Park prepares for elk hunt
RMNP to shoot some cows to try to protect aspen, willows, beavers
By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post
Posted: 01/26/2009 12:30:00 AM MST

(Helen H. Richardson | The Denver Post)

In an effort to restore natural conditions in Rocky Mountain National Park, two teams of sharpshooters will begin culling up to 100 cow elk within the park's boundaries in the next few weeks, park officials say.

The cull is the culmination of a decade of research and is the direct result of what researchers say has been the destruction of valuable willow and aspen stands because of too many elk. The plan received final federal approval last February.

Vaughn Baker, superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park, said that the Park Service is conducting the culling with the public in mind.

"We are doing this with the utmost care — that this, in fact, is a national park with visitors," said Baker.

During the culling, the areas where it is taking place will be closed to the public.

At present, there are two populations of elk — the 600 to 800 in the park itself and 1,000 to 1,300 in and around Estes Park, just beyond the eastern border of the park.

Only the animals in the park are being targeted.

Kyle Patterson, park spokeswoman, said the Park Service would like to keep the number of elk in the park in the 600 to 800 range, "so obviously we are close to that range right now."

WildEarth Guardians, an environmental organization, has filed suit in U.S. District Court in Denver to block the culling, maintaining that gray wolves should be introduced into the park to naturally reduce the elk by wolf predation.

But Rob Edward, a spokesman for the organization, said that no decision is expected from the court until March, at the earliest.

"In the meantime, the Park Service can proceed with culling, as there's no injunction against it," said Edward.

The operation is designed to be humane and swift, said Ben Bobowski, the park's chief of resource stewardship.

"The goal is to have a one-shot humane kill," said Bobowski. "Each team is set up with a primary shooter and a secondary shooter, and we also have what we call a rover. And each shooter will have a spotter."

Teams include Park Service and Colorado Division of Wildlife employees as well as screened volunteers.

Each animal that is shot will be tested for chronic wasting disease. Those that test positive will go to a mountain lion research project being conducted by the state.

The meat from those that test negative will be sent to members of the public who participated in a lottery held earlier this month.

Researchers say the continuation of high elk densities could result in the complete loss of aspen trees in the elk's core winter range. Elk browsing stunts the growth or kills all young aspen trees.

The elk also are severely inhibiting the ability of the willow to reproduce. Few of the willows on the elk's primary winter range produce seed, and seedling survival is almost nonexistent, according to researchers.

As a result, there is a huge impact on birds, butterflies, plant species and the beaver population.

Since 1940, with the disappearance of trees they need for building lodging and dams, the beaver population on the elk's primary range has declined more than 90 percent.

Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com

quote:

The cull is the culmination of a decade of research and is the direct result of what researchers say has been the destruction of valuable willow and aspen stands because of too many elk.

I could have told them that. Just about anybody who has been there or to Yellowstone could too.

It's too bad they couldn't open a special season for hunters (maybe for lower income hunters to help ease impacts of the economy).

I totally agree MT. They ought to have a special hunt, or draw hunt. Free tags, since they need to cull them anyways. As far as all of these problems go, it is proof in the pudding, what NOT hunting a huntable population will do to a habitat. In hunting areas, biologist figure out the whole puzzle for the most part, in order to see how many tags should be issued, or how many the "bag limit" is. It also determines the well being of other animals and the effect that a certain population of animal (the one to be hunted), does to their (other inhabitants) population. Environmentalist wacko, tree- hugging burned out hippies , have no business making desicions about hunting or not hunting, or making ANY decisions for that matter. Anytime hunting is taken away, the populations get way out of balance. A wolf herd cannot be regulated as easy as culling. Deer also, would be affected by wolves.Last I heard, deer numbers were down in Colorado. So no, wolves are a bad idea. Keep hunting guys, good luck, and maybe we'll meet in camp one day.

Shoot an elk, save a beaver. This is ridiculous. Why can't park/game managers recognize the simple fact that hunters are their best tool here. I wonder how much this boondoggle is going to cost taxpayers. Oh well, it's an "economic stimulant" right? Sharpshooters gotta make a living too.

quote:

Why can't park/game managers recognize the simple fact that hunters are their best tool here.

Because they are the Park Service and they are "politically correct".

Remember, Bambi tought us that hunters are bad.

At least they thew out the wolf option!

Well, instead of complaining it, why doesn't some hunting group file suit to block the Park Service from following through and to allow hunters to do the culling? I think that's a large part of the problem we hunters/sportsmen/women have. We're too self centered with our own situation to organize together to face the onslaught from the antis. Be they anti hunting or anti gun. Those people ARE organized and that's why they make the inroads they do.

BTW, deerhunter721 - how do you really feel abbout the situation? Sorry, couldn't resist.
Ya'll take care now. Bear in Fairbanks

Desert Ram if I understood correctly from some research I did months ago when this came up the contract goes to................(wait for it)..........a firm from Australia. Same ones who did the culling on the islands off the California coast. Nothing like a little foreign aid!

Bureaucracy and group think run amok.

Sigh.

Someone needs to sit down and speak with these naughty elk and urge them against their present course. Maybe someone from PETA.
Then the excess elk need to be shot and eaten and their hides, horns and sinews put to honest use by more sensible humans.
Not only is the habitat at risk; unnatural concentrations of game animals invite epidemic catastrophes, and Colorado already is plagued with serious CWD issues.

I remember a topic in BIology class we had, and several years ago , in Canada, the Caribou population was out of hand. They introduced wolves to the area. In a few years, the wolf problem was terrible, and caribou were few and far between. Basically, wolves arent smart enough to manage a herd. Besides, the "target" herd to be managed, isnt the only one affected.
PETA is nothing but a tool used by the left for anti-capitalism, as with most environmental groups. Global warming is another anti-capitalist movement. They use the "environment" to scare people, and all this credibility is given to so-called scientists. Recently, Peta approached Ben & Jerry's Ice cream to stop using cow's milk, and start using womens breast milk to make ice cream. UNBELIEVABLE!
What I am saying is, any "liberal, PETA-like, environmentalist approach to GAME MANAGEMENT", will ultimately ruin the future of hunting, and the future of the game. I imagine i am on a tangent, so i will stop now.lol

quote:

Recently, Peta approached Ben & Jerry's Ice cream to stop using cow's milk, and start using womens breast milk to make ice cream. UNBELIEVABLE!

If someone suggested that in my hearing I'd probably be arrested... after I shoved a sealed pint of Cherry Garcia into some bodily orifice and they had to seek medical attention to have it removed.

what offends me is that I'd prefer that the park raise money by selling tags for the culling than PAYING "sharpshooters" to do the job.



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Allan, I'm right there with you Brother!...Good Hunting my friend

For some reason PETA perfers wolves as hunters over Humans. Go figure.