Global news - elk study

[Sirloin]

What do you guys think? Is this info being presented honestly or is it being presented for a hit piece on hunters?
http://globalnews.ca/news/3529525/female-elk-in-parts-of-alberta-b-c-have-learned-to-become-almost-invulnerable-to-hunters-study/
(http://globalnews.ca/news/3529525/female-elk-in-parts-of-alberta-b-c-have-learned-to-become-almost-invulnerable-to-hunters-study/)

Here's some of the stuff this same "online journalist" who put out this elk article chooses to take a interest in


https://twitter.com/MercyForAnimals/status/874867750505721856 (http://twitter.com/MercyForAnimals/status/874867750505721856)


https://twitter.com/GlobalBC/status/874816564796772352

https://twitter.com/heidenreichphil/status/860388759774392320
(https://twitter.com/heidenreichphil/status/860388759774392320)


https://twitter.com/GlobalEdmonton/status/847295527238500357 (https://twitter.com/GlobalEdmonton/status/847295527238500357)

https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/829547884890578946
(https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/829547884890578946)


https://twitter.com/heidenreichphil/status/808554546515611648 (https://twitter.com/heidenreichphil/status/808554546515611648)

https://twitter.com/CaleyRamsay/status/808462634085478400



https://twitter.com/georgejoseph94/status/804074915330723840 (https://twitter.com/georgejoseph94/status/804074915330723840)



https://twitter.com/heidenreichphil/status/801516316813361154 (https://twitter.com/heidenreichphil/status/801516316813361154)


https://twitter.com/amnestyusa/status/800541419316400128

https://twitter.com/GlobalEdmonton/status/794764946810736640 (https://twitter.com/GlobalEdmonton/status/794764946810736640)


Twitter bio : dog daddy and online jounalist
6 posts about the same story of a few dogs being stolen. Appears to have a big soft spot for animals and appears to take an interest in animal activism, left wing activism and calling into question the ethics of eating meat.

So, am I just finding bias because I'm looking for it? Or are research papers like these being used as front page news worthy stories just to take a jab at hunters?

[J_T]

Older cows definitely provide the security and intelligence to the herd. This is not new. I think there is another current thread on this.

[Sirloin]

http://globalnews.ca/news/2491335/i-like-it-raw-albertans-switch-to-raw-vegan-diet-to-test-health-benefits/
(http://globalnews.ca/news/2491335/i-like-it-raw-albertans-switch-to-raw-vegan-diet-to-test-health-benefits/)

Another vegan article by the same author

[russm86]

I think it's pretty obvious all animals get wiser come hunting season. Even deer, go out anytime over the spring and summer and you'll see hundreds a day often just standing there 10' from the road. After the first week or 2 of hunting season they become more sparse and much more spooky/skittish.

[caddisguy]

I think it's pretty obvious all animals get wiser come hunting season. Even deer, go out anytime over the spring and summer and you'll see hundreds a day often just standing there 10' from the road. After the first week or 2 of hunting season they become more sparse and much more spooky/skittish.

I think there might be other biological reasons for deer behaviour changing in the fall. Hunting pressure would certainly play a role, but there is a lot more going on. After shedding velvet bucks tend to become solitary until the pre-rut. It's not just people they are avoiding, but other deer as well. It's essential a different animal from a behaviour standpoint. That is my understanding anyway. I expect their brain chemistry changes a lot at this time.

Does anyone know the history of hunting seasons and why ungulates are generally open in the fall? I always figured that fair chase is a big part of it (that and not overlapping with seasonal outdoor crowds) ... so it has me thinking chicken or the egg?

I have no doubt that animals become educated and even evolve as a result of hunting. In the case of the article, it seems like a mix of half truths and assumptions.

Just for fun...

- Humans tend to spend less time camping and swimming in lakes in the fall? Must be because of hunting
- Humans do not spend as much time laying exposed and sun tanning on the beach later in the fall. Must be because of hunting?
- Men in their 70's tend to get in less bar fights then 20 year old men. Must be because of hunting?
- People over 65 tend to stop working as much. Must be because of hunting?

[Sirloin]

My question is WHY is this front page material?

"those who manage elk populations should be careful not to allow human hunting pressures force elk to lose traits that help them avoid their natural predators"

[elknut]

Fall hunting seasons come from the fact that an animal is at its prime for fat and health after a spring and summer of eating ..To hunt in the deep of winter is one of the poorest times as the animals do not have good food but are just existing on their body fat ..The end of winter Feb -Mar they are at their lowest of health ...Harvesting an animal before the rut gives you the best meat and table fare...Me thinks this is common sense ....Dennis ...Its an ethical thing!...

[caddisguy]

Fall hunting seasons come from the fact that an animal is at its prime for fat and health after a spring and summer of eating ..To hunt in the deep of winter is one of the poorest times as the animals do not have good food but are just existing on their body fat ..The end of winter Feb -Mar they are at their lowest of health ...Harvesting an animal before the rut gives you the best meat and table fare...Me thinks this is common sense ....Dennis ...Its an ethical thing!...

That makes a lot of sense too. TBH I never thought of the animal condition/weight. I just figured that hunting deer in the spring would be a massacre (heck you could walk up to a lot of blacktails and spear them around here) so not really fair chase.

[Linksman313]

Fall hunting seasons come from the fact that an animal is at its prime for fat and health after a spring and summer of eating ..To hunt in the deep of winter is one of the poorest times as the animals do not have good food but are just existing on their body fat ..The end of winter Feb -Mar they are at their lowest of health ...Harvesting an animal before the rut gives you the best meat and table fare...Me thinks this is common sense ....Dennis ...Its an ethical thing!...

I second the "Common Sense" decree

Sorry I got totally distracted from the article when I saw the add for Cabela's new line of Deer products, then I saw the second pic on the page which describes a "large elk" sitting on the side of the Alaska Hwy, looks like barely bigger than whitetail antlers spread to me?

[wideopenthrottle]

I second the "Common Sense" decree

Sorry I got totally distracted from the article when I saw the add for Cabela's new line of Deer products, then I saw the second pic on the page which describes a "large elk" sitting on the side of the Alaska Hwy, looks like barely bigger than whitetail antlers spread to me?

heheheheh...that is funny...a little spiker elk being referred to as a large bull elk....