This is from Snowest forum fouled plug topic. And yes we do need to get the younger generation out in the field.
the western snowmobile authority
I'm not sure if you guys have seen this website or not but thought I'd post it here. The slide has very graphic and disturbing photos and I have definitely learned some things - one is, no one pregnant should be in the forest! Ohh man - my heart is still somewhat pounding after going though this website...
Save Our Elk
I know that there has been a huge decline in our wildlife - I and my family have personally witnessed it in the Elk City/ Red River area in north-central Idaho....
Then:
We used to wake up to several heards of elk in the meadow in front of the house nearly every morning in the 80's and early 90's. Many would come in the evenings too. The dear were always floraging right next to the house to, especially in the evenings - grandma had to take many measures to keep her beautiful garden in tact. At night we'd hear heards of elk walking on the hillside right next to the house as sticks cracked and their hooves clanked against rocks and stomped on the hollow sounding ground. We had two salt licks and often that wasnt enough to accomodate them all. We've had dear, elk and moose in the back pasture all at one time - waiting for their turn at either of the salt licks.
We even had many visits by black bears - once, when I was 3, my grandma and I were in the back yard hanging wet laundry when a black bear came for a visit. We turned around and darted for the front yard - my grandpa just happened to be in the front yard - he heard something and looked up and around the corner of the house came the dog, little me, my grandma and the bear all in single row fashion! My grandpa actually laughs at the situation - the bear turned away though and was gone, he was not threatening us, just curious I think and only came back a few more times before Fish and game trapped him and several others over the years and relocated them.
I also remember as a older child, sneeking up on the dear through the creek ditches while they were licking at the salt licks. I always stayed down wind, making it diffuicult for them to figure out I was there - they would get awefully annoyed with me - they'd stare at me as I would hold really still, like a cat getting ready to pounce on its prey, every time the prey wasnt paying attention, the predator makes quite moves to get closer. Well, I got the crap scared out of me one time - I got too brave, I was within 20 feet, the dear started stomping and snorting at me - that's all i needed, I wasnt about to get malled by the deer.
I also used to take off on little hikes around the house - I'd venture 1/4 to 1/2 mile away in the woods - just me and my dog. It was safe then. No one worried about it.
In the evenings, we'd listen to the coyotes howl and yip - sometimes very close to the house. They were never a threat but of course, I was scared of them as a small child.
There were wolves around then too - they were Timber Wolves and they stayed far away in the remote back country for the most part. You were lucky if you saw a foot print or a feces.
Now:
The meadows are empty most mornings and evenings, the one salt lick is rarely visited and the howl of multiple wolf packs fills the eveing air. The house sits on the edge of a high mountain meadow/valley which stretches for many, many miles - we can hear wolf packs from one extreme end to the other, some in the middle and a few from behind the house - all in a matter of 10 - 20 minutes. It is actually an incredible thing to hear, I must say, (especially to hear two or three going at once, again, all from different directions) but at the same time, it is very unnerving. My grandparents even witnessed a wolf chase an elk THROUGH THEIR FRONT YARD and have seen a pack feasting not far from the house in the meadow.
No, they are not scared of us. There is no way I could let my children play outside without one of us right by their side up there now. I'm not too worried about it here in McCall but they still are not far away. I do worry about human safety - see the videos on the "It Gets Worse" page but we can avoid them by staying in our homes right?
I worry most about our wildlife. Will my children ever get to experiance what I did? Not in their childhood - maybe mid life, if we do something now?
EDIT:
Wow - I've gotten through most of this website, clicking on all the "Click Here" buttons - it sounds like our elk situation is very bad!
And guess how snowmobilers are affected by wolves?
"The wolf caused depradation is so bad that the IF&G has closed off the Clearwater River area to snowmobiles."
http://rliv.com/pic/elk%20trapped.pdf
[/align]
[/align][/align][/align][/align][/align]
[/align]
Washington Hunters IMPORTANT bill in Leg, regarding Y2Y
However to better protect our right to hunt we need to keep trying to get young people interested in it..
