BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

[moderator]

March 2003 Poll:
Should Hunting Be Allowed In National Parks?

National parks like Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Park are popular tourism destinations and regions of unparalleled natural beauty. However in recent years the elk populations in these two parks have begun to soar causing over-grazing and possibly creating a breeding ground for chronic wasting disease.

There is little debate among biologists that the elk count needs to go down; however there is considerable disagreement about how to achieve these herd reductions. Solutions ranging from wolves, to contraceptives, to federal sharp shooters have been proposed. Notably absent from these suggestions is hunting by the general public.

Should hunting be allowed in National Parks such as Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Park?

Some articles on the issue:
Nurture at odds with nature in Rocky Mt. National Park

Feds eye elk contraceptive

The legacy of control

[Big Horn 50]

[ This Message was edited by: Big Horn 50 on 2003-03-21 18:42 ]

[ChesterGolf]

I think a bow hunt would serve best. Part of the attraction of the park is the wildlife. People want to see wildlife that is not skittish and afraid of every human(with the exception of bears). The bow would not scare other animals and it could be done under the non-hunting resident's noses. Of course, the park would be shut down during these hunts and areas designated to each hunter(for safety concerns). Any animal taken should not be included for P&Y or B&C because they are not typical animals with a typical life.

[wathead]

I am from KY and live near Mammoth Cave National Park. The whitetail population is way out of control. I think they should have a lottery draw during the regular season and close the park during Gun season and Lets Hunt. It should be limited to the more remote areas also as those deer in and around the main cave entrance are more or less tame deer and there would not be much of a hunt with those deer. They could charge a little more for the tags and let the money go back in to the park or let it pay to have the meat proccessed and given to the homeless shelters and the working poor.
Ron

[expatriate]

Interesting to see this on the same forum as the "Failed Yellowstone Wolf Experiment" thread. I'd certainly love to draw a goat hunt in Glacier Park. Yet even though it might make sense from a game management aspect, I think such a concept would never make it through Congress -- the Democrats would have a field day with it.

Aside from that, National Parks know that wildlife sightings are the biggest draw in many of the parks. Make wildlife skittish of humanity and tourists would complain that they don't see anything anymore -- fostering the idea that the hunters are "decimating" the herds.

There's also the political aspect of little Timmy standing at a vehicle pullout with a pair of binoculars, saying, "What's that man doing, Daddy?"

[bitmasher]

I like ChesterGolf's idea and probably would be a good first step in introducing hunting into national parks.

I don't understand why hunting was never allowed in national parks. Any biologist will tell you that if you take a bunch of game with no/little predations they will grow to the carrying capacity of the land, which is usually more than is wanted. How did park managers years ago expect to manage these populations when they started the national park system?

At the end of the day, somebody has to pay to bring the populations down. Why not do what Wathead suggested and turn some of the game into cash flow in, instead of cash flow out... It seems that taxpayer funded operations have an obligation to consider options that are fiscally responsible.

[BOHUNMAN]

I DONT THINK HUNTING SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN NATHIONAL PARKS THE ANIMALS IN THESE PARKS DO NOT POSSES THE INSTINKS TO TO FEAR HUMANS THERE FOR I THINK THIS TYPE OF HUNT WOULD BE MORE LIKE A CANNED HUNT THE PARKS SERVICE WOULD BE BETTER SUITED TO USE THESE PARKS AS BREEDING GROUNDS FOR ANIMAL RELOCATION PROGRAMS TO STATES THAT DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY OR RESOURCES TO INVEST IN RELOCATION OF SPIECES NATIVE TO THERE AREA BYE THE TIME THE ANIMAL WERE REINTRODUCED AND WELL ESTABLISHED THEY WUOLD POSESS THE NATURAL FEAR AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO ELUDE HUNTERS IN A FAIR CHASE INVIROMENT IF YOU WANT TO HUNT LIKE THIS JUST GO TO YOUR LOCAL GAME FARM AND PICK OUT YOUR SO CALLED TROPHY AND PULL THE TRIGGER ITS THAT SIMPLE REAL HUNTERS HUNT FAIR CHASE NO SHORT CUTS

[expatriate]

Fair chase would definitely be an issue in a National Park. As time goes by, however, the game would get skittish again and it wouldn't be easy for long. Well, except for buffalo -- they'll stand there and get shot no matter what. But that's another reason I think the idea would fail politically -- tourists like their wildlife and once the animals start avoiding people, a trip to Yellowstone just becomes a drive through the woods.

If it did happen, hunts would have to be tailored to individual parks, since the park system has so much variety. The same organization that runs Yellowstone runs the Lincoln memorial, so having any kind of standardization would be tough.

I tend to agree with the concept of hunting to control populations if things get way out of hand. But using winter kills as justification might not be enough. I remember one rough winter in Idaho when the deer populations got hammered -- and that was in areas open to hunters. If you reduce populations to the point where an exceptionally hard winter won't kill them, then there won't be much left to hunt otherwise.

[sawman]

First step no hunting in National parks. Second step create more National parks.So yes there should be controlled hunts in National parks. As far as the animals they will learn to become wild faster than you think.And they will remain fairly tame in the off season a little more timid perhaps but isn't this more natural? If you want to see tame animals go to the zoo.

[ This Message was edited by: sawman on 2003-04-19 18:48 ]

[ This Message was edited by: sawman on 2003-04-19 18:49 ]

[bitmasher]

If you want to see tame animals go to the zoo.

Well said, I'm not sure when the national park system became an ad hoc zoo, but I don't think the tameness (or lack of) should prevent a draw for public hunters.

[predatorhunter]

YES Archery hunting. :D

[Captain_Obvious]

I don't think hunting should be allowed in any National Park. Areas peripheral to the parks, such as national forests, are another matter. I know I wouldn't want to see a hunter when I am hiking on or off trail in a National Park. I also believe it would create a whole new era of illegal wildlife harvest.

[NONYA]

I dont know why any competent hunter would want to hunt the game in Montanas national parks,they have no fear of humans and thier numbers are being well controlled by the predators the feds have reintroduced.The elk count they do down by Jackson of elk that migrate down fromYellowstone was the lowest count they have ever had since they started counting this last winter.The wolves are doing a bang up job of controlling the elk numbers.Why would you want a goat tag in Glacier?So you could walk up to them and measure thier horns before you shoot one?The feds will NEVER allow any public hunting in either of our parks and we all know it.

[fuzzybear]

I'm for selling tags to help fund the costs of maintaining the park and it's resources.
I've been up in several extreme wilderness areas. The critters have no fear of humans. They've never had a reason to fear humans. I've fed Blacktails, trail mix, out of my hand.
I'm not expressing that they should fear humans. Survival is instinctive. The resources are there for the taking if managed properly. Make it a self supporting proposition but, not just a rich mans opportunity.