hunt draws 31 tickets!!

[ImThere]

hunt draws 31 tickets after aparent poaching:
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Hunters who encountered a large elk herd during an eastern Idaho hunt went crazy, state officials said, "shooting until they emptied their rifles" and then calling their friends to come and do the same.
One game warden said 14 elk were shot and left to rot.
Game wardens wrote 31 tickets for everything from shooting to many elk to hunting without a tag.
The late November hunt east of Idaho Falls was planned to thin the 4,000-plus herd that annually migrates out of the Caribou Mountains to winter near the Tex Creek Wildlife Management Area.
-Bee news services

What? Why? and somebody needs an a$$ kicking!!!!!!!!!!

 

[clutchkiller]

Originally posted by ImThere@Dec 10 2004, 03:22 PM
What? Why? and somebody needs an a$$ kicking!!!!!!!!!!

Yup! But that's a bit of an understatement!

 

[MULEY51]

I hope they get a hell of a lot more than TICKETS!!

All guns should be confiscated permanently (or shoved up their butts and fired!!!!!!), all licenses revoked, fines should be exorbitant and they should rot in jail for a good spell....

And that's just for starters....

Damn that makes me mad!!!! (Can ya tell??)

Another black eye for the "hunters".

 

[ImThere]

Very well put MULEY51!!!!!!! Icouldn't have said it better myself!!

Ricky

 

[dreaminhogs]

Hunting is a privilege and not a right. Fish and game needs to pull licenses permanently on aholes like this. There is no excuse for these types of situations and it really burns my backside.

 

[Coues]

I saw something very similar to that here in AZ about 10 years ago. A herd of about 30 elk were caught out in the open by 2 groups of hunters. They would shoot at an elk, assume they didn't hit it when it didn't fall, and then shoot at another. When the shooting stopped, there were 10 bulls dead and only 4 tag holders.

3 of the 4 hunters were on their 1st elk hunt and expected the elk to instantly fall over when shot.

 

[Kentuck]

Here's the article on it.

Hunters shot blindly at elk herd, leaving some to rot
Game wardens wrote 31 tickets and are investigating 21 other cases

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edition Date: 12-10-2004
The Associated Press

IDAHO FALLS — Hunters who encountered a large elk herd during an eastern Idaho hunt went a bit crazy, officials say, shooting indiscriminantly and leaving several animals to rot.

Game wardens wrote 31 tickets for everything from shooting too many elk to hunting without a tag. Game wardens also issued 12 warnings and are working on 21 other cases.

The late November hunt east of Idaho Falls was created to thin the 4,000-plus herd that annually migrates out of the Caribou Mountains to winter near the Tex Creek Wildlife Management Area.

Heavy snow had moved hundreds of elk out of the mountains earlier than normal, and biologists counted more than 1,500 elk just before the season opened. When hunters found the large herd, they used cellular phones to spread the news. And some opened fire like boys with their first BB guns, officials said.

"People threw their ethics out of the window," said Terry Thomas, a regional manager with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. "Hunters lost their brains. They were shooting until they emptied their rifles."

He saw one hunter shoot an elk and then open up on other animals.

"The bad stuff was disgusting," Thomas said. "There were people who did it right, but the flock shooting, the 600-yard shots and the wounded elk is unacceptable."

The problem worsened when the hunters called friends to enjoy the bounty, officials said. Two weeks before the season, Fish and Game had sold about 800 tags. But when word about the big herd spread, another 1,600 tags were purchased — for a total of 2,400 hunters, more than double the average number.

"I ran across a couple of guys from Pocatello who hadn't hunted for big game for decades," Thomas said. "Friends had called them. Everybody flocked to the hunt."

Poaching was rampant, officials said. One game warden said 14 elk were shot and left. Another biologist said six spikes and several branch antlered bulls were illegally shot.

"We planned the hunt to have a high harvest on cows," said John Hanson, head of the region's game wardens. "From that standpoint, we felt it worked exceptionally well. On the flip side, it created an ugly atmosphere. It is some of the poorest sportsmanship that I've seen in my career."

Fish and Game wildlife manager Daryl Meints said a surprising number of elk were killed legally, but he doesn't believe it will have a long-term impact because the herd is one of the healthiest in the state.

He said biologists will monitor harvest reports and survey the area in January. If too many elk were shot, he said, the seasons could be shortened.

 

[tmoniz]

I've always been amazed by how stupid and cruel we humans can be. To slaugther wantonly and then to waste. That's the part that really makes my blood boil. The waste. They need to have their hunting privileges taken away for life.

 

[ImThere]

Thanks for the full article Kentuck . we only got a small peek in our local paper . it still makes me sick. some of us wait a life time to get drawn for a hunt like that! then to see people do that it just makes me sick!!!!!!!

 

[Mr.Redneck]

Guys like that aren't hunter, just killers, and sloppy at that!!! They don't give us a bad name, because those of us here are hunters!!! They give poachers a bad name!!!! I am in no way associated with slobhunters like those!!! A lifetime hunting ban and huge fine, not sure what, base it on their annual income, and some jail time of strict house arrest for a better use of public funds!!! The detainee has to pay a fee each day for house arrest vs. being in jail and the public having to pay for it!!!

They are just dirtballs!!!

 

[larrysogla]

Those were surely slobhunters & the game fields are full of them. In 1981 when we still used to hunt the x zones, on opening morning a hunter was shooting at a doe 200 yds. from him that I had clearly identified as a doe(not legal) the previous day while scouting. I was also not too far away from the line of fire walking in perfect visibility with orange vest & hat. I could not believe such wanton recklessness, but I guess that is why our courts convict so many folks of firearm & game violations every year. We could picture the scenario on this Idaho massacre with the following:
1) Some of these folks were shooting from very long range without good binos to 100% identify legal bulls, just riflescopes were used to ID.
2) At long range, bullet strikes on big animals able to absorb hi powered bullets are near impossible to discern.
3) Inadequate calibers or inadequate bullet construction on such big/tough animals were used.
4) The herd was so dense that keeping track of the individual targeted/shot animal was easy to lose in the ensuing stampede.
5) Once the trigger was pulled the adrenaline just kept them going until ammo was emptied(the DUMBO effect) & also the "herd mentality" so often quoted by psychologists(once non-stop gunfire echoed from your hunting party you felt the rush to do the same). It so easy to lose control in such a

highly charged scenario.
larrysogla.

 

[Mr.Redneck]

Larry,
I agree it is easy to loose control, but self-control sometimes is what makes us not only hunters, but "GOOD HUNTERS!!!!" Good post!!!

Doug

 

[backcountry82]

Tough situation....i can think of a few ideas on what to do with these guys...they should be banned for life...no question...i hope they are the exception and not the norm...my 2 cents worth

 

[BDB]

Originally posted by dmorehouse@Dec 11 2004, 08:46 AM
They don't give us a bad name, because those of us here are hunters!!! They give poachers a bad name!!!!

And luckily for all of us, the anti's, the non-hunters and the media can distinguish between hunters and poachers.

 

[Franklin3]

During a winter drive from Portland out to the coast we came upon an unbelievable sight.
On the side of the Hwy were 10 or 20 cars parked and the passengers ouside walking around.
In the road were the stragglers of an elk herd numbering in the several hundreds. The tourists were wandering around in the herd with the elk One guy had his arm around the neck of a large cow while his wife stood back to take his picture! The cow was starting to get agitated. As we drove through this scene all we could do was stick our heads out of the windows and scream at the fools who of course paid absolutely no mind They were completely oblivious to the reality of their situation. They perceived a full grown elk as completely harmless. And a herd of them was like a playground.
I was 15 at the time and had never encountered so many fools in one place.
I am 50 now and nothing people do really surprises me anymore.

The people who shot into a herd of wintering elk should have to pay a fine of 10,000.00 each per elk killed as restitution for the mindless loss of the magnificent beast.
They should never be allowed a hunting license again.
They should be put to work for two weeks in a rendering plant so they can learn how to properly and quickly skin an animal that is dead and bloated.
They should be taught to respect mother nature.

This really pissess me off to no end.
The true sportsman and Hunter will pay for this you know we will!
thousands of acts of generosity by the real hunters layed waste by the unconscienable act of a few idiots! I didnt come here to rant!
I'm looking for info on Ca. archery for Elk hunting!

 

[Hawghunter]

WOW,
It seems BDB said it right. The persons in question in the article are not hunters. There poachers! No comparrison.
I'm sickend...
JMO
Mark

 

[Hoback Hunter]

Living in Wyoming, just over the hill from where this happened, I wasn't shocked at all. And while I am tempted to poke fun at Idaho for harboring such stupid, careless, wreckless wastes of the air we breathe, the sad truth of it is that these types of IDiots are everywhere... (okay, that's the only fun I'll have at Idaho's expense.)

First, let me say that I agree with the underlying sentiment that those responsible are not hunters; and that fines are not nearly enough for their crimes. Personally, I think they just lost their right to own any kind of firearm what-so-ever, for the rest of their lives, and their hunting privelages, too. Minimum.

Now for an example...

4 years ago, on a late season cow hunt here in Wyoming, I got to a popular trailhead where a bunch of hunters were packing up and getting ready to ambush a herd of elk that migrated onto a small butte, just north of Jackson. As we got ready, the sun started to come up and I saw these 2 old timers (easily in their 60's) running towards the hay fields adjacent the butte. Old farts like that, rarely run. Out in the open, there were about 400+ elk, moving for the national elk refuge. As I looked at the herd, I saw about 50 people with rifles (I wouldn't dare call them hunters) surrounding the heard at distances of well over 500 yards. I watched in fear for my own safety as the herd moved back and forth across the field, nervous about the enclosing human platoon.

I looked at the guy parked next to me and said, "I think someones gonna get shot." He agreed and we went towards the butte - away from the herd and rifle toting morons. As we made the base of the butte, about a half mile from the pending disaster, we heard the first shot, followed by dozens of other shots. When the lead stopped flying only one cow was down and another was dragging herself toward the butte... I was shocked by the lack of carnage. I assumed there would have been a lot of dead and crippled elk, and at least a dead drunks wearing orange... but no such luck. The cars in the parking lot were from all over the state of Wyoming, as well as UT, ID, MT, MI, TX and others...

Sadly, they're everywhere...