Local farmers say elk running amok on their property
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NEAR ACME, Wash. -- Farmers and ranchers in Skagit and Whatcom counties are fed up with elk ruining their crops and property, and now they're asking the state to do something about it.
Tree farmer Gary Bellows said the elk have have ruined hundreds of his pine and cedar trees.
"The elk are rubbing on these with their horns," he said. "You can see this one's been killed."
Bellows said it takes a full decade to re-grow the trees, and the damage is costing him money.
"This 70-acres right in here is probably worth a million dollars at harvest," he said.
His neighbor, Larry Jensen, believes elk droppings are contaminating his potato crop. Another neighbor, Jeff Rainey, said the elk are damaging his fence line.
"Whenever we put our cattle back in here we have to go back and rebuild the fences," Rainey said.
He said his dairy cows are also being forced to compete with elk for grass. He and dozens of other farmers in the area are banding together to force the state Fish and Wildlife Department to do something about the animals.
Right now, the elk population in the area is nearly 1,000, but the state wants to double that number to 1,950 to help preserve the native animal in its natural habitat.
While they want to increase the number of elk, state officials say they will also work to manage the herds to minimize damages to private property.
The farmers say the state isn't doing anything to help, and they want money to put in fences that will keep the elk out.
Tree farmer Gary Bellows said the elk have have ruined hundreds of his pine and cedar trees.
"The elk are rubbing on these with their horns," he said. "You can see this one's been killed."
Bellows said it takes a full decade to re-grow the trees, and the damage is costing him money.
"This 70-acres right in here is probably worth a million dollars at harvest," he said.
His neighbor, Larry Jensen, believes elk droppings are contaminating his potato crop. Another neighbor, Jeff Rainey, said the elk are damaging his fence line.
"Whenever we put our cattle back in here we have to go back and rebuild the fences," Rainey said.
He said his dairy cows are also being forced to compete with elk for grass. He and dozens of other farmers in the area are banding together to force the state Fish and Wildlife Department to do something about the animals.
Right now, the elk population in the area is nearly 1,000, but the state wants to double that number to 1,950 to help preserve the native animal in its natural habitat.
While they want to increase the number of elk, state officials say they will also work to manage the herds to minimize damages to private property.
The farmers say the state isn't doing anything to help, and they want money to put in fences that will keep the elk out.
Huh. I heard some local elk say that farmers are running amok on their land.
Not much sympathy here. First they don't want wolves, now they are upset about the elk. You can't have it both ways people. I bet a lot of these farms either back up to public land OR all of the original feeding/foraging areas have been taken over and fenced. If they are a problem for traffic then maybe people should slow down in that area. I bet if we wanted to spend money to build an overpass for the road you wouldn't want to pay for that, either.
Instead of working against nature I suggest you learn to work with it. You'll be much more successful!
@Daria W
"That the area we're talking has been farm land for the last 100 yrs. and is zoned agriculture, not rural resource or rural reserve. "
Did the elk sign a treaty ceding their lands? Were they notified of the hearings when their land was rezoned? Where are the property rights fanatics when they're needed?
And let's get rid of the birds, because my car's covered in their droppngs. I also want the government to cover the cost of washing my car. Idiots!
Sorry but the elk where here first before your stupid farm... maybe they should make better fences and utilize other means to scare these elk away! Elk droppings being bad for crops... that is fertilizer isn't it?
I bet most of these ranchers and farmers are Republican voters, and here they want the feds to come in and fix their problems with our money. Lovely.Â
The whining farmers wanted the wolves killed (and many have been) so now that the wolves are gone, their food source is alive and well. You want them out? Bring back the wolf and get yourself guard dogs for your livestock. Â
@Northend A lof of this is caused by a dept of Wildlife that just does not understand wildlife. Every form of life has a natural predator and if that predator is removed then they upset the balance. We need coyote, wolves, eagles, crows and other species to keep the balance in order.
@Blindman @Northend Yes. Sadly many people just don't get this. They must not have learned what an ecosystem is.Â
Maybe I'm just an opportunist, but I would take advantage of this situation and open up a trophy/hunting ranch... But that's just me. And this is what happens when you get rid of their natural predator. I say deal with it, you asked for it. You get what you pay for.
Elk are smart, few fireworks and they will be gone.
You want them out, you pay for the fences not the tax payer.
Not up to the government to do anything about it other than to allow a little more hunting in the area if its public land. Just need to build better fences and have a couple of dogs to keep the fenced area clear of elk. A lot of areas have this problem during this time of years, Sequim is another one. Much ado about nothing.
My dad was the dairy farmer interviewed in this article... I don't think he is wanting the government to build fences for him.. but I do know we would like to have better herd management by way of more hunting permits and a longer hunting season... also for the state to stop relocating them here... the herd was 30-50 from 1978 till about 10 years ago when the state started their relocation program... now the herd in the valley is near 200 and they are talking about relocating more... We didn't move into an area with a large elk herd in 1978... the state has moved the elk into our area!! And you can go to jail for just shooting an elk without a permit even if it is defending your property ... that would be STUPID!!   I am so glad you all are such experts!! You can bet these farmers are doing everything in their power to keep them out... just within the law!!
@smith8799Â By the way, I know a slew of photographers who'd love to access the farm to take photographs. Â We could arrange to run madly towards the elk after all the photos were taken to try and scare them off. Â ;)
@smith8799 "The farmers say the state isn't doing anything to help, and they want money to put in fences that will keep the elk out." - from the news article above.  Did Luke Duecy misrepresent what your father is requesting?
@smith8799Â What about this? Â http://www.suttonag.com/ZonGun.html Â
I had some friends that used one and they are LOUD. Â Seem's to me theirs was on a timer as well. Â They used it to keep the starlings from eating their corn and it worked great.
I live in NE Washington, Â the state will issue permit's to shoot the turkey's when their numbers are to high. Â You have to leave them where they are though after you kill them. Â They can't be harvested. Â The damage they do to our alfalfa is sometimes amazing. Â
@smith8799how many farm dogs do you guys have to guard your livestock?  http://www.hobbyfarms.com/farm-breeds/farm-pets_farm-dogs_all_landing.aspx
Also I have to note, Elk run in circuits. They have a track they roam, so they likely won't be in the area forever. They move on eventually.Â
Note: If you're going to be a farmer or live in the sticks, be prepared to problem solve on your own, AS IT SHOULD BE. If you think it's someone else's job to fix YOUR problems, perhaps you should sell and move back to the city where you belong.Â
Instead of whining, I'd be filling my freezer
@Randall Flagg No kidding. Elk is TASTY.
Boo hoo hoo, the farmers in eastern Washington have had this problem for years with elk and deer and nothing has ever been done. Get yourself a dog that will give chase and some fireworks like we have to do. After being chased by a dog and fireworks shot at them they stay away for a few day then you have to repeat all over again with all the cost being on you, the farmer. Until the state starts doing something about it in eastern Washington then it will be your turn to have it fix for you!
Didn't farmers use to use dogs to keep watch over their cattle and property.  Get a dog train it to run them off and make them feel unwelcome.  If you see them get an air soft gun or bean bag round put one in their butt every once in awhile they will get the hint to move on after a few encounters.
@APenny4MyThoughtsthe dogs don't need to be trained they are natural guardians of livestock. http://www.hobbyfarms.com/farm-breeds/farm-pets_farm-dogs_all_landing.aspx
@Northend @APenny4MyThoughts  Dogs probably wouldn't have to be trained to chase the elk, but they do have to be trained to guard livestock.  Just like any other dog it's part training and part genetics.  The training is pretty simple, don't chase or hurt this animal (chickens, cows, etc),  go ahead and chase that animal.  And like other breeds, some are better at it than others.Â
@APenny4MyThoughts They don't respond to either of those types of shots but the dog works good for a few days then you have to repeat. It is what we use along with fireworks. The game department told us to use M-80s but those are hard to get your hands on.
What a bunch of cry babies. My fence in my back yard needs replaced so I should ask the government to replace it for me. Why do they think the government needs to solve THEIR problems? Put up electric fences or a lot of barbed wire. I just don't think that we should have to pay for their problem.
@Thepriest Barbed wire won't work because the elk have such thick fur they just push it over if it's too tall to jump. I'm not sure how well electric fences would work because of their thick hair. It would probably have to be about 6' high or more. One type of fencing that might work is electrobraid at 1000 pound strength per strand with copper wire woven in it. Works great for our horses. Once elk establish a migration pattern it's really difficult to get them to change it. We have a herd that ranges from 15 to 50 that come through our neighborhood fairly regularly. We keep hoping one of the antlers will come off on our property. We don't hunt them, just enjoy watching them move about.Â
we live near Mt Rainier, and have Elk passing through constantly. we actually have an Elk migration easement on our property.
I built all the fences lower than 4 ft, and they just jump over with little effort. I watched over 25 Elk pass through my property this week. I am a hunter, but love to watch them the rest of the year. My horses are not too sure about them.
waah there are wolves near my farm, kill them. waah coyotes scared my dog, kill them. waaaaah elk are on my property, kill them.
I thought farmers were tough and self sufficient?
when you are close to nature, nature is close to you. duh. its even more egregious when these heavily subsidized farmers complain when they are using public lands to graze their cattle. (yes, I know this article isn't about cattle, but similar whining)
Build a wood post fence, and the elk knocks it down, solution? They rebuild a wood post fence. So now the farmers want the government to build a fence for them. Thus the farmers want taxpayers to build the fences for the 'private' owners. Irrespective of how the elk originated, when you put something up out in and/or near the out-lands, wildlife should be expected to encroach on what used to be open lands for food and water. Solution might be that since government is managing these herds, then maybe a 50/50 deal to build a stronger non-wood post fence. I thought that most of these rugged individualist folks believed that government doesn't belong in their lives that they can solve their own problems.
@WSims007 We (who live out here) generally don't want the government involved in our lives, but when that government is involved by telling us that we can't thin the elk herd (hunt), then what are we to do? Our local herd - the Hobart herd - is only about 20 elk right now, but they can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.
@Silvia @WSims007 Â
Why not skim back to the past and see how the early settlers resolved their own issues on how to keep wildlife out of their fields? They built their own fences, and if found weak, rebuilt them stronger. They did it themselves and didn't ask anyone else to pay for it. I's your field, your herd/crop, build your own fence.
@Silvia @WSims007 the govt said it was ok to shoot the wolves. This is the result.Â
I kin fix dat !
I'm not even going to suggest one way or another what to do with the elk. However as someone who grew up on a farm, Its hard to believe how helpless folks have become.  In my day, the very idea of asking someone in GOVERNMENT to solve all your gardening problems was mostly unheard of, especially for pest control? That was always the job of the farmer. HELLO? Makes me shudder to think what they teach these days in the 4-H club.
@snow surfer That's one of the problems. Nobody knows what they teach in 4-H. Little to no funding and zero interest by people staring at their "devices". Society has no idea where we came from. Sad.
Elk jerky is pretty good! Â I'm sure a couple hundred pounds of jerky will keep them from coming back for a bit.
Looks like dinner (legal or not) and I am sure the farmers didn't see a thing.
@Just a dude that's called poaching.  you a poacher?
@tufa23Â @Just a dude I plead the 5th, I just take care of trespassers....
@tufa23 @Just a dude  Poacher.....problem solver......whatever.
You bought land in the foot hills of the Cascade Mountains and NOW you are surprised to find Wildlife in your neighborhood? Why would the State help you build a fence, when in the article it says you have to rebuild your fences frequently as well. Â I've got Groundhog problems, maybe the State should help me with my Groundhogs, since they are a nuance as well. Â
@Matt CovingtonWhere do you live? According to the Smithsonian web site http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=146 groundhogs aka woodchucks don't live in Washington state. There are ground squirrels mostly in Eastern Washington, and lots of moles (three species) in Western Washington some of which make mounds that rival Mt. Rainier.
@Matt Covington These are people who have owned the land for generations,. There has always been an elk herd in Skagit for years, but the state has made it harder and harder to hunt, and they have spent $$ to increase the #'s of this herd. They also want to DOUBLE it once again !  Now the elk are eating crops meant for market and eating grass meant fot diary and beef cattle.
Nobody is surprised about wildlife in area, but it is upsetting when "wild" elk eat and destroy your property.
I have the perfect solution; extend elk hunting season by a few extra months during the year. Problem solved.
This sounds like a ripe opening for someone creative who is currently unemployed. Â There are so many options to solve this without involving the government AND without killing the elk. Â
Since you are inevitably going to ask, let's start with just some ballpark ideas to get some solutions going.Â
1. Dogs. Â Does anyone have any experience to know what species of dogs might be of size enough to scare the elk off, but also not continue to follow them into oblivion?Â
2. Motion triggered sprinklers.  Yes, they do exist and yes they do work as a deterrent  Supersize them enough until effective to deter elk.  One ponders the oh-so-many ideas motion-trigger-devices have on private property.Â
3. Â Fireworks. Â Gunshots. Â Rap Music. Â Â Need any further explanation?Â
Enter your own ideas below:Â
@Vertically Inclinedguard dogs http://www.hobbyfarms.com/farm-breeds/farm-pets_farm-dogs_all_landing.aspx
@Vertically Inclined   Would have to be a big dog and probably more than one.  I watched an elk cow teach my border collie that elk were not something she should chase.   :-)
@Vertically Inclined Yup, hunting the animals is great, but I agree, there's got to be a self done solution that does not kill them. I like Norma's solution, M80's and dogs. Species of dog? Well, I imagine anything that can bark or yap. Little yappers are pretty aggressive due to little man syndrome, perhaps that would do it. Let them go chase the elk off. But any dog, really I would think.Â
Pitbulls, if treated with love and appropriate discipline are wonderful, loyal, loving dogs and were used in the old days for cattle. We've got one and she loves chasing deer off our property in Chelan. She'll even get sneaky and wait for them to walk by before she jumps up, tail wagging, to bark joyfully while running along side of them. The problem is her stopping at the property line LOL. She wants to chase them to the next county!
@PhunkyMunky @Vertically Inclined pitties are not a farm breed. :)
@Vertically Inclined "Fireworks. Gunshots. Rap Music". That works in your ghetto but not in the country.
@Klondiko @Vertically Inclined Gunshots won't scare off wild animals?  Â
@Vertically Inclined Dogs and M-80's work best. That is what we use in our orchard in Eastern Washington. They will stay out of the orchard for a few days then we repeat again for a few nights. We have done this for most of the winter. We always call 911 first in case someone calls in on us so they know we are out there. One night my husband forgot to call in and sure enough two state patrol cars were waiting for him as he pulled out of the orchard.
@Norma J Todd @Vertically Inclined The police actually showed up at the sound of fireworks?  - Coming from the general Seattle area, I'm impressed!Â
Good post, one with more first hand experience than most here. Â
@Vertically Inclined I'd put money on Akita's being down for tangling with an elk.
@Vertically Inclined yeah its called let hunters hunt them and they will move on.
@Exiled_Patriot @Vertically Inclined When in season, I'm with yah.  Nothing like hunting from your porch.   Nonetheless, that's not the only solution.Â