The greatest threat to elk hunting is:

[RGARNER]

Government bureaucracy - Laws are made to "help protect" something and money is funneled to the department in charge and 95% of the money that should go to actually making a difference goes to "administrative expenses"

 

[RGARNER]

It is pretty sad to read this thread and realize the amount of things that people come up with to prevent hunters from doing what we love. I hope but very highly doubt that my son will have the ability to experience some of the hunts that I have done when he is older.

 

[Indian Summer]

You may very well not see a single elk, just don’t leave any trash behind. People resent non-residents based on previous behavior. You have a chance to impact it to the positive.

I’ll comment on that! It’s the opposite! A non resident thinks he died and went to Heaven. We don’t have messy camps. We wait and plan all year to set up a well organized camp complete with garbage can. We don’t try to burn bottles and cans either. And we certainly don’t leave litter of any kind in the hills. I’ve walked through camps after locals leave. Not all of them look bad. But some are a disgrace. Residents are unquestionably more likely to take their local hunting spot for granted. My experience with this comes from over 35 years as a non resident hunter as well as a non resident who was outfitting spending literally half the year at trailheads, campgrounds, and in the back country.

 

[Gila]

I’ll comment on that! It’s the opposite! A non resident thinks he died and went to Heaven. We don’t have messy camps. We wait and plan all year to set ip a well organized camp complete with garbage can. We don’t try to burn bottles and cans either. And we certainly don’t leave litter of any kind in the hills. I’ve walked through camps after locals leave. Not all of them look bad. But some are a disgrace. Residents are unquestionably more likely to take their local hunting spot for granted. My experience with this comes from over 35 years as a non resident hunter as well as a non resident who was outfitting spending literally half the year at trailheads, campgrounds, and in the back country.

I gotta call BS on that one. There are always going to be a few who leave trash, resident or not. Their homes and yards probably look like garbage dumps as well. Some people want to live like that. There is more trash on public lands that are close to large population centers, just the way it goes.

I have no clue why you think locals take their hunting spots for granted. That makes no sense to me. It is difficult for a resident here to draw a good big game tag period.

 

[Scoot]

It is pretty sad to read this thread and realize the amount of things that people come up with to prevent hunters from doing what we love. I hope but very highly doubt that my son will have the ability to experience some of the hunts that I have done when he is older.

Yep. It's bad enough to look at my diminishing opportunities over the next decade, but it's absolutely shameful to think of all the great hunts and adventures that my kids will miss out on because of all this bullshit.

Lots of great reasons/examples of why things are going the wrong direction in this thread. Overpopulation of mankind and (related) the urbanization of America are huge factors. Urban sprawl is a necessary byproduct of urbanization of areas and another unfortunate byproduct is liberalism. None of these work in favor of gun ownership, hunting opportunities, the ability to live a "free life" or really the ability to live like I believe Americans should be able to live.

 

[RGARNER]

Yep. It's bad enough to look at my diminishing opportunities over the next decade, but it's absolutely shameful to think of all the great hunts and adventures that my kids will miss out on because of all this bullshit.

Lots of great reasons/examples of why things are going the wrong direction in this thread. Overpopulation of mankind and (related) the urbanization of America are huge factors. Urban sprawl is a necessary byproduct of urbanization of areas and another unfortunate byproduct is liberalism. None of these work in favor of gun ownership, hunting opportunities, the ability to live a "free life" or really the ability to live like I believe Americans should be able to live.

Well said

 

[Gila]

This thread reminds me that i have to check the unit wide ranches in the elk unit I was drawn for this season.

 

[Indian Summer]

I gotta call BS on that one. There are always going to be a few who leave trash, resident or not. Their homes and yards probably look like garbage dumps as well. Some people want to live like that. There is more trash on public lands that are close to large population centers, just the way it goes.

I have no clue why you think locals take their hunting spots for granted. That makes no sense to me. It is difficult for a resident here to draw a good big game tag period.

Where I hunt in Montana and Wyoming the licenses are OTC for residents. To them the place is nothing special. I realize some of them respect the land. But I’ve never seen non residents who can afford to buy licenses and hunt that didn’t take their trash with them. I see trash every year where I camp from the locals that were there in the summer. I hope that answers your question.

 

[DanimalW]

So much disdain for nonresident hunters. Does it really matter where someone’s from when they beat you to a spot or screw up your game plan? Granted there’s probably more nonresident novice hunters that have zero clue what they’re doing, but I remember my first time hunting as a nonresident. I just tried my best to stay far away from everyone else.

Each time I ice fished this winter I picked up trash from local resident fishermen. Pigs will be pigs, and I don’t care where you live. Some of those pigs are your neighbors.

 

[MuleyFever]

Each time I ice fished this winter I picked up trash from local resident fishermen. Pigs will be pigs, and I don’t care where you live. Some of those pigs are your neighbors.

I was surprised at all the trash I picked up on the Henry Mountains last season. Although I probably should not have been. People suck. Not many non-residents hunting out there.

 

[Dust Rider]

Obama

 

[Logan T]

Montana FWP

 

[Billinsd]

I feel for you. It's tough to be stuck in a far left state. It'll be a long battle.

The end outcome is almost certain.

 

[Billinsd]

The whole American West is in an epic drought. I haven't heard much about it in regard to elk habitat, but it has to have an effect on wildlife as a whole. Something I'd like to look into.

I look at the US drough map a lot and the West is and has been super dry for a long time and longer cycles. Some places like Northwest Nevada don't look they will ever come back. I'm lucky I can travel around.

 

[Cseaman91]

My vote is also habitat loss. Development will continue to consume valuable habitat until the cost of renovating existing structures becomes more economical.

 

[Indian Summer]

The Wyoming Task Force aka Non Res Hunter Elimination Committee

 

[LostArra]

My vote is also habitat loss. Development will continue to consume valuable habitat until the cost of renovating existing structures becomes more economical.

Too many people in general and too many people with a lot of money.
When someone builds a 3 month summer home for millions they don't care about the elk habitat as long as their view of the mountains is good.

Most environmental and conservation problems are due to just too many people and for those old enough to remember Parkay commercials: You don't fool Mother Nature.

 

[Coldtrail]

Interesting thread, in most states biologists have gone from the old model of being uniform wearing "gamekeepers" and in the field to working from home wearing crocs and looking at computer models and registration data to determine what is going on. In my home state the easiest job in natural resources is being a biologist because nobody will listen to you or take you seriously. Its not their fault, I've been at the meetings where they have put on a 60min presentation only to have some politician tell the crowd "My brother in law hunts alot, and he says....." and have decisions based on that logic instead.

I also believe that if you are east of the Mississippi that land fragmentation is the threat to hunting, and to the west hunting will become more a big business strategy than it already is. Western states dont want the dude in the pickup who only buys a few tanks of fuel and a license, they want the guy who flies in and drops $1000's on lodging, steak dinners, outfitters, and healthy tips. The working class who relies on public land should really be paying attention.

I admittedly don't attend public meetings like I used to, quite honestly I found them to be stacked with old timers who felt every decision by a govt agency was a conspiracy and couldn't see past the next season. These "threat" discussions are what we should be discussing and working on, even though we have the ability to hunt this fall, we should really be wondering about the opportunities our kids may have......thankfully the generations before US were not as short sighted.

 

[BK Ammenwerth]

They are breeding like there will be no consequences in the future. “Earth Overshoot Day”

Actually fertility rates are plummeting. Thanks to crap food loaded with chemicals. Crap water, big pharma, vaccines, birth control destroying women’s hormone balance even after getting off of it.

 

[RickH]

Habitat loss in both summer and winter range. Low calf recruitment due to predation and too many people out there running the cows.