Basically All that Idaho Fish and Game has done is Humanize Elk, and other species with their Feeding. Idaho needs to wake up and realize they are hurting more than helping.
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) This winter prompted Idaho Fish and Game to spend more than $650,000 to feed big game, the most since 2003.
With nearly 110 feed sites open and more being added daily, the animal to human interaction in cities and on roadways is coming to a head.
“We are asking the public to be cautious and be mindful around concentrations of wildlife whether they’re being fed or on natural winter forage,” said Ed Shriever, deputy director of Idaho Fish & Game. “They don’t need to be running around anymore than they are naturally.”
However not everyone agrees with the placement of these sites and thinks they need to reopen the Big Smoky feed.
It closed nearly 10 years ago.
“We have a wonderful feed site at Big Smokey North of Fairfield that can hold over 1,000 elk and there’s three different sites and over a quarter million dollar silo setup, up there,” said Doug Palmer. “And they quit feeding up there with the wolves when the wolves came in.”
Fish and Game explains many factors determine where to open a feed station.
They work with private landowners to help mitigate and compensate for losses from wintering wildlife.
“We knew if we didn’t feed those animals and try to hold them on that winter range that they would end up in places where they would be in trouble on private crops and causing depredation that would have been disastrous,” said Shriever.
For Doug Palmer, he still feels the sites are too close to residents and neighboring communities.
“There’s going to be problems but they will have to be addressed back in the backcountry or out in front of the public,” Palmer said. “I think it would be a crying shame that if somebody dies from hitting all these elk coming through here.”
Source: Idaho Fish and Game to feed 20,000 animals this winter
Comments
Nature controls itself. It’s when MEN interferes with it causes an inbalance in it. Wolves are an important part of the ECO-SYSTEM in our Forest and Public lands. They keep the balance in them. STOP feeding these animals!