Posted on 02/27/2007 11:44:05 AM PST by neverdem
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress now has the opportunity to decide whether hunters should be allowed to hunt elk in North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., introduced legislation Monday that would allow the National Park Service to use volunteer hunters to thin the overpopulated elk herd in the park.
"If we need to thin the herd, I don't see any sense in spending millions of dollars to bring in federal sharpshooters and helicopters when we have qualified hunters in North Dakota that would do it free of charge," Dorgan said.
The National Park Service has been considering options to reduce elk numbers in the south unit of the park, where the animals were reintroduced in 1985. The unit can sustain about 360 elk, but officials estimate between 750 and 900 elk are there now.
Elk have multiplied rapidly in the park because there are few natural predators, hunting is not allowed inside the park, and the animals' winter survival and reproduction rates have been good. The practice of shipping them elsewhere stopped in 2003 because of fears of chronic wasting disease.
North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven, on a trip to Washington this week for the National Governor's Association conference, also is lobbying the Interior Department to allow the practice.
Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colorado, has introduced a similar bill in the U.S. House that would allow hunters to thin the elk population at Rocky Mountain National Park.
I'm sure that quite a few hunters would even pay for the opportunity to bag an elk. A win-win all around.
Not only would they do it "free of charge" I'm sure many hunters would line up and actually PAY for the special permit. So not only does it not cost money, but the State and F&G gets money back on the deal.
I really need to read the other posts before I post :)
I thought for sure he would have been a Republican being from North Dakota. What is up with these conservative states?????
What do you think - $500 for an bull elk stamp? $300 for a cow elk stamp, and you can't shoot another bull. Average it out, and figuring a 50:50 split, that's $16,000 found money for the taxpayers plus more $ for the locals for outfitting, supplies, transportation, etc.
Why should an elk tag for an animal IN the park cost more than one outside the boundaries..???
It's not like the buffalo in Yellowstone, which are pretty much the ONLY free ranging such animals in either state...
Besides, paying for a permit in no way "guarantees" that you will bag an animal.
We have drawings for Moose and other game animals in Montana and everthing seems to be OK. The resident tags are quite reasonable.
Now, I guess it has become personal between Dorgan on the one hand and me and mine on the other.
Here in Pennsylvania, we have also re-introduced the Roosevelt Elk. Their populations now permit hunting.
It is a lottery, it is cheap, and it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shoot the largest animal most people will ever see in wild.
Because one's under the control of the state and one's under control of the Feds.
Well, it probably WON'T matter since it's a bit of a drive for me...
But the wild game animals in Montana belong to the PEOPLE of Montana.
Guess I'll just stay home and save the 1000+ mile round trip.
You got that right--it'll bore 'em to death.
Aren't you happy that the Bishops who'd pay for an Elk permit are also total nincompoops with guns?
Liberal bishops are also growing older, less agile, more amenable to being trampled under hooves....
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