Wyoming over run with Elk

[jmez]

Wagonhound will let you hunt cows. $3100 for 2x1 and $4200 1x1. Meals provided but must be prepared by you. Can't believe they aren't over run with cow hunters.

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[WCB]

Give them transferable tag....but for everyone they get they must allow 10 hunting days to the general public. A list of cow only tag holders and the hunter is pulled from that list. Hunter #1 shoots a cow first day....9 days remaining. Next hunter comes in and kill cow after 2 days. 7 days remaining etc. Or they can have 2 hunters per day for 5 days...etc.

Most landowners know enough people or have enough family and friends that would gladly come shoot a cow it is really a non issue. Also, why the hell would an outfitter or even the land owner demand the outfitter remove X amount of animals a year. Put it in the contract. For every x number of bulls an outfitter and their clients take they must harvest Y number of cows. OR...Outfitter must remove X number of cows BEFORE your clients can harvest a bull.

Landowners do not want to actually solve the problem plain and simple.

 

[Scoot]

Landowners do not want to actually solve the problem plain and simple.

Bingo! But they want to talk about it as if they do...

 

[LostArra]

Give them transferable tag....but for everyone they get they must allow 10 hunting days to the general public. A list of cow only tag holders and the hunter is pulled from that list. Hunter #1 shoots a cow first day....9 days remaining. Next hunter comes in and kill cow after 2 days. 7 days remaining etc. Or they can have 2 hunters per day for 5 days...etc.

Most landowners know enough people or have enough family and friends that would gladly come shoot a cow it is really a non issue. Also, why the hell would an outfitter or even the land owner demand the outfitter remove X amount of animals a year. Put it in the contract. For every x number of bulls an outfitter and their clients take they must harvest Y number of cows. OR...Outfitter must remove X number of cows BEFORE your clients can harvest a bull.

Landowners do not want to actually solve the problem plain and simple.

Friends and family or an outfitter's hunters sound like a reasonable approach but suggesting a landowner allow the general public on their land is not. Your opinion of the general public is higher than mine. I've helped clean up the trash piles and put out campfires left around gut piles by the "general public".

I don't think all or even most ranchers are doing the complaining. The ranchers with high numbers have outfitter agreements or their family hunts the ranch. There are ranches that allow no hunting period, become elk sanctuaries and they are the most vocal about elk damage and expect a handout.

 

[HighUintas]

This sounds similar to some antlerless elk tags issues for various units in Utah where it's primarily private property and you're not going to get access unless you know the landowner, want to pay a huge access fee, or or happen to draw one of the CWMU unit tags. Some of these tags are transferrable depending on type. It seems it's largely done to say "we're providing more opportunity" and "reducing population in that area" but it does nothing to actually realize either of those statements.

There's some public land interspersed in the private swaths or on the edges, but hunting those is a total joke as they're overrun with hunters and the elk know where they're safe.

 

[wytx]

Lots of bluster from folks that have no clue.
Yes there is a problem, for some not all LOs.
LOs want the ability to let hunters they know and trust will get multiple animals off their ranch, not just shoot 1 cow and chase the herd to the neighbors. That does no good for herd reduction.

 

[RMM]

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Give them transferable tag....but for everyone they get they must allow 10 hunting days to the general public. A list of cow only tag holders and the hunter is pulled from that list. Hunter #1 shoots a cow first day....9 days remaining. Next hunter comes in and kill cow after 2 days. 7 days remaining etc. Or they can have 2 hunters per day for 5 days...etc.

Most landowners know enough people or have enough family and friends that would gladly come shoot a cow it is really a non issue. Also, why the hell would an outfitter or even the land owner demand the outfitter remove X amount of animals a year. Put it in the contract. For every x number of bulls an outfitter and their clients take they must harvest Y number of cows. OR...Outfitter must remove X number of cows BEFORE your clients can harvest a bull.

Landowners do not want to actually solve the problem plain and simple.

There is precedent in the whitetail hunting world for "earn a buck" programs, and this would simply be a "earn a bull" version, requiring hunters kill a cow first.

 

[mtnbiker208]

letting a bunch of people you don't know, run around on your property with guns sounds like a bad idea. Sounds good on the keyboard, but not in reality. but if you have never had a guy trespassing shoot towards your house, you might not understand. Can it be done sure, but is it worth it?

I had a family friend ask me to take her kid hunting. The first thing i did was see if he could hit the target. The gun was never sighted in and he was ready to go hunting. Not everyone is a super stud on rokslide.

 

[fatlander]

The residents of Wyoming own the elk (held in trust by the state), private individuals own the land.

Sounds like there’s a pretty simple mutually beneficial relationship that could be fostered here.

Having your cake and eating it too ain’t it.


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[jjohnsonElknewbie]

These ranchers could also sign up and advertise on Land Trust.

 

[fatlander]

These ranchers could also sign up and advertise on Land Trust.

No. We’re all going to be looking through the posted signs if this trend continues.

If I lived in that part of the state I’d be organizing like minded sportsmen through something like hunters for access and knocking on these ranches doors offering ranch activity assistance for the opportunity to increase public access for antlerless cow hunts.


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[Indian Summer]

Capture them and start re-populating the Bob.

You mean feed the grizzlies and wolves up there? Lol

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

You mean feed the grizzlies and wolves up there? Lol

Better than letting them die of old age in WY. LOL!

 

[wytx]

These elk are right in the middle of endemic CWD area, they are not going anywhere.

 

[Eastcoasthunter94]

Few years ago I had a late cow tag in eastern wyoming. I spoke to a few landowners including one large ranch that ran outfitted hunts and I had no problem gaining access. It’s doable and I think later in the year is definitely easier to gain access.

 

[jmez]

These elk are right in the middle of endemic CWD area, they are not going anywhere.

Most all elk are. Just hasn't been "discovered" yet.

 

[TWoch]

I appreciate that WFG is actively searching for a solution. No one is mentioning the huge ranches in 117 that don’t allow hunting and act as a refuge for pressured elk. There’s a lot of angles. We’ll see how the unlimited permits work.

 

[WCB]

Friends and family or an outfitter's hunters sound like a reasonable approach but suggesting a landowner allow the general public on their land is not. Your opinion of the general public is higher than mine. I've helped clean up the trash piles and put out campfires left around gut piles by the "general public".

I don't think all or even most ranchers are doing the complaining. The ranchers with high numbers have outfitter agreements or their family hunts the ranch. There are ranches that allow no hunting period, become elk sanctuaries and they are the most vocal about elk damage and expect a handout.

I'm not saying unlimited free for all....They have to allow so many days. Can be ran like block management where they have to check in at the ranch HQ. Or why not make a list and have a shooting requirement like places have for city deer removal. Take a class on safety and marksmanship then go on a list for hunts. Cow only.

And also, landowners must not be great at dealing with outfitters because they can literally require the outfitter to kill X amount of cows before any bulls are killed.