eating them, and I have no more wall space for antlers anyway!
I don't know if I can work a Nat Park hunt in this year as I'll be too busy hunting ND sheep and moose, finishing off my ND "Big Three!"   Maybe next year.    
11 Replies | Page 1 of 11 | Top of Page | Bottom of Page
Posted By:
Posted On: 04/05/2010 09:12 AM
1204 Views, 11 Comments

Tags: elk, park, cow, hunt, reduce, hunters, national, posted, herd, meat
More Tags: Randy Kreil, Valerie Naylor, North Dakota, John Hoeven, Byron Dorgan, satellite tracking, food pantries, State Game and Fish Department, Fish Department, LAUREN DONOVAN, Don Canton, Park superintendent, regional director, Governor, spokesman, Fish wildlife chief, Pennsylvania,
Region: North Dakota

Categories: Hunting > Big Game Hunting - Bear, Elk, Moose, Antelope
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