Now before everyone gets all wound up about this there are a whole bunch of unanswered questions.
- First off, what is the level of landowner support for this. Has the County surveyed land owners - no they haven't becasue all the ones I have talked to haven't been consulted at all - or is this a reaction to a few people complaining to their councillor
- How much is being driven by the cutbacks at AFSC
- What is the actual current Elk herd vs historical, and given this wasn't a bad year winter wise what prompted this all of a sudden
- Just exactly how would they propose to "Round Up" wild Elk
- Is there an option to issue Elk hunters two or three cow tags if there really needs to be a cull
That is just the surface of the problem and the initial set of questions. I certainly plan to talk to a bunch more people as well as the Councillors and Reeve plus the local MLA to get the full story. Before guys go nuts, if you hunt up there you might want to talk to the landowners that give you permission to assess their view and perspective on this. As hunters there is no point in getting this blocked and then having no permission because you became part of the problem. If a large number of landowners are in favour of a cull because depredation has become a big probleml, can we find a good way to accomplish it.
https://www.thecentralpeacesignal.ca...-get-trampled/
MD proposes elk herds cull as farmlands get trampled
April 26, 2021
An elk was sighted on a field south of Wanham on Friday, April 23. The Municipal District of Spirit River No. 133 is proposing a mass cull of elk herds in the area as a way to control the damage they brought on farm fields. // Photo by Lynn Connell The Municipal District of Spirit River No. 133 is proposing a mass cull of wild elk herds in the area as a way to deal with elk intrusions into farmlands – often leaving a wide swath of destruction on unharvested crops. To set its plan in motion, the MD has written to Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen, raising the sentiment of area farm producers over the destructuve nature of these elk intrusions.
“This would, in effect, be an elk-reduction program – something which needed the approval from the provincial government,” Councillor Elaine Garrow told
The Central Peace Signal. “We know from frequent sightings of elk herds that there are far too many of them in our area. Farmers would tell you the elk population in our area needs to be controlled because of the destruction elk herds often brought to our farms.”
She is hoping the province would get on board with the plan, which involves not only rounding up the elk and culling them in large numbers – “with the meat being professionally butchered at inspected facilities” – but also donating the meat to food banks in Alberta as well as homes for seniors.
“We believe that this option would assist to lower the elk pressure on our farmlands while also supporting residents during these challenging times,” the MD letter states.
Mel Duvall, who grows wheat, barley, peas and canola on a field spanning 13,000 acres in the Eaglesham area, said farmers take out insurance to cover themselves from any potential risk of damage by wildlife, adding that the MD plan comes at a time when Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) is cutting back on wildlife compensation.
“This has been an ongoing problem for us,” he told
The Central Peace Signal. “Something has to be done about it. We have quite a large number of elk in our area, and they are very destructive because they are not scared easily, they cover a lot of ground, and they trample on crops as they walk through.”
Henry Kroll, also a grain grower with nearly 6,000 acres of farmlands southwest of Spirit River, said he has had experienced damage on crops caused by elk. “At one particular year, we have bales of hays also wrecked by elk,” he said.
The MD said its proposed elk culk will benefit both the provincial and federal governments in the way of reduced costs associated with AFSC wildlife investigations and claims – “a win-win situation overall.”
Garrow said Central Peace-Notley MLA Todd Loewen has been involved in the MD’s efforts at trying to secure the nod of the province in the mass elk-cull plan.