Dear editor:

I have repeatedly read where a position in the Wyoming Game and Fish has been filled by someone with a degree in wildlife management. Under current policies and “think-tank” applications, it has been impossible to manage our wild animals with the imbalance across the board on how they try to implement their plans.

The book, “Playing God in Yellowstone” by Alston Chase, stated this all started shortly after Yellowstone National Park was designated a national park. They gradually killed out the wolves, grizzlies and 5,000-plus elk in a slaughter.

I’ve been a North Fork native, for three quarters of a century, and I’ve witnessed this same misguided “management” in the park and especially more recently, with the illegal introduction of Canadian gray wolves using stolen Pittman-Robertson funds. A species that was supposed to be “experimental,” an experiment gone horribly awry, as anyone that has seen in YNP and surrounding areas, the rapid decline of ungulate herds, can attest.

Then, after so many grizzlies were blatantly killed in YNP, they were listed as endangered — a manufactured endangerment. They’ve been studied to death for over 50 years now. And all the while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Wyoming G&F kill on average, 40 grizzlies a year, but won’t let legitimate hunters hunt any — not one. Thus, there’s no income to help with management. We are at the point of uncontrolled grizzly numbers, being perpetuated by politics and money. Everyone is a wildlife management expert who seems to have a say in WY wildlife “management” as long as it has fur, fangs and claws.

There are also the problems we see of elk herds seeking refuge on private property six-plus months of the year, all in the name of game management, while the once vibrant elk herds in our national forests in this area are a small fraction of their once great numbers. And, NO, it is NOT loss of habitat!

Next we have the huge amount of whitetail deer permits to kill them out, despite the fact that they can live anywhere, while in the meantime, also issuing liberal mule deer permits while the numbers decline drastically. 

Added to that, the wolves, grizzlies, mountain lions and coyotes are killing the ungulate herds, wholesale, with little management to contain depredation.

Locally our elk herds were over 20,000, but are now [and have been for some time] in trouble. Yet we are told our elk herds are at or over objectives. That nonsense is based on using numbers from all across the state, also creatively adjusting local objectives down and down, as the ungulate herds dwindle, all to make it appear the G&F is competent. 

The G&F has stated that they want to eliminate all mountain goats, they want them all killed. They killed many over by Jackson, until a judge ordered them to stop. Yet there are few mountain goat permits issued, as I can contest, after applying for 58 years with no success.

Look at the G&F orders for the entire Big Horn Basin and the huge number of permits issued.  Selling outrageous number of permits in areas that the game is struggling to meet recruitment numbers.

Area game biologist, Tony Mong, and directives from Cheyenne, have been disastrous for the game herds in our area. The mismanagement is criminal, bringing about a wildlife desert in areas of once vibrant life, but is seems they don’t care. Paychecks, retirement and politics forefront, game last.     Habitat is everywhere. You notice that BLM, national park, national forest and state lands haven’t dropped in size in our area, not developed. Officials tout loss of habitat, but there is just a fraction of the game here to enjoy it and for everyone to enjoy seeing. 

Historically, some of the greatest big game herds in the world are now a fraction, a pittance of what they once were; they are all but gone.

 Sincerely,

Randy Selby

Wapiti