Hunters Reduce Surplus Wildlife Populations

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Pictured correct hither is someone working actually, really difficult to save the elk species. That may not be immediately obvious, as he'due south packing an elk torso out of a valley after putting an arrow through it. Only hunting is ane of those things where the full general public perception—that is, the activity is bad for wildlife—is totally incorrect.

Let me explicate.

How Hunters Salve Elk

Earlier European settlement, about x one thousand thousand elk roamed across nigh of the continental United States, merely agronomics, unregulated hunting, habitat loss, and other human-acquired factors drastically reduced their population. In 1914, at that place were only 41,000 elk left, clustered in tiny pockets out West. The general disappearance of large wildlife was so bad that the New York Zoological Society created the Hall of Heads and Horns—a room full of taxidermied animals intended to prove future generations what had been lost.

Archery is the most difficult way you can choose to hunt big game. With all hunting, the specific species, age, and sex of the animals you can take is highly regulated and selected by scientific analysis of population health. This year, in this game management unit, we were unable to hunt bulls with our over-the-counter elk tags. Instead, we were restricted to juvenile males and adult females—they're what's in excess right now. I stalked this mature bull to within ten yards in a wooded valley. He'd have made a trophy of a lifetime, but this day it was just a really neat experience to get to spend some time so close to such a massive animal. — Archery is the most difficult manner you lot can choose to hunt big game. With all hunting, the specific species, age, and sexual activity of the animals you tin accept is highly regulated and selected by scientific assay of population wellness. This year, in this game direction unit, we were unable to hunt bulls with our over-the-counter elk tags. Instead, we were restricted to juvenile males and adult females—they're what's in excess right at present. I stalked this mature bull to within 10 yards in a wooded valley. He'd have made a bays of a lifetime, but this mean solar day it was simply a actually neat feel to go to spend some time so close to such a massive animal. (Wes Siler)

The man who created that trophy collection was William Temple Hornaday, a prominent zoologist, conservationist, taxidermist, and prolific author. A hunter, Hornaday had watched the decline of of our land's animals with dread and began a public crusade for their protection. "The wild things of this earth are not ours to practise with as nosotros please. They have been given to the states in trust, and we must account for them to the generation which will come after us, and inspect our accounts," he wrote.

This is the incredible property we hunted on. It's being sold, but the sad thing is the development that leads to it may impairment the elk population.

To condense a very long story, Hornaday found a sympathetic ear with other influential big thinkers, similar Teddy Roosevelt, and they set out to save our animals by creating what's go known as the North American Wildlife Conservation Model. That system directs funds collected from hunters to habitat preservation, scientific study, and wildlife management. Whenever a hunter purchases a box of bullets, a new bow, or like equipment, an additional eleven percent tax is levied on them, which is dispersed to country fish and wild animals departments, which in plough use it to fund their conservation efforts. Thanks to those policies, the amount of coin raised by hunters each year in the Usa currently stands at more than $3 billion—eclipsing the sum of nonhunting conservation efforts by at least a comma.

Each day, the elk would return from the river lowlands to bedding grounds in the dense brush of higher-elevation valleys. Learning those movements and finding natural funnels that create ambush opportunities were the keys to successfully hunting such wary game in open country like this. But it was teamwork that made the hunt possible. — Each day, the elk would return from the river lowlands to bedding grounds in the dense brush of higher-superlative valleys. Learning those movements and finding natural funnels that create deadfall opportunities were the keys to successfully hunting such wary game in open country like this. But it was teamwork that made the hunt possible. (Matthew Griffin)

Hunters so go out and perform the hard work of population management—for complimentary. You see, prey animals similar elk or deer are programmed through evolution to reproduce in numbers that would be unsustainable in their environs if all the babies grew to adulthood. Since we've too near eliminated predators from our wild places, casualty numbers can go out of hand—and there'due south less country to support them. Hunting is our most effective tool for reducing local population surpluses. Country managers carefully determine the number of animals hunters tin impale every year past studying population numbers in specific areas. The goal of this is population management, not species destruction.

It works. Since this conservation model was put in identify, fauna populations beyond the nation have rebounded. Elk, one of the pioneer animals of the movement, now number more than than i million nationwide, even if they even so live across a small slice of their onetime habitat.

The North American Wildlife Conservation Model has proved similarly successful for other species. Wild turkeys vicious from a precolonization high of around 10 million birds to only 200,000 in 1940. To put that number in perspective, it'south less than half the number of wild elephants alive today. Today, the nationwide turkey population numbers nigh 6 meg. Only half a million deer remained in the Usa in the early on 1900s, but today there are 25 meg to 30 meg. In the early 1900s, the black bear went virtually extinct e of the Mississippi River, but today at that place are 300,000 in the United states of america, covering much of their historic range. In 1950, at that place were but 12,000 pronghorn antelope in the wild. Today? More than 1 1000000.

We eventually tailed the elk into their bedding ground and stalked in on them. Three sure shots equaled three downed elk. But we were an entire mountain away from the truck. Using as much of the animal as possible while still being able to pack them out using manpower—and doing so in a timely manner to keep the meat fresh—created a real challenge. The heads and skins, the quarters (pictured here), the torso, and the organs were separated and packed out individually. When we got home, we had to buy an additional chest freezer to house all the meat. I reckon we brought out 1,200 pounds. — Nosotros somewhen tailed the elk into their bedding ground and stalked in on them. Three sure shots equaled three downed elk. Merely we were an entire mount away from the truck. Using as much of the brute as possible while still beingness able to pack them out using manpower—and doing so in a timely manner to keep the meat fresh—created a real challenge. The heads and skins, the quarters (pictured here), the torso, and the organs were separated and packed out individually. When we got home, we had to purchase an additional breast freezer to house all the meat. I reckon we brought out 1,200 pounds. (Matthew Griffin)

How We Can Prepare This

If you're specifically interested in helping grow the populations of animals like elk, and then yous need to look at habitat protection and restoration.

Hands down, the best group of dudes I've ever done anything outdoors with. From left to right: Brent Phillips founded Soflete, Griff founded Combat Flip Flops, some jerk, Jayson is a former hunting guide who's now a very talented taxidermist working in the Seattle area. — Easily down, the best group of dudes I've ever done anything outdoors with. From left to right: Brent Phillips founded Soflete, Griff founded Combat Flip Flops, some jerk, Jayson is a quondam hunting guide who'south now a very talented taxidermist working in the Seattle area. (Matthew Griffin)

Several organizations specialize in protecting land for specific species. Ducks Unlimited is a group of waterfowl hunters who take conserved more than 13.8 million acres of wetlands in this country to appointment and are currently raising an additional $2 billion for more. If you intendance almost elk, and then you lot've got the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, an organization of elk hunters who, since 1984, have protected and enhanced 7.one million acres of elk habitat. Currently, they're working to bring elk back to Missouri, a state that hasn't been home to the animals since 1865. By protecting and managing habitat for game animals, these organizations are likewise protecting these environments as a whole, returning them to wellness from pinnacle to lesser.

Yous can donate money to wildlife conservation organizations like this, but what they'd actually like is for you lot to exist a member. And that ways taking up hunting. Nothing adds to conservation as much as adding another hunter, but the number of hunters is declining. The number of hunters in the United States has fallen 16 percent since 2011, while the corporeality of money they've spent decreased 29 percent in the aforementioned time period. With wildlife conservation so dependent on our financial contribution, that's not a sustainable trend.

At the very least, y'all can help America's wildlife by developing a positive opinion of hunters. The sport is as well often perceived in a negative calorie-free and suffers an incredibly unflattering portrayal in the media. The next time you run across a hunter, don't run into a bloodthirsty redneck. See a person who's passionate enough nigh animate being conservation that they're dedicating tons of time and money to it. The next time yous encounter a hunter, see someone who'southward defended to saving our wildlife.