Yes QuietHunter, you are correct, it is your opinion. And I would have to agree with a lot of what you have stated. I guess I remember reading about when horses use to be free roaming in this country also. It is sad to say that animals have to be desroyed to learn if they carry the infection or not. I have some friends that raise buffalo, and these animals will never exist in places they once roamed, if it were not for ranches that raise them. Who knows if the small numbers that do exist in the wild is enough of a gene pool to carry them over for generations? I do not agree with hunting inside an inclosure, I feel this is wrong also. And to mention-"There are many opportunities in Colorado..." well, just to mention one side of the coin, I can't even afford the plane ticket to fly to Colorado, let alone the out of state license fee, a place to stay, ect. ect.. I was told just a short time ago while doing some volunteer work for the National Forest in this surrounding area by a member that is on the game commission for this state that hunters are extremely narrow minded. They will not group together with each other, for example rifle hunters with bow hunters. I personnaly do not like ATV's, for example. They come in and ruin a good hunt after several miles of hiking in. But I do understand that one day I may not be able to go in as far as I do now. And I do consider them a poor mans horse. Another would be that fact that this state would like to raise the lower license fee for elderly people, I disagree with this because they live on a set income. They won't be getting a raise next year when license fee's go up. This just gives us another way of seeing things. I have been to Denver. And I will say this, It is the fastest 'spreading out' city that I have ever been too. Houses as far as the eye can see. Yes, you can see the mountains, but you can also see houses climbing up half-way. I messed up and passed through there during rush hour, hope to never do that again! QH- I do not mean this to come across as a personal attack. I would just hope that the future beyound our great grandchildren's live's could be glimpsed. I am now seeing a boom in the population in this area. There are great area's where I use to hunt, that are now covered with houses. How much farther are you having to travel to get to hunting spots? Seeing a few more houses out there? If not, then consider yourself lucky. The one thing to be sure of, its going to get a lot worse before it gets better. I see CWD getting a lot worse all over. I just wish there were some easy answers, or at least to stop it where it stands so as to prevent the spread. If destroying the elk in existing ranches is part of the answer, then I say yes, it should be done for the good of the rest of the animals. But, again, is there anything that Minnasota or Nebraska is trying that is actually working? Don't know here, littletoes.