Elk hunting pictures

[WhistlingBadger]

That used to happen all the time in the National Park the elk photo was taken. That same bull regularly chased off tourists and cars that got too close to him/his ladies. Mess with the bull you get the horns/antlers lol.

Hard to blame him. Notice the other bull elk hanging around are smart enough to keep their distance, which just goes to show that sometime animals have a lot more common sense than people.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Well, the season ended yesterday so it's about time to wrap up this thread. But first I'll share a couple more pictures and a story or two.

Sunday, I found a friend. This is a blotched tiger salamander, Wyoming's state amphibian and an extremely cool critter. They can live anywhere from swamps to sagebrush deserts. They spend the vast majority of their time underground. Out in the desert they usually only come above ground at night during rare rainstorms. I found this one in the middle of the day, blundering about trying to find its way down to a waterhole, which means it had either been disturbed in its burrow, or it was just extremely confused. I thought about bringing it home, as they make really cool pets, but I had no way to transport it that would keep it comfortable. So I gave it a boost down to the waterhole, which seemed to please it. As I walked away I could hear it glurping happily around in the pond.

Edit: Hey, @OliveFish05 , are you still around? I believe this is what axolotls would turn into if they were to grow up.

There are hundreds of wild horses out in the Red Desert. They are an invasive species, with no natural predators, and no one is allowed to cull them. This country can't grow much grass, with the lack of rain, so these herds of horses are very tough on the country. Each horse takes up the resources of a cow, a couple elk, or half a dozen antelope, and there are way too many of them. Still...they are rather magnificent beasts.

 

[Rocky998]

Well, the season ended yesterday so it's about time to wrap up this thread. But first I'll share a couple more pictures and a story or two.

Sunday, I found a friend. This is a blotched tiger salamander, Wyoming's state amphibian and an extremely cool critter. They can live anywhere from swamps to sagebrush deserts. They spend the vast majority of their time underground. Out in the desert they usually only come above ground at night during rare rainstorms. I found this one in the middle of the day, blundering about trying to find its way down to a waterhole, which means it had either been disturbed in its burrow, or it was just extremely confused. I thought about bringing it home, as they make really cool pets, but I had no way to transport it that would keep it comfortable. So I gave it a boost down to the waterhole, which seemed to please it. As I walked away I could hear it glurping happily around in the pond.

View attachment 303867

There are hundreds of wild horses out in the Red Desert. They are an invasive species, with no natural predators, and no one is allowed to cull them. This country can't grow much grass, with the lack of rain, so these herds of horses are very tough on the country. Each horse takes up the resources of a cow, a couple elk, or half a dozen antelope, and there are way too many of them. Still...they are rather magnificent beasts.

View attachment 303868

Wow! Thanks for sharing! That is awesome!

 

[connorlindeman]

Are you allowed to tame them? Could get rich selling them ;-)

 

[JuiceBox52]

Are you allowed to tame them? Could get rich selling them ;-)

Usually the government will round them up and sell them to butchers for dog food. They’re sold at auctions per pound. It’s truly a disaster, the wild horses

 

[Rocky998]

Usually the government will round them up and sell them to butchers for dog food. They’re sold at auctions per pound. It’s truly a disaster, the wild horses

I didn't know they used horses for dog food! I find that disturbing! Appalling even!

 

[connorlindeman]

Usually the government will round them up and sell them to butchers for dog food. They’re sold at auctions per pound. It’s truly a disaster, the wild horses

Thats really sad.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I didn't know they used horses for dog food! I find that disturbing! Appalling even!

Yep. The auction places where they’re held are super inhumane, the horses become so skinny, stallions are kept with fillies (female horses too young to healthily have a foal) and they become pregnant and often become to ill to carry the foal to term, dead horses are not removed from the pen and the other horses must live around the body. It’s extremely disturbing. There’s very very few wild mustang auctions that aren’t like this

 

[Rocky998]

Yep. The auction places where they’re held are super inhumane, the horses become so skinny, stallions are kept with fillies (female horses too young to healthily have a foal) and they become pregnant and often become to ill to carry the foal to term, dead horses are not removed from the pen and the other horses must live around the body. It’s extremely disturbing. There’s very very few wild mustang auctions that aren’t like this

Makes me SICK! Absolutely SICK!
To think this is done in America and LEGALLY at that is an atrocity.
Meanwhile we have animal cops going around stopping people from doing this. Why can't these people be stopped!?
Can they be bought FROM those places and be saved at all?
Please tell me they can be....

 

[JuiceBox52]

Makes me SICK! Absolutely SICK!
To think this is done in America and LEGALLY at that is an atrocity.
Meanwhile we have animal cops going around stopping people from doing this. Why can't these people be stopped!?
Can they be bought FROM those places and be saved at all?
Please tell me they can be....

Many people buy them from the auction block, I actually knew someone who adopted and rehabbed one from one of the Oregon herds, and a friends trainer is training a rescue as well. There’s too many though. The most humane thing to do would be to round up and castrate 95% of the stallions and colts. Less reproduction = less problems

 

[Rocky998]

Makes me want to start an animal rescue... Which honestly is something that sounds like would be something I'd love. Problem is money and all that lol. If I had infinite money then maybe

 

[JuiceBox52]

Makes me want to start an animal rescue... Which honestly is something that sounds like would be something I'd love. Problem is money and all that lol. If I had infinite money then maybe

Super draining and hard. The barn I taught lessons at was kind of a rescue but even with just 8-10 horses it was an insane amount of work. And wild and traumatized horses need a lot of experience and expertise to rehabilitate.

 

[Rocky998]

Many people buy them from the auction block, I actually knew someone who adopted and rehabbed one from one of the Oregon herds, and a friends trainer is training a rescue as well. There’s too many though. The most humane thing to do would be to round up and castrate 95% of the stallions and colts. Less reproduction = less problems

Oh that's wonderful! Great you got that opportunity and that you were able to save a horse from that horrible death is really good.

Yah, that would be the best option... They can't do much when their like that

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Many people buy them from the auction block, I actually knew someone who adopted and rehabbed one from one of the Oregon herds, and a friends trainer is training a rescue as well. There’s too many though. The most humane thing to do would be to round up and castrate 95% of the stallions and colts. Less reproduction = less problems

Simply culling a bunch of them would make a lot more sense. But some people get very emotional about horses. They'd rather see the country decimated, along with its native plants and animals, than see some of them killed.

 

[Rocky998]

Super draining and hard. The barn I taught lessons at was kind of a rescue but even with just 8-10 horses it was an insane amount of work. And wild and traumatized horses need a lot of experience and expertise to rehabilitate.

I would imagine so....
But when you have helpers its much easier for the work aspect.

Yup! With animals, just like people, you need to earn a mutual respect. The more traumatized they are the more work it will take to gain their trust and to calm them.
It's one of those things where you REALLY want to do something but you know it's not possible for you to do really....