Wolf Wars Appear Eminent
by Tom Remington, Black Bear Blog, March 25, 2009 [here]
Selected excerpts:
Speaking of gray wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming only, it now appears that wolf wars may be on the horizon. Sportsmen, ranchers, individuals, legislators and other rational thinking people are coming to the end of their ropes on this wolf issue. One item may have temporarily stemmed the tide — Obama’s announcement to proceed with removing federal protection of the wolf. How long will this put off the inevitable?
This means very little to most in the Northern Rockies who have been lied to in the past, promises made and promises reneged on. And now in some areas, sportsmen sit helplessly by as years of money and effort are being flushed down the drain as an unmanaged and out of control wolf pack destroys deer and elk herds.
Momentum seemed to be building for some. Montana Shooting Sports Association had proposed SB 183, the Montana Wolf Recovery Act, in hopes of forcing the federal government to get out of the state and pay for the damages it has created through wolf reintroduction and protection. Yesterday, that bill failed on second reading in the Montana Senate.
Idaho is planning a similar bill and with the failure of the Montana bill, we now have to wonder how this will affect Idaho’s chances. Some believe that what killed the Montana bill was the announcement of the Obama administration to go ahead with wolf delisting, a move I believe was completely political in order to accomplish just what is now happening — avoid legislative embarrassment by the many states, something this administration seems prone to.
There are still those who, regardless of how many times they’ve been lied to, kicked in the shins, spit on, stolen from and taken advantage of, still believe this time will be different. I doubt that it will and have little reason to think otherwise. …
In my email box yesterday I received a notice [as did I] that is being spread around about garnering support to fight against those wanting to continue wolf protection at the cost of a decimation of other game species.
The Wolf Wars Begin In Wyoming!
The sportsmen of Wyoming and the Wyoming Outfitters & Guides Association need help from the shooting and hunting industry.
The lack of wolf management has resulted in out-of-control wolf numbers that are now pulling down deer and elk populations that have taken a hundred years to rebuild.
The Wolf Wars have begun, and the enemy is our own federal government (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and the anti-hunting organizations (i.e. Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, Humane Society of the United States, etc.) that value a few wolves far more than huntable numbers of other big game.
Please contact Jim Allen, President of the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association and pledge support of the battle they are about to launch against the enemies of our hunting heritage. His e-mail address is wyoga@wyoga.org
This just could be the most important battle you ever fight for sensible wildlife conservation, and for the hunting sports. …
Wyoming may be the only state left out there that has not caved in hard to the pro-wolf crowd, the courts and the federal government. I read one person’s account that the state feels very strongly about how it wants to deal with wolves and every move they have made to this point is toward that end resolve, knowing full well it will end up being decided in the courts.
All of these political games take time and right now time is not on the side of saving our deer, elk and moose populations. In some areas of Idaho, elk herds are decreasing at a rate of about 13% per year. At least one zone now has reached the critical stage where elk numbers have reach a level so low it can’t recover on its own. This has a lot of sportsmen angry. The state and federal government have squandered their investments.
Sportsmen are angry and let’s not forget the rancher who is losing a lot of money each year, directly and indirectly from the presence of wolves. I asked earlier, how much more are these people willing to take before we see them take matters into their own hands? … [more]
