Hi COL.,
We have problems with Elk here in Washington State. I'm not sure I agree with this Mayor. What do you guy's think?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...quimelk17.html
Sequim mayor says elk should be killed for food bank
The Associated Press
SEQUIM, Wash. -- Sequim Mayor Walt Schubert says he's taken a few shots from critics since he suggested thinning the local elk herd and giving the meat to food banks.
One elk can supply some 400 pounds of meat, and Schubert suggests hunters could share at least a portion of that with agencies such as the Salvation Army soup kitchen, which feeds about 100 people a day in Port Angeles.
"I'm always intrigued with the different ideas that come from people who're trying to help," Salvation Army Maj. Hal Hads said of Schubert's suggestion.
He has worked for the charity in Montana and Alaska, where hunters donated venison and moose meat, but he says more discussions will need to take place before the Port Angeles soup kitchen would start serving elk meat.
"We're certainly sensitive to the unique situation in Sequim ... I admire the elk. I think they're beautiful," Hads said. "So we don't want to say, 'Yeah, bring that on in."'
The mayor said he is not in favor of exterminating Sequim's iconic herd, but some trimming may be beneficial.
"The elk are a renewable resource," Schubert said. "The herd must be kept to a manageable size. Using the meat for the hungry is no different than hunting them for sport."
The elk hunt on the North Olympic Peninsula ends Feb. 28.