Too much game

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I enjoyed Brett Prettyman's "Conservation a priority for hunters and anglers" (Tribune, Oct. 1). I agree that hunters and anglers are great conservationists. They love the outdoors and want to preserve it.

But we may be keeping big game animals at an unnaturally high stocking rate. A lot of money is made from hunting permits, so land management practices are keyed to increasing big game.

Seeing deer and elk while in our canyons makes us feel connected with nature. But large game are a contributing factor to decreasing aspen forests.

Elk and deer eat young aspen sprouts, and when too many animals are grazing, forests have trouble regenerating. The aspens will grow old and die without leaving a younger stand to replace them.

Heidi Anderson

Logan