Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game The status of game.

It's a question?

I'm hearing and reading some really bad things about some areas.

Last hunting show I attended an outfitter/guide told me that the antelope herd in his area North Eastern Wyoming was almost wiped out due to the cold and snow. 5,000 animals.

I just read that in Idaho the elk herd has diminished from 16,000 to an estimated 1,000 due to wolf predation!

A few years back I hunted Caribou and Moose in Newfoundland. Not that long ago I talked to a Canadian guide outfit that said the caribou have dropped in numbers significantly. Compared to what I paid when I went he has jacked up his prices 50%. Supply and demand.

In Africa, and other areas, the reports are that over the past few decades some specific game numbers have dropped shockingly i.e., as much as 90%, tigers, elephants, rhinos, lions.

So what's the prognosis ?

Does anyone have an overall grip on this? It seems to be a combination of uncontrolled poaching, mismanagement, over population, loss of habitat.

Conversely I'm hearing about a prolific abundance of game in "some" areas ???? Is it hype, propaganda or truth ?

Colorado elk herd is healthy.

Mule deer not so much.

Too many bears.

Pa has to many bears also, bears , coyotes and the war on deer here has taken its toll on our once great hunting.

All we have around here are Whitetails and hogs and there is no shortage of either. From what I understand, the farmers aren't having any problems getting depredation permits to kill deer off the spring bean fields.

No shortage of hoglets in Texas.

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or nite



JAPPFT,

GWB

geedub.....you need to get busy, pard. You've got some work to do......

tell me about it! LOL

GWB

Mr. Tibbe,

Your question is interesting but what you've heard is screwy.

I am not surprised there aren't many tigers in Africa, since they live in Asia.

The latest harvest statistics for elk in Idaho (harvest, not elk population) are from 2014, when about 13,000 were killed.

Huh? Where did those absurd numbers come from? After a quick search, I couldn't find the results of this winter's elk survey but I know we have way over 100k elk.

When I grow up, I want to be GEEDUBYA !

A basic search will show you how game animals are faring in the last 200 years...

It isn't what you are being told.

Huh. The few I've run into don't seem to be faring too well at all.

Whitetail, bison, elk, etc are up in terms of populations...some were damn near extinct in the early 1900s.

PS I got the joke...you are a killer!

PSS Add in antelope and sheep too...and I'm probably missing a lot. Money from sportsmen has seriously changed conservation and it isn't limited to mammals, fish have received the benefit too. Just look at how many $$$$$$$ hunters have put into conservation.

Think about those special sheep tag auctions some states have as fund raisers. It's not uncommon for a tag to sell for a couple 100k. IIRC, a few years ago one in MT sold for something like 350k. That's a lot of green pastures for bighorns.

Here in Ontario the number of moose tags available have been drastically reduced over the last two years. In the far north where our group hunts the changes may result in us not being able to hunt moose at all this year.

Previously we bought a moose license which at least entitled us to hunt moose calves. We then entered a draw for adult tags. This year they have limited the calf hunt to two weeks at the end of Oct./beginning of Nov. We fly in to hunt and our week to hunt was spoken for a year ago. Too late to change the timing of the hunt. In any case the bush pilots do not fly this late in the season. If we are unsuccessful in the draw we will be unable to hunt.

I just turned 79 this week so if we do not get to go it will mean I have had the last of my moose hunts.

I realize steps must be taken to maintain and/or restore the herds. It just seems that some of the steps taken are more designed to eliminate hunters as the primary means of reducing demand.

Oh well, at least I can say I had a long run at it and am thankful for that.

There were similar reductions in the issuance of antlerless deer tags last year. Yet strangely enough we saw more deer last year than we ever have in the past.

It looks as though any future shooting will be at the local shooting range rather than in the hunting fields.

Jim

On average, increasing human populations decrease wildlife populations.

John:

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. My source was the NRA magazine American Hunter, June 2015, page 27 titled Idaho Wolf cull removes 19 wolfs. Added culprits named were bears and cougars.

The target area was North Central Lolo zone - not the whole state. I apologize for not being more specific.

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On another matter I heard about a lady that published game cook books. I ordered two and read them. Excellent. I'm really impressed with all and especially the very conspicuous professionalism and explicit details. Only wish I had these books many years ago.

If you desire contact info just let me know !!!

Wink Wink -