Gila Wilderness Feral Cattle Problem

If these cattle are to be killed, why not open a lottery for a feral cattle tag and reward successful hunters with A LOT of grass fed beef for the freezer? If I was local I’d apply for that tag and put together a small team for hauling meat. Shooting them from a helicopter sounds completely obnoxious and a lot like wanton waste. Forgive me as I’m not a local and don’t know the Gila so maybe I’m missing something…

150 cows in such a huge area doesn’t seem like that many. Won’t there be plenty of scavengers of the carcasses? OTOH, yeah, a hunting permit seems like a better use of the meat.

There’s always been a bit of tension in the area, and using a helicopter to cull the invasive species ultimately feeds the coyotes (maybe mountain lions?).  Considering the area, it’s probably the best way to deal with said unbranded cattle.  Re when I visited Catalina Island (offshore from Los Angeles), the forest or park service did the same for feral hogs

Years of drought have put the kebosh on a lot of southwest cattle ranching, plus a lot of the kids don’t want any part of it preferring city jobs.  It’s basically 130 years of ranching history down the drain, and emotions could be a little high.  Ted Turner does own a ranch nearby trying to reestablish the North American buffalo (bison), so maybe others should switch to those eventual cheeseburgers?

Naturally outsiders are to blame including backpackers and any hunters, which would have to go through the state actually.  Heck, backpackers were blamed for Lake Powell’s initial dip 20 years ago.  Back to Southern NM and far west TX, there’s actual rustlers who’ll take cattle across to Mexico so it’s best to avoid a gun fight and go full Apocalypse Now air assault on the rogue heifers (referencing the 1979 movie for you youngsters).

Bonus points if the Forest Service helicopters play Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries.

This has made national news in the US …

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/19/us/new-mexico-feral-cattle-shooting-trnd/index.html

.. so they will “dispatch” as many cattle by helicopter as possible, then use a variety of means for the rest.

From the article:

The difficult terrain of the forest as well as the “wild, uncooperative nature of the animals” makes capturing the cattle alive challenging and dangerous for both the animals and humans involved, according to the memo.

According to the service, the problem posed by the untamed cattle is twofold. First, the cattle are aggressive towards humans. In the memo, the service said hikers in the Gila Wilderness have been charged by feral bulls.

Second, the herbivores’ intensive grazing habits have damaged the environment and harmed native species’ natural habitats, according to the memo. The cattle’s trampling and eroding stream banks have also damaged the water quality.