Yellowstone Sheds

wyohikeit · Jun 3, 2007

LAST EDITED ON Jun-03-07 AT 02:10PM (MST)[p]This story was printed in a local paper. Let's talk about it!

I have seen this kind of thing in the park many times.
Yeah I know big brother knows best,(Choke,Gag,Spit)
WOW I can't even say that and mean it.

Is there a way to stop this kind of mismanagement BS!?

Time in the hills is always worth more than money

HiMtnHntr · Jun 3, 2007

That's not right! In my opinion, if the park serivce doesn't simply leave the antlers lay, then they are not accomplishing the mission of the NPS:

"The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world."-nps.gov

Cookie2 · Jun 3, 2007

Of course it's not right! Do you expect anything else from our all knowing big brother???? It's just abother case of "it's too hard to enforce the laws so we find another way to deal with it"

wyohikeit · Jun 4, 2007

It's sad that the park service spends so much time and money destroying and hideing these antlers when there are so many honest people that would love to see them where they lay!!!

If they would spend this time and money enforcing the laws already in place the park would be a better place for all of us!

Time in the hills is always worth more than money

Zigga · Jun 5, 2007

If they would simply spend 3 to 4 weeks with volunteer rent-a-cops enforcing areas they could catch a lot of poachers. Just post a picture and personal information of the poachers in the paper with the federal time they will be doing and the park wouldn't have this problem. How easy would it be to plant antlers in easy to get at areas with cameras and transmitters? I'd volunteer a week of my time to do something like that. College students in the Fish and Wildlife programs could also do that for a week or so. The feds are just not willing to fix the problem.

wyohikeit · Jun 6, 2007

LAST EDITED ON Jun-06-07 AT 07:09AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jun-06-07 AT 07:08?AM (MST)

There are a lot of ways to improve this situation. BUT How do we get Big Brother to listen, then do something intellegent! This IS our National Park isn't it?
The park "service" work for US "WE the people" right.

I spend 10-15 days each fall in Yellowstone watching the rutting elk and looking at the new crop of sheds. This is my wife and I's yearly get away time. In some areas we have to walk miles along the main trails before we can get away from the stupid hack jobs and stashed out of the way anything but "unimpared" antlers along the trail!
I want to see this policy of destroying antlers stopped. What can we do? Help me

HiMtnHntr Where did you find this mission statement?

Time in the hills is always worth more than money

HiMtnHntr · Jun 6, 2007

The mission is on the website: www.nps.gov, click on "about us" and then click on "mission". I've tried to put myself in the shoes of the NPS in an attempt to form some sense out of hacking up and stashing elk sheds, but I still can't see the reasoning behind such a senseless and wastefull use of time and money. Sure, there will always be the real Einsteins that insist on trying to carry sheds out of the park, but why not focus some of the hacking and stashing effort on actually monitoring these goons while preserving the natural history of the Park for all to see? I'd be interesting to know who authorized such an ill-conceived plan to curtail "shed smuggling". Is it really that bad up there?

wyohikeit · Jun 6, 2007

There seem to be two kinds of meatheads that pack off the sheds in the park. The local punks that are out to make a dollar or who can't seem to find a trophy set legaly, who know full well the law and the penalties, but take the chance anyway. Then there are the clueless tourists that stumble on an antler but haven't read the rule book they were given apon entering the park so they haul the bone back to the car to show Aunt Ruth.

A little more information at the gate would help to keep some of the nimrods out of trouble. Way stiff fines with some jail time and the loss of their gear, vehicles and all would deter some.
It is a complicated issue but one that needs fixed!!!

Time in the hills is always worth more than money

wyohikeit · Jun 7, 2007

With this chop and hide policy in action it's impossible to tell how many antlers get hauled off by poachers. This story from the paper is not something new or rare by any means. We see it year after year along all the maintained trails in the park. My hiking buddy and I spend most of our time hiking "the path less travled" so we don't have to witness the hack jobs. Most of the Nimrods that plod down the trails to there designated campsite never even see the hack piles but they don't get to see the sheds laying on the windy side of the open ridges where they naturaly should be either.

Time in the hills is always worth more than money

Huntemup · Jun 8, 2007

So true. With sooo many other issues in the Park that threaten the environment, such as leaky, outdated sewage systems and tourists taking pictures of bears & buffalo from 10 feet away, wouldn't "OUR" money be better spent fixing that rather than paying x-amount of park rangers to patrol for antler theft? I can't believe that we pay those guys to hike around and vandalize nature...all for the sake of natural preservation? BullS#!t! Catch the bad guys and leave the rest alone!

As far as I'm concerned, Yellowstone National Park is no longer OUR park....it is a foreign country!

HiMtnHntr · Jun 8, 2007

Paying park rangers to patrol for shed antler theft is one thing, sending them out with an axe to hack them up is another.

berto · Jun 13, 2007

i have also seen the hacked up antlers in YNP. it makes it really tough for a guy like me to show my wife and three kids some ATL elk sheds in nature without having to first kill them trying to find one unmolested specimen to show them...it is obvious the NPS approach to curbing poaching by cutting and hacking elk sheds defeats the purpose.

i want to show my kids an elk shed in nature, but when the antlers we see have been purposely sawed into pieces or hacked with an ax, my kids aren't too impressed...ruins the experience for them and me.

unfortunately, the problem will remain as long as antlers are worth money. it only takes one bad apple (poacher) to spoil the bushel.

i wish you luck in changing "the machine", wyohikeit!

wyohikeit · Jun 15, 2007

berto
I am going to make some noise!
I am finding that the powers that be have there defences built up high and hard. It's almost impossible to get our voice heard by someone who cares, there is so much red tape built into the system. Like most things what matters most is not what you know but who you know. It will take a while but I am going to be heard on this one!

Time in the hills is always worth more than money

elkantler75 · Jun 15, 2007

how many sheds do you think get stashed in govt. buildings by the man?

Michelle_Nelson · Jun 16, 2007

Why don't they let people come in and pick them up? It's not like they are all going to be found and picked up. Anyway the reason they cut them up is to prevent people from picking them up. By chopping them up it does not prevent the squirrels and rodents from chewing on them. Basicly the only thing they are good for out their is providing Calcium to the animals that chew on them

In oregon their is a spot out side of Reedsort that is an Elk sanctuary of sorts. Mainly it's a couple of huge fields that are all the time full of elk. They have 2 or 3 observation stations so people can look at the Elk.

It is against the law to go across the fence and pick up sheds. To control antler poachers as they call them. They let a few Boy Scout Troops go out their and pick them up. Than the Boy Scout Troop is allowed to sell them to raise money for their Scouting trips and other scouting activities.