Hunters wanted for Grand Canyon Bison Cull?

Adrian

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Just saw this on the BBC news site, surely there is no shortage of hunters willing to hunt a Bison.......

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41238392


Hunters wanted for Grand Canyon bison cull

Physically fit and a crack shot? Then the US National Park Service has a job for you... in the Grand Canyon.


It is seeking volunteers to help cull a herd of bison in the famous gorge, which it says are damaging park resources.

About 600 bison live in the area, but experts say that could hit 1,500 in a decade if their numbers are not controlled.

A lottery system will be used to choose the shooters.

The bison are owned by the state of Arizona, and are descended from animals brought there in the 1900s.

Environmentalists say they are stampeding over vegetation, causing soil erosion, and contaminating water sources - damaging the habitats of other species.

Some of the luckier animals will be moved away from the Canyon, and others legally shot in the surrounding forests.

Officials want no more than 200 in the park's northern environs within three to five years.

Most of the hunting is expected to be done between October and May, when the road to the Grand Canyon's North Rim is closed.

Snowmobiles and sleds will be used to transport the bison meat - or if necessary, helicopters. Volunteers may get the right to take one bison's worth of meat away with them, with the rest being given to food banks and local tribes.

Carl Lutch, the terrestrial wildlife manager for Game and Fish in Flagstaff, Arizona, told the Associated Press news agency the hunters would need specific skills. These could include the ability to hike 12km (eight miles) a day, carry a 27kg (4.3 stone) pack, and hit a paper plate 180m (200 yards) away five times.

National parks in Colorado, North and South Dakota and Wyoming have previously deployed shooters to reduce elk populations there.

The plan has had a mixed reception online, however. While one Facebook user praised it as a "win/win", another branded it a "slaughter".

 
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There will be a waiting list in no time if true!
 
Oh to be ten years younger (that would be only 60)!
 
How many pounds is 4.3 stone? Damn Limeys :) Gotta use Google to translate from English to American! :D
 
How many pounds is 4.3 stone? Damn Limeys :) Gotta use Google to translate from English to American! :D
About 60lbs near as dammit.

Why do you Yanks have to complicate everything???

Everyone knows it's the same weight as a small Springbok!
 
after getting stuck in a buffalo jam in Yellowstone I'd relish capping a few of those big, smelly and foul tempered beasts
 
About 60lbs near as dammit.

Why do you Yanks have to complicate everything???

Everyone knows it's the same weight as a small Springbok!
See, there ya go! If the author had simply said "one Springbok" we would have ALL known what he was talking about! Easy :D
 
Having lived in Colorado, hunting at 8,000 above sea level has some unique challenges. Add to that a 60# pack and 10 pound rifle, and a lot of volunteers are going to quit within 2 days.
 
I'll be searching for the list
 
The current information can be found at nps.gov/grca

the phone number that I was given by a lady named Nancy is 928 638 7900 :A Callme:. She said this is the number she was given for referrals for this program.

She also said it won't be a quick process:A Thumbs Up:.
 
Let me get this straight. One must be in fantastic physical condition, take vacation days or miss work, be able to carry a heavy pack at high altitudes to get the opportunity to work for the U.S. government probably under highly educated people possessing little to no common sense and get paid zero? (How's that for a run on sentence)? No thanks. I'm old enough to know this is a game for suckers and fools but YMMV.
Now if they'll supply a military helicopter, I'll volunteer to hang out of the door with an AR10 and take care of the entire lot in a couple days.
Dream on boys and girls. With Uncle Sam running the show, this has all the makings of a monumental flop and a Nightly News PETA commercial.
 
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I don't know this to be true. But one person told me that after the harvest you don't get to keep the hide to the head and only partial meet. Does anyone know anything about that.
 
The article said a hunter can bring one animal worth of meat home, and the rest to the tribes and food bank. I can see the hides and heads also going to the tribes.
Give a ring to that number I posted and see what they say.
 
I just called, there's no information, other than they are "assessing" the situation, currently not taking applications.
 
Thanks for the update, @greyfox


I'll check back on that myself in the future
 
It is interesting in that there is no information on the Arizona Game and Fish web pages.

I know that the Arizona G&F has been trying to work with the Feds on this for quite a while and now it looks like the Feds are leaving them out of it.
 
Wonder if Non -residents can apply ?
Glen
 

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