In the Laramie Mountains too many elk and no easy fixes

[Bighorner]

No transferable tags in anything I've talked about with the commission.

The task force has turned into a disaster.

I do not disagree, but I fully intend to stay involved until the end. It may not go the way I want, but I will make certain I atleast did my part in voicing and opinion each time I get the oppertunity.

 

[FlyGuy]

I've hunted the Laramie range a good deal.

I recently attended the TRW meeting in Casper where this elk issue was discussed.

To clarify some things.

1. Landowners do not receive damage claims unless they allow hunting access. That access has to be at a level to remove enough elk to keep the population from growing.

2. Damage is primarily only paid to repair infrastructure loss. Fences, water tanks, etc.

3. Forage/crop damage has to be excessive and is rarely compensated.

4. Over the last decade, statewide elk damage has totalled anywhere from $150,000-a high of $356,000 a year.

Also the large, mostly absentee landowners that harbor elk are not receiving damage claims. They don't mind having a few thousand elk on their property.

Those suffering legitimate damage are their smaller neighbors that rely on livestock to make a living. They do all they can to reduce elk, allow hunting, and also receive damage claim funds (rightfully so).

The problem is, the elk are only accessible on those places part of the year, often times the most damage occurs when hunting isn't allowed. Plus elk on smaller properties only tolerate so much pressure before they no longer are available to hunters.

I'm working with the commission to try to come up with some ways to keep elk more accessible to hunters. We have some ideas that are worth looking at with license changes, improvements to hma program, etc.

Buzz,

Thanks for clarifying. I knew it couldn’t be as simple as what I had written, but I didn’t know what the complexities were.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Wags]

The groundwork is being laid for transferable landowner tags. $$$

I hope that never happens in Wyoming. It’ll turn it into a business much like Colorado. It’ll end up being hunting to the highest bidder.

 

[HOT ROD]

I do not disagree, but I fully intend to stay involved until the end. It may not go the way I want, but I will make certain I atleast did my part in voicing and opinion each time I get the oppertunity.

Voicing Ur opinion is better than doing nothing for sure.. I wish more people would get involved on the issues...

 

[displacedtexan]

the hippies are in the comment section proposing it already. They just can't seem to do the math that Wolves and cattle ranches don't exactly mix well either.

How can they not see that wolves and cattle ranches don't coexist well?

Are they stupid?

Clearly the cattle ranches were there first, so why would they be stupid enough to think wolves belong there?

 

[betterluckythangood]

Kind of the same issue here in Texas, Ranchers and farmers are screaming about the hogs damaging crops and the deer habitat, yet when you ask to hunt them they want huge amounts of money PLUS a trophy fee.

 

[wytx]

No transferable tags in anything I've talked about with the commission.

The task force has turned into a disaster.

Drunk on power ?
That gal at our meeting in Laramie opened her mouth and talked about CWD killing all our deer, knew right then we may be in trouble with that group.

 

[displacedtexan]

Kind of the same issue here in Texas, Ranchers and farmers are screaming about the hogs damaging crops and the deer habitat, yet when you ask to hunt them they want huge amounts of money PLUS a trophy fee.

That's a worse issue if you ask me.

Wolves are native, hogs are invasive.

 

[Indian Summer]

This could be the perfect opportunity for the tv hunters and YouTubers to show a million deer hunters that elk hunting is really easy and cheap. Drop clothes at $45 motel, go fill tags!

 

[Overdrive]

This could be the perfect opportunity for the tv hunters and YouTubers to show a million deer hunters that elk hunting is really easy and cheap. Drop clothes at $45 motel, go fill tags!

Don't they already do this? Go set up blow on a call a couple times and a big 6 pt bull comes running right to you