Another Problem

[Chesterwyo]

Wild Mustangs Bully Wyoming Deer And Antelope Still Reeling From Winterkill

Wyoming’s mustangs could be a huge roadblock for the recovery of big game herds devastated by winterkill, and the Bureau of Land Management needs to remove more of them, an avid hunter and retired wildlife biologist said.

cowboystatedaily.com

Thought on this?

 

[HikeHunt61]

The same argument happens in AZ with wild Burros. It's really hard to understand how the same folks who support re-introductions of apex predators due to historical distribution would also support leaving non-native species in habitats that compete with native ones.

But the dude in the article kinda lost me with: “The groceries that they’re taking off the landscape, that’s groceries that they’re taking away from deer, from antelope, sage grouse, bunny rabbits and even tweety birds,” Paullin said.

Tweety birds? Yikes...

 

[SDBugler]

"But mustang advocates claim that the horses are truly wild animals that are widely admired and bring considerable tourist revenue to Wyoming. And so, like any wildlife species, they should be protected and conserved"


So when I was in school I was taught that horses were not native to North America and were originated when horses escaped from the Spanish. Therefore, are they not technically a feral species? So why was it acceptable to shoot mountain goats (which have never been domestic) from helicopters in the Tetons a few years ago simply because they were considered "non-native" to that particular area?

 

[nfh]

The McCoullogh peaks herd are horses that were released during World war's and the depression. People couldn't afford to feed them or left for service. No Spanish blood in this group.

But yet we name highways after them, shut down roads to protect them.

It's a flippin joke.

 

[SDBugler]

My point was that NO horses are native to North America. and are therefore feral. Why should they be protected more than a true wild species like the mountain goat simply because it is in a different area than historically. Mountain goats were at least an originally "native" species.

If a stray dog becomes "wild" should we protect it like we do other wildlife and give it as much, if not more, consideration than we do wildlife?

 

[HikeHunt61]

My point was that NO horses are native to North America. and are therefore feral. Why should they be protected more than a true wild species like the mountain goat simply because it is in a different area than historically.

I think we know the answer, whether we like it or not. Horses have a heart-string attachment to massive amounts of the public. Politicians love those votes- thus the policies and laws to appease the public at large.

And... most folks don't even know what a mountain goat is!

 

[MrShane]

It really is a shame feral horses do not have antlers.
Every politician would change their tune because antlers=easy money for personal and government coffers.

 

[montezumarchery]

If everyone could only taste a perfectly cooked horse steak, they would mysteriously start to disappear.

They are quite delicious! Don't ask me how I know...

 

[HikeHunt61]

If everyone could only taste a perfectly cooked horse steak, they would mysteriously start to disappear.

They are quite delicious! Don't ask me how I know...

How do you know?

 

[SDBugler]

maybe they open up a hunting season on the horses and charge the NR's an excessive fee for a special license and application fee and make money off them?

It would also give a reason to change every post about horses in the Wyoming forum into a R vs NR argument

 

[montezumarchery]

How do you know?

Got invited over to my old neighbors house for a barbecue.... he put a steak on my plate hot off the grill. I ate the whole thing and asked what it was (I could tell it wasn't beef or anything else I had ever tried). The few women that were there and overheard freaked the F out on him!

I thanked him for the delicious steak and asked where I could get more!
I guess his uncle butchered it because he missed it from when he was growing up super poor, wanted to see if it was as good as he remembered!

 

[nfh]

I know for the McCullough peaks herd they do round ups and sell the horses at auction. They do make a good horse if your willing to be a cowboy to deal with it.

I know they're talking about making some of the mares non-fertal to control population. Cant rememeber if that was for healthy herd or to stop the round up and sales of horses.

At least it's some form of mangement but they still put the horses up on a pedestal and as mentioned some powerful groups to keep the cause going. Recently their was a banquet to support the horses.

A hunting season I say hell ya. Could you imagine the can worms that would open up. Take the wolf/grizzly subject and mutiply by 10 with rage.


The pryor mountain herd they claim is all Spanish blood. Talk to the old cowboys and ranchers they have mutiple stories of their horses breeding with that herd and along with some other crazy stories that I don't dare type on here for the wrong set of eyes. Their form of control is mountian lions. The cays get a few foals

 

[rmanwill]

My thoughts are they need to be controlled like any other animal. If they are truly wild they should be controlled like all other big game.

If they are not native, but feral horses they should be controlled even more.

Activists need to pick their stance and the states or federal government act accordingly to their choice.

 

[elks96]

Every single one of those damn worthless animals should be shot and left to rot on the range. They are worthless, destructive and have no place on our ranges.

They cost tax payers billions, they destroy the range, degrade the soil, and worse….

 

[Bluehair]

Got invited over to my old neighbors house for a barbecue.... he put a steak on my plate hot off the grill. I ate the whole thing and asked what it was (I could tell it wasn't beef or anything else I had ever tried). The few women that were there and overheard freaked the F out on him!

I thanked him for the delicious steak and asked where I could get more!
I guess his uncle butchered it because he missed it from when he was growing up super poor, wanted to see if it was as good as he remembered!

That’s some south valley chit there.

 

[montezumarchery]

That’s some south valley chit there.

Try it.... you'll like it!

 

[Largebull]

Arizona is over run with Horses. In the Pines and the Desert. Burros are Crazy NW of Phoenix, I-17 to Wickenburg , Lake Pleasant too. They have eaten all the deer food in the Desert. and water too, hardly any deer left. Horses in the High country are way out of hand. On Elk hunt 15 months ago saw as many horses as elk in a great unit. Even came into my camp. Somethings gotta be done........................BULL!

 

[Homer]

We live in an Idiocracy....

 

[tailchasers]

The Democrats and enviros are clueless, setting th system up for failure. To much to mention but dealing with them everyday drives me insane as the delve out their emotional initiatives. Its not rational, it's all feelings based, humanizing every wild aspect they can that truly does not exist in the mindset of animals. Give it a f'n rest ya flipping wackos!

 

[eshunt]

Try it.... you'll like it!

I haven’t had a steak yet, but I have eaten horse in salami and sausage in other countries. And it’s excellent table fare! I would have no problem putting one in the freezer every year to feed the family.

 

[nontypical]

During our latest drought, a NR buddy of mine drew a deer tag for 102. It was a horribly dry summer that year. He came for a couple scouting trips during the hot, dry summer. The limited water sources in this particular portion of the unit had all been taken over by the horses. They stayed there 24 hours; never leaving except to graze. there were so many horses that the ground within a 50–100-yard radius around the water hole was nothing but dirt.

I once was very active with a couple different conservation groups. We fenced some desert springs in the Rock Springs/ Green River areas because the horses had taken over the springs. When It's hot, they roll around in the mud and stomp their hooves all over the spring, rendering what was once a beautiful clean water source with flowing water into a morass of small mud holes; basically, completely destroying the spring. We used steel-jack fencing. It works really well for keeping the horses out, but wildlife can still easily get in.

That biologist speaks the truth.

 

[DeerHunter53]

Years ago on my honeymoon in Mexico my wife and I had dinner at a place where the menu was in Spanish. I understood the steak word but not what kind.
The meat was sweet tasting and kinda stringy. Not bad overall but we realized later we had ate Horse meat. That was 1975