Marmot Head Found on Mount Shavano

[12ersRule]

My brother took me to a Hunter's Pot Luck at one of the local churches several years back.

Why on earth would anyone go to church? I respect religion. But church? That seems like a total waste of a great hiking day.

[TonkatsuDave]

I ran in to a couple hikers on the trail a few years ago who told me they just saw a marmot eating a pika that was still alive and screaming. I have no idea if it is true or if they were messing with me. Another time I saw two marmots fighting pretty viciously, no one lost their head but they were more aggressive than I ever would've thought.

The placement of the head on the rock is suspicious though.

[CHWitte]

Why on earth would anyone go to church? I respect religion. But church? That seems like a total waste of a great hiking day.

Is this really necessary on a 14ers.com thread?

[justiner]

I'd rather be in the mountains thinking of God, than in church thinking about the mountains.
– John Muir

[12ersRule]

Why on earth would anyone go to church? I respect religion. But church? That seems like a total waste of a great hiking day.

Is this really necessary on a 14ers.com thread?

About as necessary as a book on surviving the trade routes on some well trodden mountains.

[XPLSV]

My brother took me to a Hunter's Pot Luck at one of the local churches several years back.

Why on earth would anyone go to church? I respect religion. But church? That seems like a total waste of a great hiking day.

I try not to hike on Saturdays or Sundays (church day for me is Sunday). Why would anyone hike on a church day, such as Saturday or Sunday, When Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and even Friday, are available? Way too many heathens crowding up the peaks on weekends!

[XPLSV]

I ran in to a couple hikers on the trail a few years ago who told me they just saw a marmot eating a pika that was still alive and screaming. I have no idea if it is true or if they were messing with me. Another time I saw two marmots fighting pretty viciously, no one lost their head but they were more aggressive than I ever would've thought.

The placement of the head on the rock is suspicious though.

It wasn't on a rock, I rolled it over because I thought it was part of an ear muff or other piece of clothing...

[12ersRule]

My brother took me to a Hunter's Pot Luck at one of the local churches several years back.

Why on earth would anyone go to church? I respect religion. But church? That seems like a total waste of a great hiking day.

I try not to hike on Saturdays or Sundays (church day for me is Sunday). Why would anyone hike on a church day, such as Saturday or Sunday, When Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and even Friday, are available? Way too many heathens crowding up the peaks on weekends!

[Above_Treeline]

I really enjoyed seeing the marmots at altitude. You kind of know you're getting somewhere once you see a marmot, they tend to be high up.

I should have known people would show up and slaughter them. Really kind of sick.

What happened to the buffalo again? Seen many passenger pigeons? But people like to slaughter things.

Used to own a 44 mag, hard to look at that caliber the same after reading about Elmer Keith.

I am a vegetarian. Which is apparently fairly popular amongst extreme athletes. There are 7 billion+ people on the planet, and no population controls. You can't get as much food out of a pound of beef as the 6-7 lbs. of grain it takes to make it. You do the math. We're all going to have to be vegetarians.

Chicken houses, wow, those can't be right, if they really keep the chickens like I've heard.

Wow, I forget how many people function daily without exercising critical thinking.

The buffalo and passenger pigeon are both prime examples of UNREGULATED market hunting. But we don't need to rehash that debate from last year. Don't be so dull.

I wouldn't be so against vegetarians, or vegans, if they didn't all think everybody has to be like them. Guess I'm not a badass extreme athlete like you. Good grief, man.

Regarding functioning without critical thinking, you mean like you're doing now?

Yes, hunting is regulated. It has to be. People managed to wipe out passenger pigeons, which had high numbers. And came close on the bison.

Would people kill all the marmots? Who knows. Not sure why you'd kill any. Go read some Elmer Keith, and ask yourself why wildlife numbers might be so low.

I guess you didn't actually say you weren't one of the ones functioning without critical thinking (like I didn't say I was an extreme athlete) but assuming you think you are good at it, maybe you should actually read my post, before making some of your claims. Other potential options in there, besides being vegetarian.

[Above_Treeline]

It is true, as Above_Treeline wrote, that marmots tend to be high up but they can also be lowland creatures. We have had three marmots in our pastures at 6450 feet this summer. We could not believe it at first but they have been daily visitors since July.

Interesting, 6450 ft. Wondering about altitude. I thought I mostly saw them above 12,000, but I may have seen them lower. I need to look at the photos again

[RBski]

I am a vegetarian. .

You couldn't resist could you?

[LURE]

Regarding functioning without critical thinking, you mean like you're doing now?

Yes, hunting is regulated. It has to be. People managed to wipe out passenger pigeons, which had high numbers. And came close on the bison.

Would people kill all the marmots? Who knows. Not sure why you'd kill any. Go read some Elmer Keith, and ask yourself why wildlife numbers might be so low.

I guess you didn't actually say you weren't one of the ones functioning without critical thinking (like I didn't say I was an extreme athlete) but assuming you think you are good at it, maybe you should actually read my post, before making some of your claims. Other potential options in there, besides being vegetarian.

Lolz, no I read your post. It's still funny, and still lacking critical thinking.

I guess you still don't get that passenger pigeons were wiped out and bison nearly wiped out before hunting was so regulated. There is some interesting nuance to those species that we don't have time to discuss which is indicative of why bison still struggle to gain high numbers, regardless of hunting. Keep in mind that elk, turkey, and deer, among many others were also nearly wiped out during this time, and yet...

Many of these wildlife are enjoying the highest numbers seen in nearly 200 years, thanks to extraordinary conservation efforts spearheaded by *gasp* ruthless, murderous, mindless hunters. Turkey are at an all time high, elk are at an all time high, marmots are so abundant it's annoying, we have an incredible amount of mountain lions in colorado (and increasing annually), dove are everywhere, whitetail deer are practically considered pests there are so many in lot's of states, there are so many bear in Colorado CPW is practically begging people to hunt more of them (and also increasing annually), snow geese are so abundant the federal government has ordered and is still maintaining special and expanded hunting seasons because they're killing themselves and others in overabundance, canada goose are overly abundant too, and holy crap, we've delisted grizzlies in the greater yellowstone ecosytem! Damn, i could go on. Odd that all but one of those animals have hunting seasons every year. Maybe you can help me understand how that could possibly be if we're slaughtering them all every fall and spring.

Man, lots of wildlife are doing fantastic. Unless you can point to me where I missed the headlines that wildlife numbers are largely in peril in the news.

Therein lies your lack in critical thinking.

FYI, Elmer Keith is a badass who invented some cool bullets and hunted with revolvers. Telling me he is a reason we shouldn't hunt marmots makes me laugh, or saying he is why wildlife numbers are apparently so low, which is laughable claim at best, especially considering hunted wildlife are largely doing incredibly great, in some cases too great.

If you just came out and said you disagree with hunting and have a moral objection to it I might respect that. I'd think it's stupid, but it'd be your opinion. The facts are the facts though, and your logic is dancing circles around the crazy train.