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Elk Shot in Southwest Iowa!

That sucks !!!!! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: we were hoping he would make it. We have one of his sheds from last year and have seen him a few times. I know they wanted him gone but he was fun to see, and kept it interesting wondering if he would ever show up on our cameras.

Wish we could have them actually stay around here...and for the life of me I can understand why everyone wants to shoot the first elk or mountain lion that walks by...its much more fun to keep seeing them.
 
THEBAD said:
That sucks !!!!! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: we were hoping he would make it. We have one of his sheds from last year and have seen him a few times. I know they wanted him gone but he was fun to see, and kept it interesting wondering if he would ever show up on our cameras.

Wish we could have them actually stay around here...and for the life of me I can understand why everyone wants to shoot the first elk or mountain lion that walks by...its much more fun to keep seeing them.
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That's how CWD get's spread to our whitetail population.:(
 
Blaster said:
That's how CWD get's spread to our whitetail population.:(
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Really? How many elk that have been shot in Iowa have had CWD? The answer is zero. And this elk is not the first to be shot in the last 20+ years. There have been many elk shot in iowa in recent years and all tested negative for CWD.

I had a long heated discussion with the wildlife biologist in NE Iowa about this a couple years ago. They ended up shooting several near the property I hunt. I saw them on many occasions and have lots of trailcam pics. I was not happy when they baited them off the property, chased them with helicopters, and filled them with holes.....and of course, they all tested negative for CWD.
 
Makes a guy really wonder if a wild elk was to migrate into Iowa, what would the DNR do? Say if it was a small herd.

They would probably kill them all and claim them as farm raised.
 
1luckyguy said:
Really? How many elk that have been shot in Iowa have had CWD? The answer is zero. And this elk is not the first to be shot in the last 20+ years. There have been many elk shot in iowa in recent years and all tested negative for CWD.

I had a long heated discussion with the wildlife biologist in NE Iowa about this a couple years ago. They ended up shooting several near the property I hunt. I saw them on many occasions and have lots of trailcam pics. I was not happy when they baited them off the property, chased them with helicopters, and filled them with holes.....and of course, they all tested negative for CWD.
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All it takes is 1. Just like the deer that got out in SE Iowa.:confused:
 
Blaster said:
All it takes is 1. Just like the deer that got out in SE Iowa.:confused:
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Yes, but it wasn't an elk that tested positive, it was deer. Anything "could happen", and that's why I can't argue with you. State wildlife biologists say that Iowa doesn't have the habitat to support elk.....I guess they've never spent time in NE Iowa. We had them here for over 4 years and they were reproducing. I've seen the calves running with the cows. There were at least two bulls, we found one dead during shotgun and the other was shot by the DNR. They also shot several cows and calves, all testing negative.

I had the big 6x6 bull walk 20 yds from my bowstand in 2010, but had to pass because the DNR said it was illegal to shoot them. Then they go out and shoot them that winter? If I read the regs correctly you CAN shoot them. Here's why:

It says liquidated damages are as follows:
7. For each wild elk, antelope, buffalo or moose ..... $2,500

The key word is "WILD". Dale Garner and all the other biologists claim these are elk that escaped from game farms...thus are "livestock" and not wild.

I'm sure they would write you a ticket for shooting one, but if you fought it in court I think you would win. All the info I've read on elk shot in Iowa clearly state that "these are not wild elk, they escaped from a pen". I know not everyone that works for the DNR wants them shot, so to group all fisherees, parks, wildlife DNR employees together is not fair. I know of several people who work for the DNR that would like to see them here, but the higher powers won't allow it.

Thoughts?
 
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And the deer in Southern Iowa was raised on a game farm, and shot in a high fence area... it wasnt a wild deer roaming...
 
1luckyguy said:
I know of several people who work for the DNR that would like to see them here, but the higher powers won't allow it.Thoughts?
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I will go on record as saying I seriously doubt you really want wild elk roaming in Iowa again. They were native at one time, but they were a completely different subspecies (Eastern, I think) than the Rocky Mountain Elk that are all pen-raised. Elk can be (typically are) VERY DESTRUCTIVE on habitat, especially in habitats that they are not native to. We used to have the Merriam's elk subspecies in Arizona until they were hunted to extinction. Shortly after that, AZGFD brought in Rocky Mountain elk from Wyoming. The herd obviously took off, but has caused tons of trouble. The RM elk have established in areas that the Merriam's elk never went into and RM elk are destroying aspen stands post-fire. Aspens are the first-successional species that comes in post-disturbance and helps stabilize soils as well as providing cover for the conifers (pines, firs, spruce, etc.) to get established. The elk eat the new aspen shoots as fast as they come up leading to large areas of watershed erosion. They are also tearing up wet meadows and springs that the Merriam's elk never messed with. RM elk have also extended their range south into areas that Meriam's elk never went to and they are altering the habitat such that mule deer and Coue's whitetail are getting pushed out of their native ranges. There are some big "elk habitat improvement" projects being done out here that are not favoring mule deer and we're seeing mule deer numbers drop in some areas as elk numbers increase.

Don't get me wrong, I love elk. Obviously, or I wouldn't be chasing them, driving me crazy the last two weeks. But they can be EXTREMELY destructive when they establish in areas that they weren't in before or haven't been in for more than 100 years. I would bet money that if elk get reestablished in Iowa, you would see deer numbers drop faster than what EHD can take out.
 
Good points AZHunter. Never considered that. I know they would be hard on the corn.....and I figured that was one of the underlying reasons that we won't let a herd become established. Farm Bureau doesn't want another large corn loving herbivore inhabiting our state.
 
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1luckyguy said:
Good points AZHunter. Never considered that. I know they would be hard on the corn.....and I figured that was one of the underlying reasons that we won't let a herd become established. Farm Bureau doesn't want another large corn loving herbivore inhabiting our state.
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I know folks here in and in CO that HATE elk because of the crop damage and its not even corn. Alfalfa, grazing pastures (private), triticale, etc.
 
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