Back around 1973, an old ecoreak called Wild Horse Annie got a jillion hysterical kids and bunnyhuggers to get the Congress to ram through the Wild Horsre and Burro act, giving them federal protection.
Since then, these NON-NATIVE broken down useless horses have been under federal control. I used to have a neat hidey hole where deer were plentiful until a hear of those damn nags moved in.
My hunting partner and I had scouted the area about two weeks before the season and there were lots of deer and deer sign. We wee there before sunrise on opening day and not a der in sight. We did not see a one, but we saw a damn big herd of mustangs. The horse literally fouled the water hole with urine and their droppings and no self respecting deer would want to have anything to do with trying to drink that mess.
We were sorely tempted to shoot every damn one of those nags and Wild Horse Annie as well. Our huntng group cheer the day we heard she'd gone to her horse pasture in the sky.
Those horses and wild burros are not native animal to North America. They were brought here by the Spanish explorers and when they left, they turned the horses loose to fend for themselves. Same deal with the burros, abandoned by prospecters who went bust trying to find gold. At one tome prior to 1973, government hunters were paid to shoot them to keep them in check. Both the horses and burros have done extensive ecological damage out here in the west and frankly. IMHO,they should be shot off.
When I lived in Nevada, there was a water hole where I used to call in coyotes for their hides. One day, a mustang showed up that was definitely badly hurt, probably hit by a car as it looked like a broken shoulder. I lived in a small touwn where everybody knew everybody so I got hold of the local BLM agent and told him about the horse. We went out and although this animal was in serious pain, neither of us could shoot it due to federal law.
One day, when I went to try for a few yotes, trhe hose was there, dead. Looks like the coyotes took it down during the night.
It didn't take them all that long to clean up what was left.
The government needs money. Shoot the horses and sell the meat to the French. They love horse meat. The hides make good leather.
Wee
ll, we keep putting those jackasses in office so we're getting exactly what we deserve.
Paul B.