Our Big Game Herds

While Randy is specifically talking about the situation of our “local” game herds, the impact of predators and the negative impact of our Game & Fish mismanagement on “wildlife” management has had, we know, from all of the calls, emails, and comments on YouTube and Rumble, that this situation, in various forms, is playing out in many, many other states and even other countries. Because, here and in so many places, the extremely successful North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, has been ignored or totally thrown out. https://www.hunter-ed.com/national/studyGuide/The-North-American-Model-of-Wildlife-Conservation/201099_93166/
Thumbnail photo, by Cathy, The Real Gunsmith's wife, taken from back patio window. Buck is lying down, sleeping, just 20 feet from our back deck.
Our biggest impact on decline of big game herds has been the introduction of Canadian grey wolves. Jim Beers, formerly of USWS, Wildlife Biologist, Law Enforcement Agent and Canadian Grey Wolf expert warned against bringing the Canadian wolves to the lower 48. Here is a VERY enlightening video on the talk he gave about it. Randy and a friend attended this talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0QGfKevkIY The Wolving of America, 2010
Jim provides an honest assessment of the damage wolves are inflicting on big game populations, how many wolves there likely are in the Northern Rockies and how legal intervention by environmental organizations is very much to blame for the dramatic drop in elk, deer and other big game.
Jim’s talk supports what Randy, and all of us living in this area, have witnessed. Cathy’s data, requested from WY G & F, shows that in this valley ALONE, since 3 years after wolf introduction, 1998, combined with prolific increase in grizzly population, our opportunities for elk “draw” tags, resident and non-resident, has dropped nearing 7000 tags, 1998-2024. That is a HUGE decrease in income for the department, which runs on tag sales.
The book Randy shows and talks about Reasons for the Decline of Game in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming [talking about early 1900 decline] by Calvin L. King, is available [3 as of this date] at Abe Books: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=32024579442&cm_sp=SEARCHREC-_-WIDGET-R-_-BDP-F&searchurl=ds%3D20%26kn%3DCalvin%2520L.%2520King%26rollup%3Don%26sortby%3D20
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