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Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan

by Tonts1 , Posted to Fishing Buddy on 09/30/2009 12:47 PM | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Tonts1
Joined: 11/19/2002
Location: ND
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/135429/group/home/

BISMARCK — State officials have reached an agreement with the National Park Service that will allow volunteers to kill and keep some of the meat from an overpopulated elk herd at North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Sen. Byron Dorgan and Gov. John Hoeven announced the agreement on Wednesday. It would end a lengthy dispute over how to deal with the bloated elk herd.

Officials say about 900 elk are in the park’s south unit. The park considers a “sustainable” level to be no more than 400, and has been working about five years on a plan for achieving that.
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Lycanthrope on 09/30/2009 3:20 PM | Reply #1 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Lycanthrope
Joined: 02/03/2004
Location: ND
Need details!
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by yelowjackt on 09/30/2009 4:07 PM | Reply #2 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
yelowjackt
Joined: 08/31/2005
Location: ND
 

BISMARCK - Qualified volunteers will soon be allowed to hunt elk in Theodore Roosevelt National Park and possibly keep the meat, as part of a government initiative to reduce the elk herd in the park, officials announced today.

Under an agreement between the National Park Service and the North Dakota state government, volunteer hunters under government supervision will help thin the park’s elk herd, which has grown so large it threatens the park’s habitat, according to a press release issued today by U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan and North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven.

The park service is prohibited from providing the meat directly to the hunters – so the state government will receive the meat, which might then be given back to the hunters, the release said.

“If the state then wanted to give some of the meat to the volunteers that helped in the removal effort, that would be their decision,” the National Park Service wrote in a letter to Dorgan.

The idea has been in the works for a while among Dorgan, state officials and the park service. With the details finalized, park service officials can now develop the volunteer program for the hunt, the release said.

“This is good news for North Dakota hunters who want to volunteer to do their part,” Dorgan said in a statement.



Still no real details....




… brindle is as brindle does 
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Enslow on 09/30/2009 4:09 PM | Reply #3 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Enslow
Joined: 02/13/2006
Location: ND
Government Supervision, just what i have always wanted on an elk hunt.
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Enslow on 09/30/2009 4:18 PM | Reply #4 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Enslow
Joined: 02/13/2006
Location: ND
This is going to be a Shit*how!  Just open the fence up for common sense sakes.
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by yelowjackt on 09/30/2009 4:23 PM | Reply #5 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
yelowjackt
Joined: 08/31/2005
Location: ND
I wonder if they'll supply BlackHawks for the volunteers to use ???




… brindle is as brindle does 
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Trev on 09/30/2009 6:42 PM | Reply #6 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Trev
Joined: 03/09/2009
Location: ND
I wonder how you become a volunteer to do this. I also wonder how many people on here that go crazy over high fence hunts will volunteer to go shoot these elk.

Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Allen on 09/30/2009 7:09 PM | Reply #7 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Allen
Joined: 01/09/2002
Location: ND
Trev Said:
I wonder how you become a volunteer to do this. I also wonder how many people on here that go crazy over high fence hunts will volunteer to go shoot these elk.
I am not a fan of high fence hunts by any stretch of the imagination and yet I would "volunteer" to "cull" a cow.

Nothing about this spells hunting to me, but I dearly love elk meat.


I wonder which "parts" of the meat a person would get to keep?  Backstraps and tenderloins and I'd say OK.  Ribs and sphincter and I'd probably pass on the cull.
“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: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Trev on 09/30/2009 8:41 PM | Reply #8 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Trev
Joined: 03/09/2009
Location: ND
It would be pretty fun I think to be one of the volunteers.  I would like to know how one goes about getting his name in the hat so to speak.

I was mainly just being a smart arse about my first post.

Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Bob kellam on 10/01/2009 06:38 AM | Reply #9 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Bob kellam
Joined: 07/22/2005
Location: ND
Received this from Randy Kreil last night


North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Questions and answers related to the Preferred Alternative in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Elk Management in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP)
September 30, 2009
On September 30, 2009 a joint press release from Governor John Hoeven and Senator Byron Dorgan announced that the National Park Service (NPS) and the state of North Dakota had reached an agreement in principle to allow skilled volunteers to assist with the removal of elk from TRNP. The following is a list of common questions and answers related to this announcement and the NPS’s Preferred Alternative in the EIS. These questions and answers are the ND Game and Fish Department’s interpretation based on recent discussions with the NPS, Governor Hoeven and Senator Dorgan.
 
Who is the lead agency for implementing this Preferred Alternative?
The NPS is the agency responsible for managing TRNP and the natural resources found in the park. Therefore, the NPS will be the lead in developing and implementing any actions intended to reduce elk numbers in the park.
 
What is the role of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGFD) in this process?
The Department’s role in this process will be one of providing technical advice and assistance to the NPS as it develops and implements the process.
 
The NDGFD withdrew its support from the EIS process in 2007. What has changed that prompted the NDGFD to again participate? 
The NDGFD has been involved in the multi-year EIS process in various capacities. Initially the NDGFD was a cooperating agency but due to significant differences in philosophy, the Department withdrew from this capacity in 2007. Since that time the NDGFD has continued to provide critical review of the NPS EIS process similar to any other interested agency or individual. Based on recent discussions and NPS willingness to reconsider the use of volunteers in what the NDGFD deemed to be a reasonable manner, the department has re-engaged as a cooperating agency.
 
When will this herd reduction process begin? The NPS is currently going through the legally mandated process and will be evaluating more than 11,000 comments received on the draft EIS. Once the comments are reviewed, the NPS will complete the process, which includes another public hearing, a Record of Decision that will finalize their plans for managing the elk herd in TRNP, and publishing the Record of Decision in the Federal Register. It is anticipated this will be completed late this year or early in 2010. Actual reduction of elk will not begin until the fall of 2010 at the earliest.
 
Where does a person apply to be a volunteer in the elk management action?
 At this time no application procedures have been developed and there is no method to apply.   After the NPS has completed their EIS process and finalized their decision in early 2010 we anticipate they will begin the process of seeking and selecting volunteers. The exact method of accomplishing this has yet to be determined. The NDGFD will be providing technical advice and assistance in this aspect of the process and both agencies will actively work to keep the public informed when applications are being accepted.
 
I am a North Dakota resident. Will participating in this management action in TRNP count against my once-in-a-lifetime elk restriction?
 No it will not. 
 
 
 
If I have had a North Dakota elk licenses in the past and was unsuccessful, will I receive preference for a chance to be a volunteer in this management harvest?
No, again because this is a national park, it is our understanding that anyone who meets the qualifications set by the NPS will be able to apply to be a volunteer. Being an unsuccessful elk hunter in North Dakota will not be a factor in the NPS’s selection criteria, but anyone who has had a North Dakota elk license in the past will be eligible to volunteer.
 
Will the volunteers be limited to North Dakota residents only? 
It is our understanding anyone from any state will be able to participate as a volunteer. The thinking behind this is that TNRP is a national park and belongs to all citizens of the United States.
 
What sort of qualifications does a person need to meet in order to be a volunteer? The exact qualifications have not yet been determined and will not be finalized until after the Record of Decision for the EIS has been finalized, which will be in early 2010. Preliminary discussions on the issue of qualifications included: hunter education graduate or be excluded by North Dakota law, marksmanship ability, physical condition, and willingness to participate for a set period of time at a set time of year. 
 
Does the volunteer get to keep the meat? This was a fundamental question posed by the NDGFD from the very beginning of the TRNP elk EIS process. The NPS has agreed to let the volunteer keep the meat from the first elk taken by the volunteer. There is a possibility that a volunteer may harvest more than one elk. If that is the case, only the first elk may be kept by the volunteer and all others will be donated to American Indian tribes, food pantries or other nonprofit charitable outlets. It should be noted the NPS process that provides for the volunteers to keep the meat requires all the meat to be donated to the state. However, the state has determined the volunteer will be given a permit to keep the meat from the first elk he or she takes.
 
If selected as a volunteer will I be working by myself or as part of a team?
 The NPS has indicated a desire to create teams of 4 to 5 people, including one NPS staff person. The team will work together to harvest elk over a set period of time in a designated area of TRNP, as well as collect appropriate information. The NPS team leader may specify which elk may be taken during the course of the team’s time in the field. The NPS team leader will be required to have the same qualifications as the volunteers.
 
Will volunteers be able to take any elk they encounter in the park?
No, the management action will require taking of cow/antlerless elk only.
 
What other duties will be required of volunteers?
Volunteers will likely have to field dress and pack out elk, and collect the necessary biological samples.
 
If chosen as a volunteer but I haven’t taken/passed a hunter education course, can I use an apprentice license?
No. This is not considered a hunt by NPS and apprentice licenses are only applicable for small game and deer.
 
Will the Game and Fish Department have elk hunting seasons open outside the park while a management action is taking place inside the park?
Yes. Timing of hunting seasons outside the park will be important to helping the NPS reach their population management goals.
 
Will the reduction effort using volunteers be a one-time occurrence?
The NPS has indicated that after the initial reduction in elk numbers inside the park is accomplished over a several-year period, the same volunteer system will be used for long-term maintenance of the elk herd in TRNP.
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by 44man on 10/01/2009 06:57 AM | Reply #10 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
44man
Joined: 08/15/2006
Location: ND
Wow - Anybody from any state can apply. I think our odds just went WAY WAY DOWN.

Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by sweeney on 10/01/2009 07:26 AM | Reply #11 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
sweeney
Joined: 03/07/2002
Location: ND
I am glad some common sense prevailed, and I hope people do this, but it is not for me. if i want to shoot an elk that bad i will go shoot one that is corn fed and can be picked up with the tractor, rather than have to shoot a cow field dress and pack it out(to me the least fun, until you get the last load back to the truck and can have a cold one). I hope plenty of ND residents get drawn to be volunteers, would be a heck of a shoot as a herd of 40 elk come strolling through the creek and you have the green light to open up and dispatch a couple of cows for your country, er at least for the betterment of a great national park. way to get this done, and so far let common sense and your checkbook make the decisions.
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by mauserG33-40 on 10/01/2009 07:26 AM | Reply #12 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
mauserG33-40
Joined: 05/24/2008
Location: Mo
4 to 5 in a group with a NPS staff person?  Sounds like a HF guided hunt.  Wy has had something like this for years  

http://www.fws.gov/nationalelkrefuge/

Be intresting to see if the Fair Chase boyz and the HSUS and Peta try to get this stopped.   I am betten they do.
 
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Rooster22 on 10/01/2009 07:29 AM | Reply #13 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Rooster22
Joined: 07/27/2009
Location: ND
thats a guanantee that theyll try to stop it.  Probably be pretty easy to,   Ill bed money that before this hunt opens there going to be a petition drafted and or, lawsuit going to the supreme court calling it "illegal".  and with ANYONE being able to apply from ANY state, your probably better off with a lottery ticket!
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by mauserG33-40 on 10/01/2009 07:51 AM | Reply #14 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
mauserG33-40
Joined: 05/24/2008
Location: Mo
If it is unethical to hunt behind a fence,and hunting with a guide is shooting not hunting, there should be very few HUNTERS from ND taking part. 

Does the Chairman of the Fair Chase Petition drive or any petition supporter like Dick Monson have a comment on the rules of the Park hunt?????   What do you think about it Bob Kellam being a supporter of the NDWF?   Is this ethical to kill these elk like this??
 
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by HUNTNFISHND on 10/01/2009 08:16 AM | Reply #15 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
HUNTNFISHND
Joined: 07/13/2003
Location: ND
This isn't going to even come close to a hunt. They may as well just round them up and put a bolt thru their heads.

Why would someone volunteer to be guided by a park service employee who will point out which elk you are to shoot, then you will be asked to help field dress and haul out the animal or animals, and then they take the meat and you may get some of the first elk shot back?

And this is supposed to be some sort of common sense approach???

Good grief! Just round them up and slaughter them already!
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Enslow on 10/01/2009 08:25 AM | Reply #16 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Enslow
Joined: 02/13/2006
Location: ND
This plan takes the cake as one of the dumbest plans I have ever heard.  Is this the best plan our politicians can come up with? 
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by nd_bowhunter on 10/01/2009 08:33 AM | Reply #17 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
nd_bowhunter
Joined: 02/08/2006
Location: ND
Many here keep calling this deal a "hunt". Might as well start reminding yourself that this is not going to be a hunt, rather just a shooting. It will be under very controlled circumstance and mostly a fiasco I'm sure.

On the other hand, I am happy they will allow sportsmen to do this instead of "sharp shooters" who would only be out there to mow the elk down and push them in a hole.

I am not sure if this is something I want to do. We'll see.
"If you are not working to protect hunting, then you are working to destroy it.” Fred Bear
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Horsager on 10/01/2009 08:44 AM | Reply #18 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Horsager
Joined: 08/12/2003
Location: ND
While it'll be open to anyone nationwide I wouldn't expect lots of folks heading up here to shoot a cow, especially when they find out there'll be an audience.

I look at this different than some I guess.  A chance for elk in the freezer along with more bullet/caliber R&D on an elk possibly while all other hunting seasons are closed, I'll sign up.
..............THIS SPACE FOR RENT..............
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by Enslow on 10/01/2009 08:51 AM | Reply #19 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Enslow
Joined: 02/13/2006
Location: ND
I may be wrong, but I will have to see this happen to believe it.  If anything this will buy us some time before they actually let the sharpshooters at them.
Re: Park Service, Officials agree on Elk Plan
by bullheadmaster on 10/01/2009 10:29 AM | Reply #20 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
bullheadmaster
Joined: 11/29/2002
Location: ND
Depending on what a "skilled volunteer" is.... I'm probably with Horsager.

Big J
Just a lil' Slap n Tickle, n Tickle n Slap....
Be careful, I can be potentially deadly....
I'm a one man wolfpack...
A quote from my boyfriend Robbie. "I spent the night in jail once.  A bunch of times."
61 Replies | Page 1 of 41234 Next Page >> | Top of Page | Bottom of Page
Posted By: Tonts1
Posted On: 09/30/2009 12:47 PM
2301 Views, 61 Comments

Tags: park, officials, service, elk, plan, national, agreement, 0, state, bismarck
More Tags: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, National Park Service, Byron Dorgan, John Hoeven, North Dakota, Environment
Region: North Dakota

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