I read this headline on Drudgereport.com about the Starbuck's State and it gave me a good laugh. I thought I'd share.

http://www.seattletimes.com/li...p-decide-their-fate/

I guess advising the humans that the critters aren't all that friendly and they need to keep their distance isn't an option?

That would be too friggin simple CHC!!!

Lots of goats and the ones near hiking trails crave the salt left from human urine pit stops along the trails and the granola handouts from hikers that can not comprehend that a fed wild animal is soon a dead wild animal. Congress needs to redo the National Parks Act to allow for hunting as an additional option for controlling the number of animals. Yellowstone has the buffalo issue as does Grand Canyon and now the mountain goat issue here. Grizzly issues in several parks. I am sure the list is long if took the time to investigate where there is an imbalance.

I've been trying to get a WA mountain goat tag for years and I've built up a lot of points. There are thousands of people in the same boat. But what do you want to bet that if they decide to cull some goats the NPS will hire someone to go in there in a helicopter and blast away?

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
I've been trying to get a WA mountain goat tag for years and I've built up a lot of points. There are thousands of people in the same boat. But what do you want to bet that if they decide to cull some goats the NPS will hire someone to go in there in a helicopter and blast away?

That is the way our Park Service handles things, Rocky Mountain National Park and the town of Estes Park could have had paying hunters do the work, same with the "cleanup" of non native species on the islands off California.
Hard to imagine that we have a standing armed and ready bunch of qualified hunters willing to pay but likely the Feds will use our money to pay a "contractor" to do the shoot.
By the way many Peaks in Colorado that are routinely hiked (fourteeners) have the same issues with goats and yes they are attracted to the urine

Actually Olympic national park has been considering using hunters for several years. But the usual suspects (the animal rights groups) have kept it from happening.

The problem goats are not new in fact a hiker was killed a couple years back. But, that's what you get when clueless people want to feed and pet wildlife.

It's the simple and logical answer to this "problem", and one's like it mentioned above, that CLEARLY show the feds cave/belief in anti-hunting.

The ONLY reason you would not CHARGE people $ to hunt the problem species is an anti hunting agenda/belief. It's sad really.

Perry

Is it all the fault of those naughty goats trying to defend their territory?

Maybe some more gored or killed tourists will be what it takes to address the issue. Or some disease that reduces the goat herd?

There are too many Cry Baby Liberals in the western half of WA. to allow a Hunt!!!

quote:

Originally posted by perry:
It's the simple and logical answer to this "problem", and one's like it mentioned above, that CLEARLY show the feds cave/belief in anti-hunting.

The ONLY reason you would not CHARGE people $ to hunt the problem species is an anti hunting agenda/belief. It's sad really.

Perry

Not really true. If life was only so simple. Oh I'm sure there are some anti's in their ranks but the real problem is hunting hasn't been allowed in a national park for many years. So letting one happen now is a tough sell.

One indisputable fact is groups like HSUS have very deep pockets and a lot of lawyers. It's a steep up hill battle to fight them with little support. Plus Olympic national park in Washington state is a long way from Washington DC. Trying to sell the idea to people in congress for support who just don't understand wildlife is difficult.