>Killcarp2, forgive us old farts for
>ribbing you about your apparent
>naivete but really, this is
>a very complex issue. We
>ALL want the feral horse
>problem dealt with. People tend
>to elevate horses to a
>pedestal like our dogs and
>cats. They have become a
>sacred cow (pardon the pun)
>to some who feel every
>horse must live. They believe
>horses are wild and free
>and should be left to
>live that way. Fact is
>they are feral animals who
>are over running our rangelands
>and now number some 47,000
>head in Nevada alone. BLM
>spends $80 million a year
>on the wildhorse and burro
>program, 60 of it spent
>feeding them in holding facilities.
>Their population doubles every 5
>or 6 years on the
>range. The problem isn't even
>with the BLM. Most managers
>want them controlled.
>
>The problem is the horse lovers
>don't. And those groups have
>incredible power in Washington and
>very deep pockets. They challenge
>every proposed gather or action
>in court. They fight the
>unrestricted sale of horses that
>are captured. They are ADAMANTLY
>opposed to sending them ANYWHERE
>that horse flesh is used
>for human consumption. And they
>seem to have a lot
>of influence on Congress. Even
>as brash as the Trump
>administration is I doubt they
>can get much done about
>the horses. And I believe
>the administration wants to help
>in this regard.
>
>I wish I had a better
>answer for you. Write to
>your congressional representatives. ALL of
>them. Not just the repubs.
>Hold their feet to the
>fire to enforce the wild
>horse and burro act (WHBA
>1972). If they did that,
>without interference, the problem would
>be miniscule compared to today.
>They haven't been able to
>do that because the horse
>groups won't let them. Taxpayers
>need to demand that their
>tax dollars stop being wasted
>feeding horses.
>
>Most of all, even though we
>are all tempted, dont shoot
>them. A couple of dead
>horses will do nothing to
>solve the problem and you
>will get a far worse
>sentence for that than you
>would for robbing a bank.
>Unless you want to go
>to prison and can kill
>about 40,000 head before you
>get caught, it won't be
>worth it.
Yeah I have been reading about a a lot of what you listed. I wouldn't ever shoot one as frustrating as it is. Thank you for your response. I am not all that young myself. Although I have not been involved politically with this topic, this last deer season kind of pushed me to learn a little more, hence the reason I started this thread. I have learned enough I think to know where to start, even though I am sure my opinion won't change much. I figure my options are to part of the solution or part of the problem so why not be one more person sending letters and causing some ripples.
Anyway, thanks again for your response.