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Wyoming legislators and wildlife managers convened at the University of Wyoming Tuesday to discuss ways to manage the overpopulated elk herds found in certain parts of the state. A potential solution proposed by one legislator would be to issue \u201call-you-can-kill\u201d elk permits for ranchers, according to Cowboy State Daily<\/a>. The proposal elicited backlash from some hunters, many of whom hunt public land and have long criticized the state\u2019s handling of private-land elk management.<\/p>\n Rep. Bill Allemand (R-Midwest) floated the idea during the meeting, which brought together members of the Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee. Allemand, who represents District 58, said these unlimited take permits would help alleviate the burden that overabundant elk herds are having on ranchers\u2014particularly those in the southeast corner of the state.<\/p>\n Under Allemand\u2019s proposal, these permits would cost $20 apiece. A landowner could then use that permit to kill as many elk as they\u2019d like, or they could hand the permit off to someone else. The permits would be valid from Aug. 1 until April 1 of the following year.<\/p>\n \u201cThis our last chance to help these people in these areas,\u201d Alemand said during the meeting, according to CSD. \u201cThey haven\u2019t been helped in 30 years.\u201d<\/p>\n At this point, however, Allemand\u2019s proposal is just that. The legislator from Natrona County tried introducing the permit program as an amendment to another bill being considered by the committee, and then as a stand-alone bill. Both attempts failed. <\/p>\n Wyoming\u2019s overabundance of elk on private land<\/a> has long been a topic of discussion among wildlife managers. It\u2019s a real problem in Albany and Laramie Counties, where thousands of elk migrate onto ranches to graze during the fall and winter. These large herds compete with cattle for grass and hay, which leads ranchers to seek reimbursement from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. In some years, individual landowners have received more than $70,000 from the agency to cover costs and replace lost revenue, WyoFile reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Allemand\u2019s proposal would certainly help tamp down on elk numbers. It\u2019s also been criticized by many hunters in the state. They say it would give preferential treatment to landowners\u2014some of whom have helped create the very problem this proposal claims it would solve. These hunters point out that there are plenty of people who would love the opportunity to hunt elk on private land, but that many landowners have chosen instead to charge exorbitant trespass fees or work exclusively with outfitters.<\/p>\n \u201cHunter Management Areas, Landowner Assistance Programs, Walk-In Areas, social media, word of mouth,\u201d one user wrote in a HuntTalk forum<\/a>. \u201cThere are plenty of hunters willing to help kill these elk, but if landowners don\u2019t want to participate \u2026 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s right to give them preferential treatment and come up with an entire special program for them.\u201d<\/p>\n