To the Editor:

I had the unfortunate pleasure of reading an article today in Blue Mountain Eagle about the elk issues in Grant County. I am absolutely aghast that these ranchers have the audacity to put this issue in front of the county and the ODFW with a straight face.

How about these ranchers take their cattle off our public lands and stop over grazing the national forest and the BLM lands that supports these herds of elk and deer. Then maybe the elk and deer wont have to leave the public land to find feed. These grazing allotments are an absolute tragedy the way the cattle destroy riparian areas and the summer and wintering range. There is no doubt why they leave the public lands. By the time the cattle get done grazing the public land whats left is not enough to support the wildlife. Influx of archery hunters?

Why have they become the issue all of a sudden? It sounds like a hidden agenda from some of the area ranchers and now they want more tags and have these tags go beyond the fence lines too wouldnt that just compound the problem? Hmmm I have been and am currently both an archery and rifle hunter a horse, cattle and landowner. I can see both sides of the fence quite clearly, and I dont like what I see one bit. I hope the county and the ODFW have the common sense to look past this nonsense.