Shed Horn hunters destroying the mule deer herds!

[Anonymous]

What do you people think? I have gone out into some of the wintering grounds of the mule deer herds around here and the shed hunters are destroying it. We are talking about critical winter range that is already at a very low carrying capacity because of drought killing the sage brush back. You add shed hunters out there on their Fat Cats, Big Wheels and Four wheelers running back and forth killing what winter forage is left there and I would have to say that shed hunters are busy destroying these mule deer herds. What do you guys think?
BlandingBowman

[Anonymous]

hmm you do have a good point but not to rag on the shed hunters because i know a few myself but yes some do tear up the land so i think there should be regulations on where people should shed hunt and where they shouldnt

[AGCHAWK]

I don't know if you can lay it all at the feet of shed hunters. I think that most of them know what kind of impact they can have and are careful not to disturb the herds or thier winter range. However, a few bad apples spoil the barrel. There are those that tear around on ATVs or 4X4s and really rip the place up, and put undo pressure on the heards. There are also the photographers, sight-seers and the like that put the same pressure on the wintering herds. Again, the good ones don't, but we can't depend on all of them to be respectful and minimize thier impacts. I really think it's ignorance more than anything. Most of them are out doing what they enjoy doing but have no idea how much of an impact they have. The deer need to relax, keep thier energy stores up and such and many don't realize this. I think it's up to guys and gals like us to get the word out and try to educate. I hear all kinds of moaning and moaning but there really isn't alot being done to rectify the situation.

[AGCHAWK]

I agree 100% that there should be some sort of regulation put in place concerning this subject. I am not a law man or biologist so I don't have any cut and dry answers. I do know that SOMETHING has to be done though.

[Anonymous]

Hawk,
I know that in some areas that sightseers, tourists, etc. may be an influence and pressure the animals, but, I have never seen or heard of those people getting together in groups of 12-20 or more people with atv's and someone in the air in a parachute plane spotting for them and then chasing any big trophy sized buck they see, that still has his antlers, until they fall off and they can pick them up. Shed hunting has gone from individuals out looking, to companies bringing employees out and setting up grids across sage flats and covering every square inch of it on atvs. It is a $$ thing. It is all about greed. They know that they can make money selling these huge sheds so they don't take chances that they will not be the one picking it up. I have came into an area that was closed to off road travel and seen where the entire sage flat has been covered with atv tracks. When you already have 60% of the sage dead form the drought then that is pretty significant impact to what sage is left. That is also pretty significant impact to the deer herd.

BlandingBowman

[AGCHAWK]

Very good point my friend! To be honest with you, I wasn't even thinking on such a large scale. I guess I try to keep things simple for my own benefit(:
Anyway, I think we are both in agreement that something has to be done. Sure is a shame that the animals really have no escape anymore, yet we continue to push them at every opportunity. It's doing nothing but destroy what most of us here really enjoy, and that's hunting... with that possibility of bagging the animal of a lifetime. Those animals are getting more and more scarce as the years go by.

[30-378Weatherby]

Everyone hear seems to agree that something needs to be done, but who is going to enforce it. The DWR is stretched too thin as it is. Enforcing these types of regulations would be very difficult and cost way too much. These regulations have been put before the Wildlife Board for a few years now and everytime it gets shot down because of the money issue. It would nearly impossible to enforce, and besides if it the regulations on shed hunting were instilled everyone would complain that the DWR is greedy by raising prices. So I guess that you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[Anonymous]

oh i agree but it needs to go past the dwr because the government are the ones who take all the money away from the dwr and i always have believe the government has no right with the money the dwr makes i instead believe all the money made by permits and stuff should come back into the wildlife instead of buyin a new car for the governor

[WYMULEYMAN]

:?: i believe the first thing you should take into consideration when going shed hunting is how will I affect the deer herds. not how is he/she/they affecting the deer herds. i personally choose to not shed hunt, but on the other hand i do go out and i like to watch the deer while they are wintering. the best chance to see some of the most awesome deer that are alive to the day. i just can't pass it up. however, i am very careful how i go about getting out there, where i go depending on the weather, and how long i stay in the animals enviroment. i moved to jackson at the beginning of the winter this year and i have been searching for some of the world famous deer that tend to winter in jackson. i have been watching a few that really tend to catch my eye. anyway the point is this, even with laws and people to serve these laws each one of us as individuals need to keep in mind what we can do to help out the deer populations. or elk for that matter. if you feel that shed hunting puts added pressure on the animals and you just can't see anyway around this, THEN DON"T GO!!!!!! if you feel like you can watch the animals without pressuring them too much THEN GO. use your own disgression! just because i choose to not shed hunt does not make it wrong, i just want to give the animals there space. man i live in jackson hole wyoming. you want to talk about pressuring wintering animals come out here, get a hold of me and i will take you out on the elk refuge and show you pressure.