Igottabigone
Active Member
- Messages
- 203
There is a new committee that was formed to try and revise the management plan for elk on the Wasatch Unit. All the usual players are on said committee, even the Forest Service (which is interesting to me). Anyway, this past week the committee met and ALL but the DWR said the elk heard was suffering. This includes conservation orgs, sportsmen, landowners, ranchers, etc. etc.
However, the DWR apparently believes the Wasatch elk numbers are currently growing. WTF? Covey and Dale the biologists for the DWR estimate the heard numbers at 10,000 elk. Dax is probably with them too. Again, WTF? Last year they had unlimited cow tags for the majority of the unit. So with approximately 2,800 tags for cow elk how many would you estimate were killed. According to the DWR, 130 cows were killed last year unit wide. WTF? So with a thriving elk herd, according to the DWR, the success rates for cows was 4%. Interesting that the DWR says there are 10,000 head of elk and the US Forest Service guy pipes up and says if there were that many elk he'd be hearing from the ag guys. Funny though that he indicates the ag guys say the elk aren't there. So the DWR says the plan again this year is to go open season on the elk. Interesting to note, though, that the DWR acknowledges that the elk on the southern part of the unit, Diamond Fork, Sheep Creek, Tie Fork, etc. are all but gone. According to the DWR this herd of elk crossed highway 6 and are now on the Manti unit. Mind you this was a very robust herd 3 to 4 years ago that is now gone!
So the question must be asked, is the DWR wrong on this or is everybody else? If its everybody else, then why? Hunting cows from August to January and the success rate is 4%. How is that possible if there are 10K head of elk on the unit? Ask Dale Litche. He'll say they are hiding in the trees.
However, the DWR apparently believes the Wasatch elk numbers are currently growing. WTF? Covey and Dale the biologists for the DWR estimate the heard numbers at 10,000 elk. Dax is probably with them too. Again, WTF? Last year they had unlimited cow tags for the majority of the unit. So with approximately 2,800 tags for cow elk how many would you estimate were killed. According to the DWR, 130 cows were killed last year unit wide. WTF? So with a thriving elk herd, according to the DWR, the success rates for cows was 4%. Interesting that the DWR says there are 10,000 head of elk and the US Forest Service guy pipes up and says if there were that many elk he'd be hearing from the ag guys. Funny though that he indicates the ag guys say the elk aren't there. So the DWR says the plan again this year is to go open season on the elk. Interesting to note, though, that the DWR acknowledges that the elk on the southern part of the unit, Diamond Fork, Sheep Creek, Tie Fork, etc. are all but gone. According to the DWR this herd of elk crossed highway 6 and are now on the Manti unit. Mind you this was a very robust herd 3 to 4 years ago that is now gone!
So the question must be asked, is the DWR wrong on this or is everybody else? If its everybody else, then why? Hunting cows from August to January and the success rate is 4%. How is that possible if there are 10K head of elk on the unit? Ask Dale Litche. He'll say they are hiding in the trees.