Hunters To Be Used To Cull Elk Herd In Rocky Mountain National Park???

That would be nice and a resolution passed Thursday by the Colorado Wildlife Commission states that hunters should be used to cull the elk herd in the park. The resolution was passed unanimously and “encourages” the National Park Service to seek whatever authority it needs to make it happen.

Previous posts on this subject can be found here, here and here.

Of course the Rocky Mountain National Park opposes this as they have pushed for the use of park rangers armed with silencers on their rifles hunting at night.

But don’t get your hopes too high that hunters will be able to apply for a permit and go into the park and bag an elk. Although it sounds like the resolution favors a controlled season, in reality they are suggesting to the National Park Service that the Colorado Division of Wildlife be given the authority to manage the herd. With this, they hope to hire contracted “experts” to go in and cull the herd.

Are you kidding me? What a joke. There would be little difference in the two plans. Is this an attempt by the CDW to make friends and influence hunters or to just be in control of the elk population? Either way they are wasting their time with this proposal.

The idea that most of us have had in dealing with the elk is to actually close the park for a 4 or 5 day period when it is not very busy and let actual elk hunters go in and do the job. Revenue gained from the sale of licenses would more than offset any money lost by closing the park.

This resolution by the Division of Wildlife sounds like an absolute joke.

Tom Remington