I feel the moose are doomed as the elk are pushing them out like the white tail due the mule deer
I feel the moose are doomed as the elk are pushing them out like the white tail due the mule deer
It's a good thing the Moose are LEH up there (I say that sadly, as years ago they were open).
Yes, there is a Spike/Fork Season with bow and then rifle, but to be honest, that for the most part is just a "money grab",
getting us all to go out and buy a tag, imo.
Now, if you get the LEH, that's another story, and I have to say where I hunt, I am seeing Moose quite often, and some nice ones!
But, if it was a GOS, they would be gone!
Yup J-T, I just "got it"!!!
Here I was under the impression that we were still wanting to achieve 25,000 head of elk.
Now reading, and better understanding your posts, I now know exactly what you are talking about.
That is a scary realization folks!
Think about it everyone.
At one time, we probably did have 25-30,000 elk in the Trench.
Not too long ago, we were hearing reports of 8,000.
That means you when you could have possibly seen 3 elk, you now only have the chance to see 1.
And now, with the reality of the #'s being in the area of 6,000 (which is already a 25% decrease from just a year or so ago),
you could have seen 4-5 elk for every 1 you see now!
So, we have an area, that had 25,000 elk.
Now we are going to allow the "powers that be", to have only as much as 12,000 elk (if they get that right?), which means that is a 50% reduction in elk since the 70's!
So, what is going to be the "acceptable amount" say, 20 years from now???
I can just see it, I will be on my death bed, my daughter will come up to me and say "hey dad!, I just read an article that
says the ministry is going to make every effort to sustain 6000 head of elk in the Trench"!!!???.
(a further 50% reduction, and 5x's fewer elk as historical highs).
So, that's what we are really dealing with!
This thread is annoying, you dont blame over hunting but you hunt one of the most hunted drainages in the kootenays. You think the elk hunting is going to get better?. Ive drove by that road closure parking lot many times and seen it packed full of camps. looks like instead of complaining on here you should be looking for a new area to hunt. there is still alot of country in the east/west kootenays that have great elk hunting and little to no pressure. things are not the same anymore, animals arnt migrating like they used to. Some animlas live in the trench alll year while some are staying up high where only the strong are surviving. Where I hunt, the elk live right on top of the mountain in the summer to early fall months. Sometimes we get lucky and catch one coming down low to check out some cows or for some other reason. I Could think of 3 spots off the top of my head that would be better elk hunting then your "honey hole". Us hardcore kootenay elk hunters are sitting back and laughing at threads like this, as we stare at our elk collections on the wall. We dont complain we just adapt be thankfull we can still hunt elk.
Depends where you think I was hunting, feel free to pm me.^^^.
Spoke with several of you "hardcore type" thru pm's.
Seems to me that many find the same issue.
Yes, some who put in 40+ days up there (again, depending if you actually know where I am, and I doubt you actually do by your "parking lot" comment!, as that tells me you are already wrong, lol).
Must be why there are so many articles of late in the papers up there that are saying "changes are coming"!
Wonder why?
Even a local who lives all year round there, that runs tourist operations, and has been for years, has seen a sharp decline.
His words, "a 70% drop" he feels.
Outfitter must be a total tool in the area as well I suppose?
Doesn't sound like the majority from what I seen or heard from are laughing!
Actually, quite the opposite.
Your style of comments is why many here have left over the years, but I can see your a major contributor on here.
You must help a lot of people out I suppose on the thread?????
Anyways, even one of our most enjoyable members on here, whose big passion is elk hunting, lives in one of the hot spots, just put in 40 days of elk hunting, worked his ass off, and saw basically nothing.
Are the elk, yes.
But, there is some real issues developing.
Why they got rid of the cow LEH back in the late 90's (as they knew there was problems handing out like 400 tags per MU) and also why they implemented 6pt, is beyond me, if in the end they weren't going to address other issues that were happening.
Add all those restrictions, to then just open up zone x.
In the end, you will now be seeing very little cow leh (for those who did like that for harvesting), if any.
Why, because they know #'s are now too low, about half of even what they wanted to achieve.
oops.
I would take both a "local tourist operator" and outfitter's anecdotal reporting with a very large grain of salt.
"The farther one gets into the wilderness, the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedom."
Its not a secret area, my buddy just checked his cameras up there last week and theres elk on them among other things
6 points as well.