Category: Wildlife Conservation

How Do You Feel About Hunting and Hunters?

First Written in Quora

A “Trophy-class” Bull Elk Bugling 
inspiredpencil.com

In Colorado, during the 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s, though I was engaged in all sorts of mountain sports, the season I looked forward to the most was hunting season. I was able to get an early start on my hunting life having grown up in Adirondack Mountains of Northern New York state, where you can begin your hunting journey at fourteen, as long as it is supervised by an adult. You are free to go about your business alone at sixteen and you could hunt both archery and rifle during separate seasons during the same year. When combined, as an “Adirondacker”, I could hunt for what amounted to two months each fall. During my time there, the seasons were each about a month long. This is the way it was (at least during the seven years (from age 14 to 21) that I hunted there, and for many years thereafter.  The state managed Adirondack Park’s 2.6 million acres are comprised of both state and private lands under a policy designed to make a “Forever Wild” zone well distant from the much higher populations located farther south, and, of course, the population centers of New York City and Long Island, and, to a lesser extent, the Albany area and it’s two “Sister Cities”. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (ENCON) and the Adirondack Park Agency APA) managed hunter populations in the Adirondacks and ENCON alone managed the rest of the state’s hunting units, which varied greatly in hunter numbers throughout the state’s very different hunting regions. I learned by following my father’s size thirteen footsteps up and down some of the most rugged country in the northeast. For my dad and me, archery practice began in June or July, preparing for the season which opened in September. Rifle practice took place throughout the year and was not limited to a few days or weeks leading up to the season, which began right after archery season had concluded. Rifle shooting was just another part of life and we were always prepared for that year’s window of hunting opportunities.

After college, I followed my dream and landed in Colorado, where I would spend a good part of the next thirty years. Colorado is an “either-or” state, meaning you have to choose between archery and rifle seasons and cannot hunt both modes in the same year. If I had to choose overall, it’d have been archery because it’s nearly a month long versus the five to nine day allocations depending on which of the four relatively short rifle seasons a given hunter elects to hunt. Even nine days wasn’t enough time to satisfy my annual needs. So I began a schedule of two years of archery followed by a year of rifle. As I neared the halfway point of my hunting career, I made the switch to archery only and these seasons would go on to contain some of my best hunting memories.

But things changed significantly over the course of those three decades and by the time I reached my late forties, I was coming full circle with my thoughts and feelings about the sport. I can’t speak as knowledgeably about the other Western states other than to say that some are managing their big game animals, namely, deer and elk, better than others. There are simply too many tags being sold in Colorado and far too many hunters in a given game unit at a given time. Because of this, the gene pool for elk on National Forest lands has gotten weaker every year and continues to worsen. You can see it in the size and antler growth of many four and five year old bulls and the mature bulls are getting fewer and farther between in some of the most popular units. With such a huge shift over three decades, Colorado has become the Pennsylvania of the West. Too many small, ratty looking deer with ticks all over them. Ticks in these kinds of numbers are a bio-indicator, a foreboding sign of a tragically weakened ecosystem. I lived in PA for two years and never had any interest in the kind of slaughter that takes place there every autumn. Since the state is so populated with infrastructure such as roads and four lane highways every few miles, a good fraction of the deer get pushed out of the woods only to become roadkill.

For Colorado to recover, it is imperative that a rotation, not unlike those used on crop lands, be enacted for game units to be “rested” for a period of several years, with the units having the poorest health getting preferential treatment. Some adjustments need to be made to the availability of deer to be hunted, increasing the numbers of licences sold in many units with burgeoning deer populations. It’s become a complicated problem, perhaps one with which the newly released wolves can help once they’ve become established. But, because Colorado is the most populated state to have launched a wolf recovery program, we need to treat them with kid gloves and keep our heads about us if the program is to be a success. Only time will tell, but, based on many years of personal and intimate relationships with various parts of the state, I don’t see wolf reintroduction in Colorado as being viable, given how little space there is between populated areas.

At 64, with a weakened body due to several life altering illnesses, I haven’t been able to hunt in the manner I enjoy for several years and will reluctantly say that my hunting days are over. With things being as they are today, I wouldn’t want to hunt anyway. Perhaps armed only with a good camera and certainly not during hunting season. One thing is for sure, Colorado’s elk are in need of some radical policy changes, even if it comes in the form of a more limited income stream for the state. Though revenues from large numbers of hunters have at least been partially responsible for keeping Colorado’s smaller towns on the map, the deer and elk need to come first for a while.

A “Trophy-sized Bull Elk “Bugling”

Encountering a bull elk such as the one pictured while hunting on public lands (BLM, National Forest), in Colorado, has become an extremely rare event due to far too many hunters (as allowed by the vast number of hunting licences sold by the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife) which has resulted in chronic herd mismanagement and the highly inordinate numbers of elk taken during Colorado’s hunting seasons. Put simply, it has been the short-term value state wildlife officials have placed on the huge sums of money put into state coffers at the longer-term expense of the well-being of the state’s elk (and deer) populations.

Kelpy Reconnoitering Hermosa Canyon

Originally Posted on Quora

Circa 2008 Canon G-10

My beloved Australian Kelpie, “Kelpy”, as named by my then six year-old daughter. Kelpy and I were spending the 2013 archery elk season (end of August through end of September) in our favorite place, up high in the “Middle of Nowhere”, Southwest Colorado. Our camp was just 30-feet behind where this picture was taken.

Which is the Better Runner, the Cheetah or the Gazelle? Where Does Man Fit-in?

Originally Posted on Quora

Cheetah and Springbok
Credit Lifeandtimessafaris.com

Sparked by this great question, a lot of salient information spilled forth on this time-tested subject while adding other traditional cheetah prey such as the springbok, impala, Thomson’s gazelle (unless this is the gazelle referenced in the question – there are several species). and, ultimately, the tdessebe, yet another high-speed African creature. In some searches, the goitered gazelle comes out on top, and in others, it’s the springbok which is noted for both speed and high-speed agility.

By all appearances, the tsessebe appears to be the most formidable opponent for the cheetah, having much more muscle mass and a step up in overall size, but far less is known about the species in the context of being cheetah prey. I do not know of its level of agility while running flat-out. It’s difficult to think of any form of gazelle besting the springbok in that criteria. Whatever the case, the cheetah’s top speed is listed at between 61 and 70 mph, depending on where you get your numbers. On the low-end, approximately 60 mph, some antelope can come awfully close to matching its straight-line speed. At the high-end of 70+ mph, it is several mph faster than anything on land.
While all of this makes for fascinating reading, the question uses the words “better runner” and not “faster runner”. There are several aspects of running which can be measured, but the one thing that was not discussed, at least not at length, is endurance. In the natural world, the typical equation has prey animals being faster while predators rely heavily on stamina, or endurance. Aside from the cheetah, cats tend to be ambush predators that, like the quarter horse, can attain their highest speeds very quickly but, at the same time, can only hold that speed (generally between 35 and 50 mph) in relatively short bursts. Then there are the wild dogs which include dozens of species found throughout the world. These predators tend to work in strategic packs by running down their prey over far greater distances. They tend to have a relatively high success rate by carefully looking for weaknesses among a single prey item and home in on that older, younger, sick, or injured individual.
But where does man fall into the spectrum of endurance-based hunters? The answer might surprise you, but even today, a highly athletic human being can out distance any creature on land. Through the eons, it is thought that man began early in our evolution to learn from animals like wolves and dogs like the African Wild Dog as to how to run prey to ground. On the vast, open plains of the Serengeti, those who were deemed as providers for a given tribe morphed over time into being tall (to see long distances, particularly when jumping up and down to take snapshots of the view and keep their game in sight). They were long and lean and carried long, lightweight spears. These hunters succeeded by having ample endurance beyond that of their prey species. They were “running prey to ground” much like wolves do when chasing caribou over long, open distances.

Not enough is known to quantify an accurate success rate or qualify our status as a hunter species using the same basic approach to downing animals as wolves or wild dogs, but they were successful enough to, along with herding cattle and goats, feed the many hungry mouths of the tribe. The Masai of today’s Kenya and Tanzania have continued to evolve in much the same manner as their ancestors and continue ceremonial hunts which are identical to those conducted by Masai tribes centuries ago.


In terms of pushing the limits of human endurance, there is the modern-day example of the Tarahumara people who are indigenous to Copper Canyon, located in Mexico and several times the size of the Grand Canyon. It is the world’s largest. I’m not sure of the particulars. but these people play a ball game which travels up and down the walls of the canyon and going between communities non-stop for days at a time. In the early 90’s, the Tarahumara were “discovered” by a team of American archeologists who have since written books on these special people. The late 80’s and early 90’s marked the dawn of many extreme sports including long distance running races in the mountains of Colorado. The Leadville 100 was among the most covered by the worldwide media. A one hundred mile race with elevations ranging from 9,500 to almost 14,000 feet. The archeologist in charge of the Tarahumara program thought it would be fun to invite two of their strongest runners and enter them in the race. For some reason, the Tarahumaran’s had no footwear for such an event so they were pointed in the direction of the Leadville dump whereupon they fashioned some running sandals from some leather and old tires. I believe the race was to begin on the following morning. From here, I’m sure you can see where this story is headed. There they were in their homemade sandles standing amongst some of the best endurance trail runners in the United States, dressed in the finest and lightest running gear there was at the time, perhaps finishing some high-tech breakfast or protein rich exercise bar.
The gun went off (I’m just going by memory here) and a couple of days later, the Tarahumara finished one and two. Some spectator even handed one of them a beer a couple of miles from the finish and he happily drank it down.
There have been several books written on the tribe and its running culture, the most read of which is probably “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall.

Being a competive endurance trail runner and cyclist myself, I never cease to be fascinated by the athletic abilities of many animals, man included. It is interesting that we are comparitively poorly put together when compared to the most beautiful and athletically prone species found throughout the world and, unless carrying weapons that can even the odds or make them certain, few would argue that we are easy prey for most medium to large-sized predators. It’s too bad that we’re caught and immobilized quickly enough that our one strength, physical endurance, virtually never comes into play.

Cheetah vs Thomson’s Gazelle vs Impala, Credit Daily Mail

Springbok and Tsessebe, Book on the Tarahumara People of Mexico

Recent Information on the African Wild Dog (AWD)

Originally Posted to Quora

According to the site Enviroliteracy, the following screenshot shows number of the African Wild Dogs (AWD’s) remaining, as of March of this year, to be around 7,000 individuals with just 1,500 listed as adults.

The key to understanding the relationship between being formally listed as endangered (the AWD made the ICNU “Red List” list twenty-five years ago) and attempting to predict how long a given species has left in based solely upon scientific research, the most important of which has to do with the minimum number of breeding pairs required to maintain a healthy gene pool (for that given species). Obviously, no one can be certain but studies have indicated that the number hovers around 300.

Science has already spent decades researching endangered species of all kinds, with more research going into some than others. “Higher-order” mammals, whether sea or land-based, seem to get the most attention. It makes sense that we would be the most concerned about the creatures with which we have the most in common. Social behavior, language, habitat, overall intelligence, and other characteristics. This research has led to a much greater understanding of the creatures we most respect and admire. Because they are generally at the top of the food chain and would be the most harmful to the ecosystems surrounding them were they to disappear, endangered predators and species that are strong bio-indicators garner the most attention. Though not as heavily studied as certain bears, tigers, lions, wolves, whales, and some porpoises, the African Wild Dog certainly warrants ample consideration. The ecosystems in which they are found and the other creatures within them would topple, creating a domino effect and many other species would be brought to the brink of extinction, or worse, simply disappear not long after the demise of the AWD.

There is more pressure than ever on those of us who truly care to redouble our efforts such that more people around the world join the fight to protect existing AWD habitat and push for the creation of additional habitat by funding conservancy programs to procure lands which are adjacent to the patchwork of existing protected areas and national and state run wildlife preserves. The concept is already at work in other parts of the world through organizations such as the Nature Conservancy. The point is is that there are real world mechanisms in place to acquire additional lands on behalf of endangered species. I don’t see why, with appropriate funding, the same concept can’t be put use in parts of Africa where the AWD still has a toehold. Perhaps it’s already happening and I’m just unaware of such doings.

I wake up each morning with an anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach with grave concerns for this planet and its inhabitants knowing in my heart that it may already be too late for turning things around. There really isn’t much time remaining for the world’s most endangered species, twenty, perhaps thirty years. But then I have a talk with myself over a cup of coffee and realize once again that we’ve got an immense obligation to threatened species everywhere and that no matter how bleak things may look, we must have the resolve to fight our best fight and if it should come to it, go down swinging.

How do poachers usually get caught in places like Africa or India, and what are their reasons or excuses for doing it?

Originally Written for Quora

First, I’ll add that poaching isn’t something that only takes place in faraway lands. It is a significant problem right here at home, in the US.

As with most conservation issues, it’s like peeling an onion with each layer getting closer to the core. On the face of it, many of us view poachers as bed men doing evil deeds, but it can be far more complicated than that. If you look at the problem of the black market for animal pieces and parts as being an evil entity with its roots stretching far and wide, you’ll find that once you get far enough out from the root ball, you’ll reach the poaching aspect of the illegal trade. Things are a bit different in the different areas around the world where poaching exists. You may even find that poachers can sometimes be good people doing evil deeds. In Africa and India, for instance, some of the poachers are poor farmers or herdsman from the neighboring tribes and villages. The gravitational pull for those who become poachers is quite strong in terms of putting food on the table for their families. Poachers receive a small fraction of what a given animal is worth to a wholesaler within his other country and that fraction is miniscule as compared with what those same pieces and parts are fetching at the end of the line, where they are sold to dealers in countries like Japan. But as little as a poacher makes on their end, it is more than they can possibly make on their crops and livestock alone. So the incentive is extremely tempting. Add to that that there are cultural differences which make it easier to kill these animals than we in the West can comprehend. In many cases, tribesman are histlorically accustomed to hunting many of these now threatened and endangered species. I can’t say that the paradigm is the same in every impoverished country, but it is certainly similar. I would anticipate that the poaching problem is bad enough that if a particular poacher is caught or killed there’s another right behind him awaiting his turn to carry the AK.

On the other side, you’ve got guys who are paid some paltry sum to put their lives on the line protect these animals from being poached. In relation to the size of the territory they are responsible for, the number of paid rangers is very small. It is not unusual for a poacher and ranger to know one another or even belong to the same tribe and live in the same village. Graft is a very real problem for a ranger who simply gets paid to look the other way. Of course, the rangers aren’t nearly all on “the take”. But the point is, on this level of the problem, it is more complicated than it might appear to be. That being said, friendly or not, these poachers are a cog in what comprises the wheels of poaching and they must be stopped. More funding is needed so that park rangers aren’t so easily tempted to break the laws that they’re paid to enforce. There are state sponsored anti -poaching organizations and there are the smaller game management entities that are generally not-for-profit associations that operate on shoestring budgets and their anti-poaching personnel are completely out-numbered by “the bad guys”. Being a ranger for this kind of conservation effort comes with serious dangers and many rangers are simply killed in the night while out on patrol. They could use the help of privately owned mercenary companies that have been in place contracting to the US military in the neverending wars in the Middle East.Though this is an expensive option, it is possible to obtain the funds necessary to get these wildlife advocacies the help they need if the right people get involved.

The way to solve the overall problem is to work it from both ends towards the middle. There are already international laws in place to put an end to world trade in animal pieces and parts, but they are not as effective as they should be because the law-breakers aren’t punished to the fullest extent of the law. Often, they are simply fined while being allowed to continue. Corruption runs amok. Laws “without teeth” are of little value in the fight to put an end to trafficking in animal parts.

While not perfect, the poaching problem in the US has been reduced, with steep fines and substantial jail time levied on offenders. Still, highly organized poaching is the same most organized crime and can be fairly sophisticated in their cryptic ways and means of evasion.

The best thing we as simple citizens of the world can do is see that our people on the front lines are closely backed and that related anti-poaching programs ascend the ladder from being grassroot efforts to amply funded organizations with appropriate structure and enough “boots on the ground” to make a palpable difference. Make no mistake, this has gone from being a back-burner issue to one of serious urgency with mind-blowing consequences if we don’t act, in earnest, in the here and now.