Quote:
Originally Posted by Prairiewolf
In my opinion, the real issue is this: why did the population get to the levels where this cull became the best option? How should the management of this area be adjusted so the herd is properly managed and hunter opportunity (and government revenue) is optimized?
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That one's easy, a free range elk herd with no predators gets out of control quickly. During the first hunt elk with release ear tags were taken, that's a ton of baby calves. The military expected the herd to peak at 800, that probably took 4 years. Up until these last few years the only management was the season around the base, shooting the fence jumpers, this does not get enough of them nor is it during the times the elk leave the base most often.
They knew this was a problem earlier, the issue is the military did some terrible things out on CFB Suffield. They really needed to take careful consideration into allowing mass access. However with a few years under their belt there should be no reason this can't turn into a CFB wainwright style mainstay in our hunting draw book.