Grand Canyon NP Bison cull impact on fall kaibab hunts?

[KHunter]

What do y'all think the impact of the 12 hunter (plus team of helpers) cull inside the GCNP will be on Kaibab cow bison hunters for the Oct 8-21 and Oct 29 through Dec 31 seasons? Cull is Sept 20-Oct 29

As a rookie bison hunter who just drew one of those two fall tags I could see potential positive and negatives. 

Imagine 400 bison streaming into the forest and camping out to avoid the inside park hunters, LOL. Gotta dream.

 

KHunter

[bigorange]

They run back into the park with hunting pressure…maybe the opposite will be true. Keep dreaming and it might work and good luck!

[KHunter]

Ended up being the Oct 8-21 cow bison hunt I drew. I should see first hand if there is any discernable impact on the kaibab bison hunt from the cull since that is smack in middle of the cull period.  Guessing not a lot of impact since it is actually just a dozen or so bison to be culled a couple per week.

[Azdiy]

Dates for the cull hunts are as follows: Sept. 20-24

Sept.27- Oct. 1

Oct.18- 22

Oct.25- 29

 

[coueswt]

Has the Grand Canyon Park Buffalo hunt happen yet?  Haven’t seen any pictures or heard anything about the hunt yet?

 

kHunter? How was your hunt??

[Flatlander]

Last I heard 2/9 shooters had killed bison. And when I was in the park last weekend and this summer the bison were not in the places we usually see them. I think the PS has their hands full.

[CatfishKev]

4 hours ago, Flatlander said:

Last I heard 2/9 shooters had killed bison. And when I was in the park last weekend and this summer the bison were not in the places we usually see them. I think the PS has their hands full.

So did they get smart real fast and skidaddle away from the meadow just inside the boundary?

[bigorange]

37 minutes ago, CatfishKev said:

So did they get smart real fast and skidaddle away from the meadow just inside the boundary?

If it’s the same meadow I’m thinking I saw just one there the weekend after the first cull week. 

[Flatlander]

I don’t imagine it took long for them to wise up and get out of the candy cane as it is called.

[CatfishKev]

On 10/31/2021 at 8:36 PM, Flatlander said:

I don’t imagine it took long for them to wise up and get out of the candy cane as it is called.

Anymore news?

Was there protesters up there at all?

[idgaf]

15 minutes ago, CatfishKev said:

Anymore news?

Was there protesters up there at all?

I talked to khunter through his hunt.  A couple of bulls opening morning and a herd of cows before light as he walking into his stand on the last day.   The two snow storms changed patterns of the bison

[Flatlander]

6 hours ago, CatfishKev said:

Anymore news?

Was there protesters up there at all?

I haven’t heard anymore. I didn’t see any protesters (or bison) when I drove through two weeks ago.

[CatfishKev]

Saw on my news feed 4 animals were killed total

 

[KHunter]

Just a quick update. Hunted the entire 2 week season I posted about above  Oct 8-21 except opening day. Tried sitting in a blind by water and salt, and simply still hunting. Pulled out all the stops in terms of effort to no avail...

Saw a group of bulls right on the boundary one day.  Of the 10 hunters a guy I was hunting with one day and he and I were also the ONLY ones to even see a cow and we were the only ones who reported seeing a bull.  Was in contact with 9 of 10 hunters througout 5e hunt. Problem was the herd of cows/calves we saw was 200 darn yrds from a blind we sat and it was too dark too see and we were walking to the truck and walked up with 20 yrds of them before they bolted from a water puddle (and gave me a mini heart attack as I did not know they were there) in a 2-track they were drinking from instead of at our waterhole we sat for the entire day. ouch.

Got about as skunked as you could get. Only 3 of 10 hunters were still hunting on the last couple days. Seven gave up or just did not have to time. With no animal sightings the motivations for same waned pretty quick. 

Final score: 10 cow hunters and zero kills and zero shots. And almost zero sightings. A review of a bunch of game cams from a bunch of waterholes yielded exactly one year old bull.

Why was it to terrible lat August? We had two snows, including the 2nd day of season. Seems that moisture kept them from leaving the park for the most part.   Walked miles in the snow and bp ever cut racks aside from the cow/calf group we walked up on. 

I can still hear that stampede for “miles” through the timber. LOL, no actually not even funny after almost a year.

Tough hunt! Bad luck for sure for all 10 hunters but will apply again.  Did not this year cuz i drew TWO moose tags and a great NM Antelope to sty busy with. All archery hunts.

[CatfishKev]

Has anyone heard if they are gonna keep doing the cull? I have not heard anything..