Shooting club is allowed to shoot at pelicans, which eat everything…

At a coveted private lake west of Laramie, Wyoming, pelicans were eating so many trout that they were ruining the fishing industry, so members of the club that owns the lake resorted to using shotguns to scare away and, in some cases, kill the giant birds.

Before other frustrated anglers from Wyoming get the idea of ​​shooting pelicans: Don’t do it. They are federally protected and cannot be harassed or killed without special permission.

The pelicans are to blame

Trout fishing at 9-Mile Lake west of Laramie, which is reserved exclusively for the Alco Rod and Gun Club, enjoys an excellent reputation.

The club has invested heavily in the quantity of its trophy fish, so when the quality of the fishing started to decline, it was a real cause for concern, club president Mark Rozman told Cowboy State Daily.

“In recent years, fishing has declined and many members have complained,” he said.

It was initially unclear why fishing had slowed down. But then Rozman read a study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Idaho that found a direct link between the number of pelicans and the number of fish.

There were plenty of pelicans at 9-Mile and the adjacent lake, which is owned by the club. Hundreds, to be exact.

And since each bird was capable of devouring at least one or two large trout a day, it became clear why the fishing had not been so great.

Stubborn birds

Rozman turned to the USFWS and the Albany County Predator Damage Control Agency for help, but proving that the club was suffering from pelican predation would be difficult.

“We have tons of pelicans, and they eat all our fish,” he said. “A rancher sees a carcass when a predator attacks his cattle, and a farmer can show disturbed fields. When the pelicans eat our fish, they only leave pelican droppings behind, so it’s harder to prove the loss.”

A county predator damage officer agreed to come by and let Rozman show him around.

After some searching, they found a flock of pelicans, about 250 of them, resting on one of the lakes.

“He fires a couple of shots in the air with a 12-gauge shotgun, and we’re maybe 20 yards away. And a couple of them woke up, but they just went back to sleep or threw up their lunch or whatever,” Rozman said. “They didn’t let it bother them.”

The agent, who has the authority to kill pelicans if necessary, shot some of the birds.

“Eventually, the whole flock rises into the sky. They fly about 450 to 550 meters to the other side of the lake and land again,” Rozman said.

“He said, ‘These birds are really stubborn.’ And I said, ‘This place is like a big Happy Meal for them. That’s why they’re here,'” Rozman said.

They drive away

With the assistance of the county’s Predator Management Board, the fishing and hunting club was able to obtain some federal permits that allow Rozeman and other members to patrol the lakes with shotguns.

They prefer to scare the pelicans away by shooting around them, not trying to hit the birds. But they do occasionally shoot to kill.

He declined to reveal the exact number of pelicans the club is allowed to kill, only that it is “less than 100.”

When they recover carcasses, it is obvious that the pelicans have fed well.

“When we tried to take some of them, they spat out trout that were 40 to 45 centimeters long,” he said.

The thought of shooting pelicans may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Rozman said it is not an indiscriminate killing spree and they will not fire shots that they are not confident will certainly kill quickly and humanely.

“If we use this permit carelessly or foolishly, it will be revoked,” he said.

“We do predator control and some people get upset. But when they realize we’re doing it for the fish, they understand,” Rozman added.

A party in Fontenelle?

Given the impact the pelicans had on 9-Mile Lake, Rozman wondered what impact they would have on other fishing grounds in Wyoming.

He has frequently hunted in the La Barge area and noticed that pelicans gather at the nearby Fontenelle Reservoir.

Mike Schmid, a La Barge local and avid angler, told the Cowboy State Daily that he has seen a lot of pelicans in Fontenelle and hopes they don’t eat too many fish.

They like to eat all kinds of creatures, Schmid said.

“I know that pelicans feed primarily on fish, but like the great blue heron, they also eat crayfish, small reptiles and even rodents and baby birds,” he said.

“I have seen the pelicans on Fontenelle flying along the cliffs waiting for the young cliff swallows to tumble out of their nest. I have never seen one eat one of them,” he added.

Pelicans apparently have a preference for Fontenelle, which is worrying, Schmid said.

“Here on Fontenelle we have a growing population of them and I expect they are eating quite a few of our fish. They seem to like the edges so I hope a lot of those fish are carp,” he said.

Schmid said he had not seen any nesting pelicans in the Fontenelle area and was therefore surprised by the apparent increase in numbers.

Rozman said that from what he has read about pelicans, they only nest on islands. They also travel long distances as the seasons change, so they may nest elsewhere.

He added that the 9-Mile fishery appears to be recovering, and while he would like to see significantly fewer pelicans there, he doesn’t want them all to disappear.

“They are fascinating birds,” he said. “Our goal is not to eradicate them. We just want to control their numbers.”

Mark Heinz can be reached at [email protected].