Elk Island National Park considers hunt to cull herds
 

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loca...-to-cull-herds

Interesting. Shame they can't ship them out due to disease risk.

Seems like a First Nation hunt or a cull would be less useful than changing the fences so they can move out of the park. Increasing hunting opportunity in the whole Beaver Hills would be a better outcome no?

I'm gonna be really choked if those hunting opportunities are given to First Nations rather than public at large. It should be a simple non-priority draw like buffalo.

sweet

Wonder who the best contacts are to express one's view that the hunt should be open to any resident of Alberta on a random, no priority draw basis.

Should be a resident opportunity only....period IMHO. Or transplant more to Suffield, the ones down there are all gone :)

Oh....and if hunting takes place in the park, disallow the culled elk from record book award entry.

LC

Hunting by First Nations, and the rest of Albertans, is listed as two separate options. Other options listed is shooting by park staff, and delivering to a licensed abattoir, or shoot and leave for scavengers.

I like the idea of the jump rails myself.

Thanks for this post OP. First I have heard of this, and Albertans have a full day to think about it before decisions are made, if I read that article correctly. Interesting. Sounds like any important decisions have already been made, and this article is merely lip service to the idea of keeping stakeholders informed.
In the last 14 days I have driven through Elk Island National Park 12 times. Before that I have driven through it perhaps 500 times. I have never seen or even heard of an Elk or Buffalo crossing Hwy 16. I guess it could happen, but why they call it "The Herd", instead of the north and south herd baffles me. That's question 1.
Question 2 would be about CWD. I didn't know that it was this far west already, and how many confirmed case's are we talking about? I hunt 248 and Blackfoot a lot, and this is news to me.
Question 3. First Nations only allowed to harvest if a cull is mandated? What a surprise. And they can sell the meat? I'll buy a set of 6x6's while we are at it.
Something doesn't add up here people. If "The Herd" is getting too large then I agree a cull might be necessary. I don't agree that "Park Staff" should be making important desicions like this. I respect them, but I never voted for them. I smell red herring , and see ballons rising.
So many questions and concern's, and only one day to think about it.

Edit... Darn, I think I'm going to use up some more point's on this thread. lol

The jump rails are a great idea. Everyones failing to see that one of the many options is no hunting.. they dont need to allow this. The article actually mentioned opening up national parks to hunting is rare.

No hunting in a National Park was never an option, it's the law. What is a "jump rail"? If it allows Elk to get out of the park, and onto adjoining farmland, then I'm all for it.

ive seen elk there it would be like shooting a fish in barrel who would want to hunt those elk?

Its close to home for many of us. Id love to have some elk in the freezer.

So are other areas where it's actually a little challenging to get on an elk

It's already been done in Banff National Park and there are a number of newer, remote national parks where limited subsistence hunting is permitted. It's the only way they could gather together the land to be designated as a national park, and subsistence hunting has been part of balancing ecological health for thousands of years.

They can always send the elk to the slaughter house to please those of you upset at the possibility of hunting being an option at elk island.

This is the most likely scenario imo. Lets hope they dont give in to those crying over the cull.

☡close the discussion☡
 

Let F&W kill the Elk and donate it to people that really need it ... to many people bitch about this cull & too easy of hunt. I know where im going Thursday. Thought this was suppose to be a forum for REAL HUNTERS...

Agreed..^ cull them and ration it out to needy family's. The guy driving the 90,000 dollar diesel pick up doesn't need cull meat from a pen.

Who does the culling? I don't think the govt. wants to be responsible for feeding CWD infected meat to needy families. What if someone became ill from eating this culled meat?
Why not have a fair draw where people pay for a tag? You can use the funds to buy proper food for the needy and tag holders can knowingly take their chances like ussual?
I drive a 1300.00 Ranger, so I should qualify for a tag, right?
You know I'm just smack talking Moose. Don't take it personaly.

Same way as when you harvest an animal in cwd zones.

I like the jump rails because of the increased long term hunting opportunities it would provide. But I don't think that will happen. I think there will be too much push back from increased animal vehicle collisions, and push back from farmers who don't want more large animals in their crop, and hay.

I would say an in park cull is most likely.

Hunting in elk island park
 

So someone got the bright idea to consider allowing hunting in elk island park. IMO this is a big no no. Almost ****es me off to the point I want to call myle Cyrus and tell her

Just noticed there's another thread on this already in the hunting section

Federal Parks belong to ALL CANADIANS! So ALL CANADIANS should have an opportunity to benefit from the animals in these Parks! National Parks have been neglecting their duties in this regard for many years by allowing selected hunters to shoot animals in National Parks. First Nations have been given priority to hunt in Banff Park and Suffield army base. Newfoundland residents have been allowed to hunt moose in a Federal Park in Newfoundland.
A draw hunt open to all Canadians or contracts for capture, disease inspection, processing and sale of all the products would be the equitable ways to reduce these animal densities in National Parks.

This sounds like a bunch of people looking for an easy "hunt"

Well said.

Theodore Roosevelt instituted a total protection policy on the Kaibab plateau in 1906, turned into a disaster, how easily we forget.

Grizz

It's an idea that's being floated for the overpopulation issue in the park. Guess it's being badly overgrazed now, not enough range to support herds.

Looks like there is a public information/feedback session at the Alfred H. Savage centre on Fox Drive in Edmonton tomorrow at 6.30 om

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2017/05/2...-to-cull-herds

Testhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...65d0022650.png
I wonder if these are what they call jump rails. This were just recently installed near a campground in the Kootneys. I saw it when hunting Turkey a month ago and wondered what its purpose was. It is new and should be about as up to date as anything on the market. Perhaps they could install a couple on the fenceline with Blackfoot where people already have an opputunity to hunt elk. Course with our luck the Elk from Blackfoot will go into the park instead of vice versa. lol


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It looks like a jump gate for ATV's.

I don't disagree with the fact the herds need to be kept in check (balance) through hunting, natural predation etc. My comment was more in regards to my impression that most people's motivation behind commenting on this topic (and being a hot topic) is based on the thought of an easy hunt rather than conservation of that area.