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Re: Get Your Permit for a Bison Hunt

Posted: Sun May 09, 2021 8:34 am
by kenny sd
our local paper in Florida. an extremely Liberal one, is running ''news' articles on the horrible killing of endangered Buffalo.
(don't listen to the Wildlife people in charge of protecting the Buffalo from overpopulation) Just go their merry way knowing that all the people they meet in the NY and LA cocktail parties know what's best....HA Ken
ps. we expect pictures of the 'winning' hunts.....

Re: Get Your Permit for a Bison Hunt

Posted: Sun May 09, 2021 11:58 am
by desert deuce
This is similar to history repeating itself. For various reasons the gummit decided to go on an aggressive eradication plan of predators on the North Kaibab, that area north of the Grand Canyon. Primarily what is known as the Arizona Strip where current day House Rock Ranch Management Area is located. Why is not exactly clear and that was in a period when an informed public was even less evident than today. The result was that the ungulates literally ate themselves out of house and home and a great die off occurred due to starvation. Some observed that the browse line was evident by the unaided eye from miles away. It was a dramatic example of what not to do to those that read and understood the history.

Fast forward to today. The offending grazing herd now relaxing in the Grand Canyon National Park on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon has wandered from the House Rock Game Management Area south to the Park. As anyone knows that has dealt with Bison, they are no respecter of fences, and, traditionally migrate. A six strand reinforced barbed wire fence is no obstacle to bison. From those watching the slow migration south it was primarily the hunting pressure at House Rock and the over protection crowd saw the move away from the reach of predatory hunters a good thing when they took up residence in GCNP. They still do, however, for whatever reason the National Park Service is claiming that habitat destruction by the bison is a greater threat to the Park than the positive presence of the bison.

In essence, without going into great detail, their solution is like placing a band aid on a hemorrhaging artery and an affront to not only the people of Arizona but the entire United States. In Arizona the bison is a game animal and limited numbers of tags are sold by lottery. A second herd of bison are located at the Buffalo Ranch managed by Game and Fish at Twin Arrows, East of Flagstaff off of I-40, where managed hunts are still conducted. Instead of "giving" the House Rock Herd away after trapping those bison could have just as easily been transferred south to Buffalo Ranch and tags to take sold through the annual lottery over the years. Arizona even has a program to maintain a list of hunters available on short notice to hunt for management purposes. But no, that bison belonging to Arizona Game and Fish residing on National Park Service Lands be legally taken by annual tag big game lottery through Game and Fish or controlled management hunts took "CONTROL" away from National Park Service.

Now we all have to live with the gummit's politically correct manifestation of righteousness that is sure to fail from a management perspective. It will be interesting if not entertaining to see how the outcome is spun to glorify their solution to their perceived problem. Perhaps the gummit is once again writing a chapter in history of what not to do with wildlife populations.

What the true purpose of the National Park Service's approach to this situation is not obvious and may never be known. Perhaps to provide evidence that hunting is not a solution to such problems that occur in the future? Who knows?