Habitat Help

[Paradox]

I keep reading as habitat and pinon/juniper encroachment is a big factor in mule deer decline. Also how groups like MDF, SFW are spending thousands on heavy equipment to mitigate the problem.
I have been thinking why can't hunters help with this problem. We spend a few hours cutting firewood every year, we could just as well whack a few junipers while we are at it. As a bonus we'd have firewood for next year. The State could require us to take an quick online course so we wouldn't cut the wrong trees and they could furnish maps with your hunting license so you could concentrate where it would do the most good.

Just a thought.
Ed


If you ain't the lead dog,
the view never changes

 

[Tristate]

Excellent idea.

 

[LOWCOUNTRY]

couldnt agree with ya more the only problem is I think the BLM or the FS might come down on sombody for dropping live trees without a permit. That said however im pretty sure you can buy a post pole permit somthing like .40 cents a tree the last time I bought one and pinyon and Juniper trees were fair game. A good idea none the less just might be a few hoops to jump through.

 

[Cutbow]

I've done that here in Utah. I'm in what is called the "dedicated hunter program" that allows me to hunt 3 years in a row in the unit I choose. One requirement of the program is to complete a certain number of service hours. One of the projects I worked on last summer was removing the Pinon and Juniper trees from one of the wintering areas for deer/elk. I was given a map of the area and was told to get rid of any juniper/pinon pine I could find within the area.

It was nice that the project was mapped out and organized by the fish and game, because we obviously don't want to be just cutting down trees in random areas. I'd be willing to do it even if I didn't need the service hours as long as it was coordinated/supervised by the division.

Cutbow

 

[txhunter58]

In principal a good idea, but whole areas need to be cleared, so it would have to be organized at some level.

That said, I don't know about up there, but down here we don't use juniper trees for firewood: burns too fast and too hot with lots of soot because of the oil in the wood. Makes great fence posts though but do your junipers have many straight limbs for posts?

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[kittykiller]

I have been working with the Elko BLM office for several years doing Pinyon-Juniper (PJ) cutting in big-game winter range areas. Last year I cut 20 cords of PJ and then replanted the area with bitterbrush saplings the BLM gave me. I believe they charge $6 a cord for the wood permit. Depending on where you are, call your local BLM or FS office and ask to talk to the forester or range manager in charge of wood cutting. I'll bet they can get you on the right path.

 

[theox]

tx we use juniper ALOT around here for firewood, it burns well for us!

 

[theox]

biggest prob is some blm offices like the junipers. they are against railing, and fires in my area. they would rather have the junipers for some reason. they are very protective over them

 

[desertbonehunter]

man I couldnt imagine anyone being protective over a juniper. They are like a weed, the ones around here are good for nothing, they have like 10 trunks coming out of the ground and are messy to cut, especially when you get into some of the stumps. Dirt and rocks always get filled in the hollow parts of the stumps and are hell on saws. I have done a lot of different fuel reduction projects. One of the landowners on the project Im doing now has a picture from the 1950's of a hillside, it was all sage and bitterbrush. Now the whole hill is think juniper with a few pinion. When they take over, nothing else grows, they drink pretty much all the available water .

 

[txhunter58]

>tx we use juniper ALOT around
>here for firewood, it burns
>well for us!

Good to know!

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[ICMDEER]

I'm on a habitat group here in Wyoming that is organized/coordinated by Game and Fish. BLM said it would be two years before we could get a plan in place to allow us to cut any trees and the Forest Service thought more like 4 years. Seemed pretty simple to me but the red tape was amazing.

But there's quite a bit of private land that will benefit. I cut down all the trees on 25 acres on my wife's family ranch last year and got cost share from NRCS. I hated trees before it was fashionable. And elk. And whitetails. Too many of all those.

 

[BillyBoB]

Your post is a good one and is a wonderful idea. My question is don't you think A LOT of hunters would be willing to do jobs for free to help wildlife whether it be tree removal or building high fences to keep big game from being hit by cars or whatever need be, instead of a bunch of money being given to some of these organizations to be paid to do projects?????

I know I personally would LOVE to get involved with a project to help wildlife and I would do it for FREE!
The DWR needs to set up a list on their website for anyone to donate or offer their time to help with wildlife projects. I'd be glad to help with anything they need help with.

If there already is a list....Where do I sign up?



Theodore Roosevelt's guidance concerning
conservation...
"The movement for the conservation of wildlife,
and the conservation of all our natural resources,
are essentially democratic in spirit,purpose and
method."

"We do not intend that our natural resources shall
be exploited by the few against the interests of the
majority. Our aim is to preserve our natural
resources for the public as a whole, for the
average man and the average woman who make
up the body of the American people."

"It is in our power...to preserve game..and to give
reasonable opportunities for the exercise of the
skill of the hunter,whether he is or is not a man of
means."

 

[pymulies]

I agree with you ICMDEER, there are way too many whitetails and elk. But they are tasty too.

py

 

[Paradox]

So,
If whole areas need to be cleared wouldn't it help if I whacked 5 trees every year we hunted?
Seems like the problem is there are too many entities involved and way too much red tape! If junipers are a problem NOW, why would it take 2-4 years to come up with a permit to remove them? Then, each office has to protect their turf.
Also, I second the notion that hunters would volunteer a lot of time if asked. We keep hearing how G&F budgets are being cut yet it never occurs to anyone that they could use us as a resource.
Stupid stuff happens all the time! Like the elk situation in RMNP, we would have gladly PAID to help remove some elk, yet they needed to bring in professional snipers and PAID big bucks to waste a resource.
Guess that's enough venting for now, I don't know how to implement this sort of stuff that needs to be done habitat wide or state wide, but it sure seems like G&F are selling us down the river at times.

Ed

If you ain't the lead dog,
the view never changes

 

[ishootaRUM300]

I would be all over doing stuff like this. I would be like a fat kid on chocolate cake. I actually tried to get the DNR here to let us go and help them count elk caves. That was a big NO.

 

[littlebighorn]

IMO there are way too many attorneys who need a job defending worthless trees to get it done efficiently.
Now a few stray matchs in strategic conditions could accelerate a fix!
JK...don't send any feds to my house!