Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks ended its investigation today into a Facebook posting from Missoula resident Toby Bridges, where he claimed to have killed a wolf and injured another with his vehicle on Interstate 90 just east of the Idaho border. After having the Mineral County Attorney’s office review the investigation, FWP will not be filing any charges in this case.
FWP was first notified of the Facebook posting on September 17, and game wardens initiated an investigation the next day.
“In Montana, harassing or intentionally killing wildlife with a motor vehicle is illegal, and we take reports of such incidents very seriously,” said FWP Warden Captain, Joe Jaquith.
On September 18, wardens investigated the area described in Bridges’ online account, and found a wolf carcass off the shoulder of the road that was consistent in size and color with the online photo. The carcass, however, was far more decomposed than typical for a wolf killed at the time Bridges reported to have struck the wolf. Wardens found no physical evidence of a collision on or near the Interstate.
Wardens also searched surrounding hillsides for signs of the second wolf that Bridges claimed to have hit and injured. They could not locate any signs of a carcass or injured wolf, including evidence of blood, tracks, hair, odors, or scavengers.
Wardens interviewed Bridges and used his photographs from the scene for further investigation by other law enforcement officials and wildlife specialists.
A Montana Highway Patrol crash scene investigator analyzed Bridges’ photograph from the scene and concluded that based on the photograph, the vehicle had not been involved in an accident. No accident report had been filed.
Wardens searched for potential witnesses and worked with the Montana Department of Transportation as part of the investigation, but no witnesses came forward.
“In typical cases involving harassment or killing of wildlife with a vehicle, there has always been either a witness to the event, and/or fresh physical evidence that could be directly tied to the violation,” Jaquith said. “In this particular case the only witness appears to be Mr. Bridges, the vehicle shows no evidence of having been in an accident, and the lack of any other physical evidence supporting the claim precludes the filing of criminal charges.”
—
Brooks Fahy Executive Director
PREDATOR DEFENSE
Photo copyright Jim Robertson
Exposing the Big Game 
Did he hit the wolf or not is this a cover up ?
Either way, he should be locked up for boasting about killing the wolf on his FB page. He said he wanted to incite a reaction from wolf advocates; that’s pretty bizarre behavior in and of itself. A nice, tight-fitting straight jacket might be what’s be what’s called for, in his case.
I totally agree to fit this guy into a straight jacket. I hope Facebook removed his page. He must not have much to do if he is lowering himself to lie about killing a wolf just to incite wolf advocates. It is people like this man with questionable intelligence and morals who are killing our wolves. Wolves are much more honorable than the humans who are waging war with them.
Exactly, wolves are MUCH more honorable!
He admitted to it. Who needs an additional witness?
For anyone who is pissed that crooked officials let Toby Bridges get away with horrific acts against wolves yet again! Feel free to call them and give them a piece of your mind!
Governor’s Office
Phone: (406) 444-3111
Toll Free: (855) 318-1330
FAX: (406) 444-5529
Comment online: http://governor.mt.gov/Home/Contact/shareopinion.aspx
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Missoula Office
Phone: (406) 542-5500
Fax: (406) 542-5529
E-mail: fwprg22@mt.gov
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Headquarters
Phone: (406) 444-2535
Fax: (406) 444-4952
E-mail: fwpgen@mt.gov
Director’s Office: (406) 444-3186
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
He admitted it. Is that not enough? Of course there will be no carcass on the road because he took the carcass and sold the fur. Of course the concret shows no damage because it’s concret. The blood was washed away by his buckets of water. Was his vehicle insepected? Probably not because the concrete was inspected instead. He admitted he killed the wolves so that it looks like an accident. This guy got away big time.
What BS!
Regardless of how some may feel about the investigation into this story the bottom line is that these authorities have publicly stated that there is no evidence to back up Bridges’ claims. In other words…he lied, plain and simple. Not only on his facebook page (which comes as no surprise to anyone) but in newspapers and on television. If lying was illegal Toby would have been wearing the new black a long time ago. Up until now his tirades and rants have been pretty much confined to his little circle but this story has thrust his name and the wolf issue in general into a more public spotlight. With this little stunt I feel that ol’ Toby has done more damage to the anti-wolf side than pro-wolfers could do in a year so I suppose I should silently thank the little cretin…but I won’t.
How do you explain the photos he posted?
Investigators established that the carcass they found was in a more advanced state of decomposition than it would have been in the time Bridges claimed he ran it down. My guess would be he found the animal that had been hit perhaps the day or night before then staged the pix to “prove” his story. I don’t know…everything about this is confusing. Bridges has more than one version of the incident and now people are claiming authorities are covering up the truth? Somebody’s lying here and my money is still on li’l Toby. If, for whatever reason, the authorities are covering his butt then his story (whichever version you believe) should be enough to press charges. Honestly I don’t think we’ll ever know what really happened. He’s notorious for his “less-than-factual” stories and this is probably just another one. Regardless the whole thing was pulled off by a sad little man just to get a little bit of attention…and he’s accomplished that.
I don’t know what to believe. State fish and wildlife departments were established to facilitate the killing of wild animals and to manipulate populations so that desired species are plentiful. It’s true that there are various “rules” and “requirements,” but the reality is that many of the the personnel who investigate wildlife violations are out there killing on their days off or even on the job. So for me, there’s a credibility issue. It’s entirely possible that the investigator(s) are sympathetic with Bridges’ vehement hatred and persecution of wolves. Fish and wildlife departments are certainly NOT on the animals’ side…ever.