Wyoming Elk Permits - Overselling to cover losses

[Laramie]

That’s because theres just more elk. Which I like but sadly due to habitat loss/fragmentation there’s only so much winter range to go around.

As a biologist I expect more from you. The post you responded to had nothing to do with winter range.

More elk are living down low year round but it isn't due to over population. It is in response to several things- massively increased hunting pressure on national forests, increased recreation in national forests, technology allowing anyone to navigate every square inch on our public lands, over grazing, multi year droughts, etc. Wolves do not solve this issue. If anything, they add problems on top of already existing problems. In most elk areas, wolves would drive even more animals into agricultural areas, increasing conflict.

You find one real rancher in Wyoming who is in favor of wolves and I would be very surprised.

Solve the access problem and 99% of issues go away as long as biologists do their job setting accurate quotas.

 

[stan_wa]

I think it’s pretty well documented that elk are much less impacted by bad winters than deer and antelope, yet compete for the same resource, so you can help deer populations by decreasing elk populations

 

[Archer86]

They really didn't add that many tags if you look at most are just shifting tags to different tag types

Not sure its a money thing either with adding 50 or 25 tags here and there and maybe a few over 100 the 84 percent to resident to 16 nr still applies. Should make it easier for my kids to have 2 type 6 tag along with there general tags this year and give the deer a break

If nr think it's a win to get a couple type 6 tags then they will be really happy when they see the nr elk regions it is going to take 8 points to get a western elk region general tag under the current proposal.

 

[Mojave]

I am a wildlife biologist, it takes a hell of a lot more weather to kill elk off.

 

[Laramie]

I am a wildlife biologist, it takes a hell of a lot more weather to kill elk off.

Would love to hear more insight. Especially regarding the already confirmed numbers from this past winter. Exactly how much deader would those dead elk be if they had more snow. Since this is the worst winter on record for many areas, would also love to hear how much more weather is needed?

 

[wytx]

More wet, heavy snow in April into May would have been the death knell to many more, coupled with an extreme cold snap.
We had that a few years back and it was terrible in spots, killed way more than the entire winter before that storm hit.
Elk still did ok though, as stated it takes a lot more winter to kill elk than deer and pronghorn.

Thankful for the rains we're getting now. Range is in the best shape I've seen in years over here. Hoping to see twins dropping any time now.

 

[Mojave]

Would love to hear more insight. Especially regarding the already confirmed numbers from this past winter. Exactly how much deader would those dead elk be if they had more snow. Since this is the worst winter on record for many areas, would also love to hear how much more weather is needed?

I am not saying that no elk died. Everyone has seen the reports of dead wildlife in Wyoming, Montana and Colorado. Elk included.

Pronghorn do fine if it is cold and dry but not wet and cold. Hollow hair you know. I don't live in Wyoming, but my parents do and they claim they had the heaviest snow load of any year my father has ever lived in Wyoming (1960's) after he got out of the Army.

Deer are similar.

Elk are just tougher, just what it is.

 

[Laramie]

I am not saying that no elk died. Everyone has seen the reports of dead wildlife in Wyoming, Montana and Colorado. Elk included.

Pronghorn do fine if it is cold and dry but not wet and cold. Hollow hair you know. I don't live in Wyoming, but my parents do and they claim they had the heaviest snow load of any year my father has ever lived in Wyoming (1960's) after he got out of the Army.

Deer are similar.

Elk are just tougher, just what it is.

So it was enough to kill some elk off.

We all know elk didn't suffer the same % of losses. Nobody ever claimed that. The question is why raise quotas, in hard hit areas, when there was a population decline. Pretty easy answer imo.