WDFW Puzzled About Elk Numbers

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WMFerguson

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www.spokesman.com

Blue Mountain elk study raises more questions

A three-year assessment of elk in Washington’s Blue Mountains produced unclear results, leaving wildlife managers contemplating further research and speculating about what may be happening.
www.spokesman.com www.spokesman.com

They might as well just say, "We spent your money trying to find the answer and we found the answer, but we're still looking for one that fits our idiotic world view." The genius of government. What could possibly be the cause of high elk calf mortality? Hmmmm....gee...yeah...what a mystery.
 
Marginal feed/cover, lets limit predator control and then have to study why the population goals(increasing) aren't being met. Classic.
 
I'm convinced that our newer wildlife biologists have been told (indoctrinated by college professors), over and over again, that predation is just a small part of the problem. It's 'habitat change' and 'climate change' that's to blame.

Google the Kaibab Plateau in Az from the 1920's. In a nutshell, all predators were greatly reduced over several years. In 1907, The Forest Service tried to exterminate the predators of the deer. Between 1907 and 1939, 816 mountain lions, 20wolves, 7388 coyotes and more than 500 bobcats were killed.

The deer population ballooned from about 4,000 to over 100,000 in 20 years.

Most biologists agree that one lion will kill about 1 deer per week. Colorado has between 3,000 and 7,000 lions. On the low end, lions kill about 150,000 deer per year, just in Colorado.

Black bear studies in Idaho show them to be hard on elk calves.

But, yeah, habitat and climate change are to blame.
 
^^^ 100%
I'll add that these "researchers" are not incentivized to actually find an answer. Certainly not one that has a simple solution like 'reduce predator numbers'. If they did that, their study would be over, and they'd have to find a new way to steal taxpayer dollars.
 
K22-hornet said:
Most biologists agree that one lion will kill about 1 deer per week.
Click to expand...
EAT about 1 deer per week. In areas with lots of bears, lions get their kills stolen a lot, causing them to kill extra because theyre feeding the welfare bears. And in really hot weather id guess they are probably only taking one good meal off of a deer or elk.
 
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