Killing Elk…

[lyagooshka]

#6618

Hello all,

Just got this from our WCO:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/game-commission-feeding-is-killing-pennsylvania-s-elk/article_cc58d708-bb8b-11e4-8908-138ea304d9af.html

Was wondering if others are seeing this in other parts.

Be well,

Alex

[Etter1]

#53224

I’ve been seeing a lot of recommendations on the PA websites not to feed the deer as well but most people do and the deer seem to be fine. Elk must be more susceptible to this than whitetails because there are a lot of reported cases.

[Fallguy]

#53233

The same issue applies to deer and cattle, if they start a high corn diet all of the sudden they are susceptible to acidose. They can tolerate it if it is introduced gradually into their diet. But there is a maximum they can eat without severe consequences.

[David Petersen]

#53272

Over on the philosophical side–and whether or not it “works” to produce more animals for us to hunt–it comes down to whether we want wild animals out there or farmed. And whether, thus, we want to be hunters or harvesters.

[Etter1]

#53866

David Petersen wrote: Over on the philosophical side–and whether or not it “works” to produce more animals for us to hunt–it comes down to whether we want wild animals out there or farmed. And whether, thus, we want to be hunters or harvesters.

That slope can keep dropping too. Most people in the East do what they can to improve habitat on their properties. Food plots, burning regimes, fertilizing, etc.

[Fallguy]

#53950

We have had issues with antler harvesters here also. They set up illegal feeding stations and devise bars and wires to knock the antlers off so they can easily find them. They have no consideration for the health of the animals or the ethics of what they are doing when antlers do not come off and the deer become entangled and dies.

[Etter1]

#53974

Are people selling these antlers or just collectors? I imagine that if I had elk nearby, I would shed hunt all the time. I do plenty of it now for whitetails but she actual shed hunting is usually just a reason to go hiking and I stumble upon most of my finds during turkey season.

The obsession with antlers still blows my mind.

[David Coulter]

#54100

Obsession with antlers is pretty crazy. I think a large antler spread on a deer is really a beautiful thing too, but what lengths folk go to is unreal. When I was a kid just learning to hunt, an 8 point was a super trophy and getting a 6 point was nothing to sneeze at. Along with the safety traing were the words of advice, “don’t let anybody buy a deer from you. ” That was not at all unheard of. Paying for bragging rights was crazy to me even as a kid.

I am also troubled by the food plot business. While I support habitat improvement, I struggle with planting a patch to hang a stand over. One guy I know put in a 25 x 25 foot patch of soybeans that was Round-up ready, so he could spray it and not have to pull weeds. So, you’re gonna feed that burger to your family? Yikes!

[Fallguy]

#54214

Etter most of them are in it to sell the antlers. Out west they have to close areas where the elk winter to all travel. Just so antler collectors do not harass the elk. They will chase them into deep snow so they have to lunged to try and get the antlers to fall off. Which puts a lot of stress on animals that are in tough shape after a long winter.

[Etter1]

#54494

dwcphoto wrote: Obsession with antlers is pretty crazy. I think a large antler spread on a deer is really a beautiful thing too, but what lengths folk go to is unreal. When I was a kid just learning to hunt, an 8 point was a super trophy and getting a 6 point was nothing to sneeze at. Along with the safety traing were the words of advice, “don’t let anybody buy a deer from you. ” That was not at all unheard of. Paying for bragging rights was crazy to me even as a kid.

I am also troubled by the food plot business. While I support habitat improvement, I struggle with planting a patch to hang a stand over. One guy I know put in a 25 x 25 foot patch of soybeans that was Round-up ready, so he could spray it and not have to pull weeds. So, you’re gonna feed that burger to your family? Yikes!

That’s what most of the foods in the supermarket are.

[David Coulter]

#54512

True enough. But we know that going through the Automatic doors. Wild should left alone. I know… Beef should be left alone too, but wild should be wild. D

[Stephen Graf]

#54882

speaking of antlers…

You can buy antlers in the pet stores now. They sell them for dog chews. I wonder where they come from?

When I saw it, I thought knife handles and bow tip overlays. As my hand reached for the newfound mother load of easy-to-be-had antlers ready to scoop up big handfuls in a new found antler bliss I realized – buying these will support deer farming, or commercial shed collection or something… My hand drooped. My back sagged.

My discomfort with pet stores returned and and I scolded my daughter to get her damn hamster food and lets get the hell out of here.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#54989

Steve Graf wrote:

You can buy antlers in the pet stores now. They sell them for dog chews. I wonder where they come from?

Usually from deer farms.

My discomfort with pet stores returned and and I scolded my daughter to get her damn hamster food and lets get the hell out of here.

[Don Thomas]

#55557

Artificially concentrating wild ungulates for any reason is almost always a bad idea, although I have to admit that doing so in order to facilitate the collection and sale of elk antlers lowers the ethical bar even more than usual. In Montana, people who feed bighorns during the winter can’t grasp that doing so exposes the animals to several respiratory illnesses that are a leading cause of death among wild sheep. Opposing feeding programs seems counter-intuitive. We’re just helping the poor critters through the winter, right? Wrong! I could go on with countless other reasons why this practice is bad for wildlife, but some people are just never gong to get it. Don

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#55566

Well said, Don. I wish the managers of the National Elk Refuge outside of Jackson could get this through their thick skulls. We’re courting a regional catastrophe with the artificially high numbers of elk that have been created there as a result of their supplemental feeding program.

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