fatfootdoc Report post Posted June 10, 2008 So as I was looking at the NMDGF site praying for early posting of the draw I saw the link to the proposals for next year. Among the most surprising is that there is a recommendation to make all off range oryx over the counter and turn the Barbary sheep hunt into a draw. I think the oryx proposal could be bad because the intense hunting pressure they will get will put them on the private ranches and that will be the end of that! Unless you want to pay a premium to hunt them(better than going to Africa I guess though). The Barbary sheep, well that may make it a better hunt if they regulate the kill better, their concern is increasing hunter numbers and decreasing sheep. ON ANOTHER NOTE, Our esteemed G and F commissioner , M(y) H(heart is in minnesota). "Dutch" ( I smell like a rotten)Salmon, was in that esteemed waste of paper known as the silver city daily press-- talking about his new pet project, reintroducing otter to the Gila. Now that he ahs the Gila trout in recovery(at the expense of who knows how many game fish) He would like to restore the River otter to its natural habitat in the Gila( and let the natural predator eat his little Gila Trout fishies!!) they were going to do it last year but had a fatality in the trapping of the otters, but get this, they were going to try to get some otter from AZ as they had some NUISANCE otters in the Verde River(which I have seen by the way!! ) or transplant some from MO. Now these otters are nuisance there, so lets transplant them to the great state of NM and they will be so happy to be in the Gila eating Gila trout, they will no longer be a nuisance!!! Oh by the way , his reasoning initially was that by introducing the River otter back into the Gila they will control non native game species, Well unless they have some super intense dolphin training program for these otters, I cant really see them swimming up to a gila trout and thinking, " Hmm that is a native fish species, therefore I can not eat it, oh well ho hum, guess I better go find me a brown trout to eat" , SO dont get me wrong I have absolutely no issue with otters in the Gila and if they eat all the Gila trout, I really dont give a crap, I just think it is hilarious that the commission is working in circles down here, what will happen is it wil somehow be the fishign pressure that has ruined the gila trout recovery, not the little brown only non native fish eating otters, and we will lose fishing access to the recently opened areas of the GILA. Ok I have now stepped off of my soapbox and Elvis has left the building!!! AG Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jamaro Report post Posted June 10, 2008 I brought this concern up to him and the entire Gila Trout Reintroduction team early this year, at one of there meetings and if they do reintroduce the Otters it will be in a watershed that doesn't have any of the reintroduced Gila Trout. I think they want to place them somewhere along the San Fran.. and the Gila Trout are located along the forks... They see the issue and they understand there will be heck to pay if they end up feeding Otters with Gila trout... J- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fatfootdoc Report post Posted June 10, 2008 J-, The problem is that they are territorial to a certain extent and once a good population is established they are going to push out the younger animals and these young otters will start establishing populations in different watersheds. It just seems like they are doing this crap to keep themselves in jobs(kind of like the grey wolves) Anyway, I dont think it is a matter of if, but truly when the otters get to that particular watershed area, are they going to kill them? or transplant them, or decide it is not worth it for a little native trout? ag I brought this concern up to him and the entire Gila Trout Reintroduction team early this year, at one of there meetings and if they do reintroduce the Otters it will be in a watershed that doesn't have any of the reintroduced Gila Trout. I think they want to place them somewhere along the San Fran.. and the Gila Trout are located along the forks... They see the issue and they understand there will be heck to pay if they end up feeding Otters with Gila trout... J- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
