Understanding game management

I stopped by the Palmer Fish and Game office earlier this past week to chat with a biologist about a possible specialty course. The biologist wasn’t in, so I visited with a couple of other employees. We talked about moose management issues, among other things.

During the discussion, one person commented about how Fish and Game is being vilified in the press around the world since the announcement that the National Park Service was backing off their anti-state game management position on NPS-managed federal lands in Alaska.

If you remember, during the Obama administration, the NPS changed how wildlife was to be managed in their federally controlled parks and preserves. In essence, the NPS refused to recognize the state’s authority as the primary managing agency for wildlife within Alaska’s boundaries, including on federal lands.

This right to be the primary wildlife manager on all lands within the state’s boundaries is recognized in several major pieces of federal legislative, starting with the statehood agreement when Alaska entered the Union as the 49th state in 1959. The Obama administration chose to ignore those laws in supporting the NPS takeover of wildlife management on their federal lands.

The Trump administration opted to reverse the Obama directives and recognize Alaska’s right as a state to manage its wildlife on all lands within its boundaries. I applaud that action by the Trump administration.

What’s all this got to do with ADF&G’s vilification in the press?

The NPS took over management control because they didn’t agree with some of the state’s predator control programs and some subsistence activities the department allowed some Alaska natives to follow. Articles have appeared indicating, among other things, that killing bear cubs and wolf pups in their dens has a regular season and is widely practiced in Alaska.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

Many people don’t understand that, once man starts to interfere and manage prey populations in an ecosystem, eventually the predator populations will need to be managed as well. Usually, any active predator management activities are short-lived and, if done correctly, result in healthier and more numerous populations of both predators and prey. The theory of population dynamics applies to all species but is poorly understood by the vast majority of people.

In most people’s minds, the good of the individual is paramount. They don’t understand that the goal of wildlife management is the good of the population. Sometimes, the individual needs to be sacrificed for the good of the population. That can be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s reality. And just for the record ADF&G has very strict controls on their predator management activities and things are closely monitored for the duration of the particular predator control program.

On a different note, the Mt. McKinley Mountain Men muzzleloading club held their annual Memorial Day rendezvous on a farm out on Pt. MacKenzie over the holiday weekend. This event amounts to a living history demonstration including period clothing, cooking and living accommodations, and social events similar to what was actually practiced by folks 150 years ago.

I only attended for a day and didn’t get involved in any of the shooting or other events. I went for the comradery of visiting with the guys and ladies and enjoying the ambiance a primitive camp setting has. I also enjoyed the evening meal of tacos and sat in on the council fire to end the day’s activities.

To be completely honest, though, I did have an ulterior motive for going. One of the guys had been asking me about an old-style rifle scope I had and was looking to sell. He was interested in the scope and wanted to look at it if possible. He had a shoulder stock for a Colt percussion revolver that I was interested in. I had been looking on various websites and online auction sites for two years trying to find one available for sale.

We spent an hour or so on the tailgate of my truck just off the rendezvous grounds examining the scopes (I had two: one a four-power and the second a six-power) and I was looking to see that the shoulder stock would fit my replica revolver. Everything looked good!

Since this guy is a good friend, I was going to make him a deal. I expected to be trading the scope plus some “boot” to get the stock. He was interested in both scopes and proposed an even swap. He was happy, and I was thrilled!