Elk Introduction to NE Minnesota
Minnesota
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If general public schmows can hunt them as well. Otherwise its a limited opportunity most won't care about. Need to manage the wolves as a higher priority
It would be cool to see and hear them. But I agree I would recommend waiting until the wolves are better balanced . If there is a possibility of the rest of the population hunting them I bet support would be a little better.
I know this is going out on the limb a little bit but lets say that the public really supported the idea and was excited about seeing elk in these areas. Elk were introduced and instead of increasing the herd remained the same or decreased. If the reason for this was because of wolf predation and the public was made aware of it would it help swing public attitudes towards wolves?
Should the wolf be removed from the endanger list but Minnesota public pressure keeps the DNR from having a season on them then nothing will change. Some how we have to convince the public that elk and moose can survive with the wolf if the wolf is managed.
It bothers me that in our state debate about wolves that nobody is sticking up for the moose calves and asking the question, don't moose calves have the right to exist too? I wrote a letter to the Governor and asked him that same question. Too bad we don't have any good outdoor writers that can write a few articles about moose calf survival and that 75% of all calves are eaten by wolves in the first year.
Sorry about the long post but as I said in the other forum, I'm in favor of it.
Having seen the problems that Elk can cause, I think it is a really bad idea. Elk are big animals and they tend to herd up. That can put a lot of environmental pressure on a given area which doesn't leave much left for the deer to eat. They will outcompete both moose and deer for the available food resources. And pray for anyone hitting an Elk with a car. Their odds of survival are low at best as the Elk almost always fall backward onto the car crushing it.
"Their odds of survival are low at best as the Elk almost always fall backward onto the car crushing it."
Do you have any data to back this up?
I don't know how MN elk will fare, but in MI and WI I think elk and whitetails get along just fine. I know in MI whitetails are pretty abundant in the elk range. I would assume KY elk and whitetails get along just fine as well.