ORIGINAL: mr.mc54
ORIGINAL: wack
As the biologists were seeing the first bears and wolves return to Wisconsin years ago, we are now seeing the mountain lions trickling into our state. Another reason to get the elk reintroduction plan back on track and reason enough for me to want to reintroduce bison also. If we are to set another place at the table for mountain lions, we need more food for the table. In 1995, when choosing elk for reintroduction, they studied all of the possibilities and bison came up #2 after elk. I think we should dust off that research, take the DNR's fenced in Bison herd, put GPS collars on them, turn them loose and see what happens. Cougars or not, now we are talking a real food chain and and awesome hunting future. The DNR wasn't meant to farm bison, DNR land shouldn't be fenced in, the DNR shouldn't be in the business of selling wild bison to domestic farmers. Those are our bison, sell the damn fence to the farmers and turn the bison loose where they can take care of themselves. At worst, they all die and we no longer have to spend money on them. We can go to a private farm and go see bison behind fences. At best, they multiply and contribute to the food chain and economy as a major renewable natural resource. Think about it, how awesome would that be? Give me a good excuse why not. Car crashes? We've got airbags. We need jobs. Cars need fixing, roads need work to be more wildlife friendly, meat needs butchering, hides need tanning, I know lots of taxidermists, gun and bow shops, hotels and campgrounds that could all use a boost that elk and bison could provide. The only way to find out for sure, is to go ahead and do it. We've got a lot more to gain than loose. I'm sick of loosing and it's time to do something about it.
You want Bison in WI????????? Now you're dreamin. I'd like some, of what you're on!
Maybe we can come up with a mastadon or perhaps a wooly mamoth. Back to reality now-If the DNR would manage what we have, most sportsmen would be happy. I can see a herd of Elk to look at, but for there to be enough numbers to hunt, that is far fetched at best. We can manage the wolves as many do now, shoot,shovel,and shut up! As for the big kitty's,The three S'SSS will work also. The DNR should allow the hunters to control the bear population and know what the numbers reallyare.
"We got airbags, creation of jobs through car crashes??" You should run for President!!!
LMAO.
Yes, I'd love to see Bison in Wisconsin. It's the 2nd best choice for Wisconsin after elk but I'm not crazy or on anything. The WI DNR has a herd of Bison at the Sandhill Wildlife Area in Central WI. The keep them in a pasture and sell off the extra to farmers when they get too many. What sense does that make? Is the DNR in the livestock business? Seems like a waist of a natural resource to me and a pointless waist of money, time and land.
I'd never say get a 1000 bison and turn them loose, there is no research to say what damage that would do. The DNR has done research on what native missing species would most likely be able to return, they looked at everything from human interaction, disease, habitat ect and basically came up with elk, then bison, after that moose was unlikely and caribou most unlikely.
I'd say pick a few locations, continue the studies, pick one and turn these 20 loose. Whether it's way up north, a national or state park, where ever it would be best and turn the loose with GPS collars and see what happens. If things get out of hand and it doesn't work out, how hard would it be to track down a few bison and wipe them out?
As far a car crashes, not much difference between hitting an elk or a bison or another car. I don't see Alaska or Canada killing off all the big game animals because you might hit one with a car. They created a more big game friendly highway system and learn to deal with them. I remember a past president who brought us out of the great depression by setting land aside for wildlife, building parks and our highway system. If there is a species in Wisconsin that needs the herd trimmed down, it's the human species. If you know big game animals are in an area, slow down, pay attention or meet your airbag. I don't deny that this is a problem, elk and bison will not work for the whole state, but in the north woods there is a place for them in moderation and that isn't behind fences.
As far a the 3 S's go? Might as well shoot everything and get it over with, put hunting out of it's misery and let the Anti's win. It's bad for hunting, it's the lowest form of poaching. It hasn't worked in Wyoming, just kept the wolves on the endangered species list and draws more negative responses from the anti hunters. The Fed's aren't asking a lot from Wisconsin, 350- 500 wolves isn't a problem. We start shooting them illegally, we go below 350, the fed's take over again and we are screwed like Wyoming is right now. Our deer population can not take another year of wolves on the endangered list red tape. Play by the rules or we risk loosing everything. In return for the 350 wolves we get elk and if we're smart, bison too. If the elk we were supposed to get weren't 7 years and counting behind schedule, our deer herd wouldn't be in quite as bad of shape as it is right now.
Elk hunting at first will not produce a lot of hunting opportunities, no doubt the odds are slim for awhile. Making an effort to get elk back in Wisconsin is the right thing to do. If not for us, for our children and there children. How much effort and support we put into it now will determine just how much of a chance we will get in the future. If we add 50 elk soon, our chances get much much better to draw a tag in our life time. Once the first 50 are here, the next 50 will be that much easier and get us that much closer again. This is a bank account that grows at about 12% per year, the trick is getting enough money in the bank to make the interest profitable.
And yea, the DNR will make money on the elk lottery. Money that's needed for the elk. The whole idea behind these first 5 token season's is to generate interest and funds to continue. Research, management and education all takes money. With out the token hunts, the elk program would solely depend on RMEF and other conservation money such as deer hunting, that's needed for deer hunting. The state of Wisconsin has paid a lot for the existing elk herd over the years, it's time the elk herd starts paying for itself so better progress can be made. People piss away billions on loto tickets, this lotto's payoff will be elk hunting for our future. Good deal in my book, because everybody wins.