Hey everyone,
Thanks for your replies.
I would love to interview everyone, but I have extended the word count as much as I can already.
The story will tell the history of how the elk came to be there, how the hunt was initially implemented, and why it took so long.
It will deal with the damage the elk are causing local landowners, the challenges of making the base accessible to hunters, the success of the hunt, the apparent outward off-base spread of the elk into other areas, and some of the (non-pretty) issues about the hunt (cull) itself.
I have written about Suffield before for AP magazine (and actually just won a first place national journalism award for that) so I am not unfamiliar with the sensitivities involved. The material will be used for Cowboy Country Magazine (a national publication), as well as Alberta Beef Magazine and the Alberta Conservation Association magazine. Each publication will get a slightly different article because of the different audience involved, but the material I gather could be in all three.
I'm a hunter and have been reporting on wildlife and agriculture issues for more years than I would like to admit at this point.
I can understand why some of you would not want the details coming out about the less pretty aspects of the Suffield hunt, but in my experience, nothing ever gets better by staying quiet.
There are quite a few of you that are willing to talk, and I really appreciate that. I am not sure because of time constraints if I will have time to interview everyone, so if you are willing to go on the record, please email me at
sherimonk@gmail.com and I will reply with a few email questions. That way I have the best opportunity to collect as many responses as possible, which will help me paint a more accurate picture.
Thanks everyone!