The George Rogers Clark Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in Louisville, KY announces their Annual Banquet for 23Apr05 at the Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville, KY. $30 per person fo rthe meal and $30 for a Supporting Membership.

Dave Cauldell will be the guest speaker and MC for the event. The main Banquet Rifle is a Browning A-Bolt in 338WinMag. And there will be six additional rifles, Elk Hunts, Turkey Hunts, Deer Hunts, an African Safari, Bow and Archery Equipment, Tree Stands, Gift Certificates to local supporting merchants, Gun Cases, Passes to the Knob Creek Range, Jewelry for the Ladies and much more.

For additional information, contact: Bill Haycraft at billhaycraft1@bellsouth.net or by calling 502.299.1929. And you can go to www.hunting-elk.com

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Just happened to find out about the Banquet through a buddy. So, I thought I'd let those of you who are interested in preserving the habitat for the Elk and interested in the restoration of Elk into Kentucky might be interested.

Due to the joint efforts of the KY Wildlife Department and the RMEF, the Eastern KY herd is about 10 years ahead of schedule for the number of Elk now roaming freely once again. Increases in the number of Tags available each year will be happening at an acccellerated rate. The RMEF provided excellent support and Funds of nearly $2,000,000.00 by the Banquets and Supporting Members.

No Wolves were introduced into this area by the DEMOCRATS when moscow bill's flunky "bruce (I love a wolf) babbit" came up with the wolf release idea that the folks out West are now having to deal with.

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I'd commented in a previous Thread concerning the RMEF and their reluctance to wade into the political quagmire concerning the DEMOCRATS release of the Wolves. I believe the only way to get change within an Organization is by the supporting members to place enough pressure on the people in charge that they either begin reflecting the views of the membership, or they eventually become replaced by people who will.

Many seem to blame the RMEF for the wolves, when they are not responsible for those acts. If you want to vent your anger appropriately, the correct direction is with ANYONE who voted to put the DEMOCRATS into office.

Certainly appreciate you folks keeping the Wolf discussion in the Wolf Thread. A sincere Thank You.

I just happened to spot this info in the Winter 2005 Wapiti concerning the KY herd and have edited it down some:

The RMEF has agreed to help the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources(KDFWR) with $400,000 over the next three years for habitat improvements in the Eastern coal fields and Elk restoration zone of KY. The money will be used as a match to acquire an $862,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Landowner Incentive Program.

(This means “No State Dollars†have to be spent to get this highly beneficial work to be completed on between 5,000 and 10,000 acres.)

The Landowner Incentive Program offers landowners a chance to benefit wildlife by making improvements on their properties in cooperation with state agencies. The program is aimed at recovering lost habitat and …. fit’s well with the Elk Foundation’s Appalachian Wildlife Initiative, which aims to conserve habitat in Kentucky and Tennessee.

The RMEF donation buoyed by a $25,000 contribution from BASF Professional Vegetation Management Group, will give KY landowners the financial ability to conserve and protect their land for future generations of wildlife.

(Much of the work is directed toward reclaiming coal mine lands.)

Currently there are more than 4,000 free ranging Elk within the 3.5 million-acre Elk Zone of KY, and in 2004, hunters took about 60 Bulls and Cows. The herd should meet the states goal of 8,000 within five years, and this will allow the annual harvest of 1,500 Elk.

A 60 elk kill from a 4000 head elk herd seems low. I guess it helps the herd grow faster. I think Nebraska only has about 2000 elk and they shoot over a 100 each fall.

Hey kudu56, Any idea how large the total area "Elk Zone" is for those Elk in Nebraska?

It is fairly amazing that any of the KY herd gets killed. When people get drawn for the Elk Permit, they also get a small contengent of people who go along with them on the hunt. Guides and film crews are everywhere. Of course it is nice to be able to see what is going on during the hunts, but I feel sure I would rather hunt alone if I ever got drawn. Not a chance of that happening for a few more years though.

And yes, the kill is maintained at a low number right now so the herd can maxamize the potential for growth.
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Occasionally a few of the North Carolina Elk herd stray over into Virginia and I seem to remember a big stink about the VA Game Dept "allowing" any of them to be shot during Deer Season with a regular Deer License. Don't know if that issue has been resolved or not.

Hopefully one day there will be Elk throughout all our Eastern mountain range.

quote:

Many seem to blame the RMEF for the wolves, when they are not responsible for those acts.

I've never understood people wanting to blame the wolf problem on the RMEF either Hot Cor. The RMEF is doing the best it can not to get dragged into that quagmire, but did you notice that the last issue of the "Bugle" said that the upcoming issue will deal with this issue in depth. I expect it will look at the matter from all sides in the most objective way it can.

My mistake, they only have about 250 head and
sell 165 tags, total hunting unit area looks about 300 square miles is all. I was reading a Nebraska forum on hunting when read the 2000 to 2500 head.

McInnis...it is called narrow minded people who don't see the whole picture! Just because the RMEF doens't "make a stand against the reintroduction of wolves" means that we should denounce all the wildlife habitat improvement projects, conservation easements, winter range improvement projects, and other wildlife friendly project they take on?

In my mind, they are one of the few organizations who put their money where their mouth is! I'll always be a member.

MG

It's like saying that Ducks Unlimited should wage war against skunks. They are CONSERVATION orginazations, not political groups. The day that RMEF, or DU gets overly involved in politics is the day they lose my support. Right now they stress conserving habitat, and even without wolves/predators, wildlife still needs habitat. Seems simple enough.

And, by the way, when do I get the status of "one of us"?

quote:

Originally posted by McInnis:
...did you notice that the last issue of the "Bugle" said that the upcoming issue will deal with this issue in depth. I expect it will look at the matter from all sides in the most objective way it can.

Yes Sir, I did notice that.

When you read through the Bugle or the Wapiti it is also very apparent that some (perhaps a good many) of the supporters have "Liberal credentials". As I sit in the trees or am just out roaming around the woods and swamps, it is a very good feeling that some of the Environmental Wackos money is helping support the animals I want to hunt. If the RMEF did take a Political stance, it is obvious to me that a good bit of that money would shift to groups totally against hunting.

So, though I would indeed love to have the RMEF as far to the "Right" as the NRA, not nearly as many projects would be accomplished. Always nice to use the "enemies money and resources" for our own use.
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What really amazes me the most though is all the money RMEF is spending on acquiring Land for the Elk and the reclamation projects.

A good buddy of mine had mentioned how high the land near Asheville, NC was getting about a year ago. I had no vested interest in the area, so it didn't really sink in at that time.

Then just this week I got an email from a couple I've known since the early `70s who currently live just outside Washington, DC in Virginia. They had just bought a half acre lot(no house on it) for $150k about 30min South of Asheville and were thrilled. They wanted all the "city" services and niceities like paved roads, water, sewer, etc., but also wanted to be "out in the country". Apparently there are all kinds of folks that feel the same way, or the land cost would be nowhere near that extreme.

And as more land is taken for subdivisions, less land is available for the free ranging Game. The "land problem" is much clearer to me now.

Sorry MG, I am not bitting! I don't support the RMEF, I did, for over 15 years, I was even on banquet committee. I do support DU and MDF.

And Mr. Hawg, DU has waged wars on skunks, racoons and other preditors that affected nesting areas. They didn't personally go out and kill or trap but they advocated, trapping and control of preditors to help declining duck numbers of certain species.

I think Hotcore wanted this thread to pretain to RMEF. Sorry I strayed.

Hey Kudu56, I appreciate your support of DU and MDF. Also understand about your concern pertaining to the direction of the RMEF.

I also share in your "concern" and am hopeful they can somehow address it while not running what Leftists "money" they get now over to the Humane Society.
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Have you noticed any housing developments taking land you used to hunt? Most of the land I hunted in my youth is now fully developed with HUGE houses piled right on top of each other. Vast Squirrel woods were simply bulldozed and burned.

And I just saw in the local paper this week where the County is buying 1000 acres to turn into an Industrial Park. Needless to say, more dozing and burning on the way.

The strength of the RMEF lies in the large number of members (which gives it credibility), and it's ability to put coalitions together with other groups.

Some of the projects they have been involved with are simply far beyond the means of any hunter based group. By being open minded and aggressive, they are able to partner with some of the larger trusts and organizations, and conserve sometimes staggering swaths of land. Sometimes we don't see eye to eye with those groups, politically, but we do as far as conservation is concerned.

We all have opinions about wolves (don't care much for 'm, but I'd like a tag), ATV's (hate what they do to habitat), or Game Farms (CWD and Tuberculosis incubators), anti-hunters (go rescue a dog or a cat and leave me alone) or anti-gunners (no need to pontificate). SCI does a good job on the last two items. There is room for a political organization to cover the first three. Problem is, you talk to five hunters about those three subjects (wolves, ATV's and game farms) and you get six opinions. Good luck putting that one together.

In the end though, we can always boil it down to this: it's the habitat, stupid! No habitat, no hunting. JMO, Dutch.

Developement is ongoign everywhere any more. I am not sure why or where in the hell all these people come from. They have to leave a place to develope a place!!!!! It's like they come out of thin air. Right now there is a battle waging near Cody on a subdivision on the Northfork, that will become a small town eventually. The developers are even advocating a private sewer and water system for it. Money seems to be no object. They are wanting the county commisioners to allow 5 acre parcels instead of the mandated minimum.

quote:

Originally posted by Dutch:
The strength of the RMEF lies in the large number of members (which gives it credibility), and it's ability to put coalitions together with other groups.

Some of the projects they have been involved with are simply far beyond the means of any hunter based group. By being open minded and aggressive, they are able to partner with some of the larger trusts and organizations, and conserve sometimes staggering swaths of land. Sometimes we don't see eye to eye with those groups, politically, but we do as far as conservation is concerned.

We all have opinions about wolves (don't care much for 'm, but I'd like a tag), ATV's (hate what they do to habitat), or Game Farms (CWD and Tuberculosis incubators), anti-hunters (go rescue a dog or a cat and leave me alone) or anti-gunners (no need to pontificate). SCI does a good job on the last two items. There is room for a political organization to cover the first three. Problem is, you talk to five hunters about those three subjects (wolves, ATV's and game farms) and you get six opinions. Good luck putting that one together.

In the end though, we can always boil it down to this: it's the habitat, stupid! No habitat, no hunting. JMO, Dutch.

Hey Dutch, You have obviously thought through the issue quite well.

I just feel uncomfortable knowing some of the people tossing money in the pot would take ALL our firearms away in a heartbeat and reduce us to vegie-eaters. I think they now refer to them as "Vegans". Last time I was actually near one, I was very tempted to mention being a member of a "Vegetable Rights Group", but my Sweet-E-Pie cut me a bad look so I just walked on.

quote:

Originally posted by kudu56:
Developement is ongoign everywhere any more. I am not sure why or where in the hell all these people come from. They have to leave a place to develope a place!!!!! It's like they come out of thin air. Right now there is a battle waging near Cody on a subdivision on the Northfork, that will become a small town eventually. The developers are even advocating a private sewer and water system for it. Money seems to be no object. They are wanting the county commisioners to allow 5 acre parcels instead of the mandated minimum.

Yes indeed, never let "The Laws" stand in the way of bringing in more and more people on top of each other.

I totally agree with you about wondering just where all the folks are coming from?!?!?! And it seems that a lot of them have HUGE amounts of cash to toss about.

Last year a buddy and I were both complaining to each other about some of the old Hunting Land being gone. Of course, he just had to know of another spot that was being developed that I was not aware of. He said he wanted to show me something and we drove out there in his truck. He pulled up beside a HUGE WHOPPER of a house which sets next to a nice size lake I used to fish as a kid. He asked me to look real close at the "window" on the end of the house facing the lake and said, "What do you think just that window cost?" Having no idea at all he said, "Just that window is $250,000."

quote:

Originally posted by MrHawg:
And, by the way, when do I get the status of "one of us"?

At the 50 post mark.

Growth is going on every where. Some places in Wy are going nuts, Wamsutter, Gillette.

The company I work for is averaging 81 requests for new service per week, in Oregon. Thats 81 new houses in Bend, Oregon. There again, where are they coming from????? And if they are leaving some place, who is moving in behind them????? It all adds up to loss of habitat and increased pressure on existing wildlife!

The 10th of April on Discovery channel, a show about the possibilty of Yellowstone blowing, like it did 500,000 years ago will be on tv. Maybe this will scare a few of them off. We don't get any winters any more, so that don't work!!!!!

Hot Core, one thing that is getting beat through my thick Dutch skull is that I am never going to agree with ANYONE on everything.

If I had to wait for total agreement on every issue before I could join an organization, or work with another organization, I would never be able to support anything!

So, I don't agree with the NRA on EVERYTHING, I don't agree with the RMEF on EVERYTHING, I don't agree with SCI on EVERYTHING. Or Republicans, my church, or my wife......

When I first came to this country, there were 220 million people. All of a sudden, we are staring 300 million in the face. It seems everyone of the "extras" seem to want to live on either elk winter range or sharptail leks. After looking around, I have found that the RMEF is the most efficient at putting my effort and money into saving some of it. Instead of looking for an excuse not to join, I went looking for the best way to make a difference. JMO, Dutch.

quote:

Originally posted by Dutch:
Hot Core, one thing that is getting beat through my thick Dutch skull is that I am never going to agree with ANYONE on everything.

Apparently we can agree on that philosophy too.

quote:

So, I don't agree with the NRA on EVERYTHING, I don't agree with the RMEF on EVERYTHING, I don't agree with SCI on EVERYTHING. Or Republicans, my church, or my wife...... .

I'm certainly not one to offer "advice" concerning a "wife". It does look like the most "serious" person or group you listed to be in conflict with though.