I attended the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) wolf hearing last week to find out how far the WDFW ultimately plans to go with wolf hunting, once wolves are inevitably removed from the state endangered species list, and when Washington residents can expect to hear that hunting groups are holding contest hunts on wolves like our neighbors in Idaho have already done.
It turns out the department wasn’t ready to come clean on their ultimate plans to implement hunting seasons on wolves (starting in Eastern Washington). They were only willing to talk about the few cases of sheep predation (a few dozen out of a flock of 1,800 animals grazing on public forest land), and the WDFW’s collusion with areal snipers from the federal Wildlife “Services” for some good old fashioned lethal removal. Here are some notes on what I was planning to say, had it been on topic:
Over the years spent living in rural Eastern Washington, I’ve gotten to know how ranchers think and feel, and what they’re capable of. For over twenty years I lived in a cabin outside the Okanogan County town of Twisp, where rancher/convicted poacher Bill White is currently under house arrest. Exploiting his then-good standing and local influence to get permission from the WDFW to gather road-killed deer, under the guise of distributing them as meat to members of the Colville tribe, he used some of the deer as bait to lure wolves from the Lookout pack to within shooting distance. He and his son are credited with killing several members of that pack—the first wolves to make it back into Washington. Their sense of entitlement was so overblown they thought they could get away with sending a blood-dripping wolf hide across the Canadian border.
On the plus side, I also have a lot of experiences with wolves themselves. As a wildlife photographer I’ve photographed them in Alaska and Canada as well as in Montana, where I lived a mile away from Yellowstone National Park. I got to know the real nature and behavior of wolves. I’d like to think that if ranchers knew the wolves the way I do, they wouldn’t be so quick to want to kill them off again. I shouldn’t have to remind folks that wolves were exterminated once already in all of the lower 48 states, except Minnesota, which had only six wolves remaining before the species was finally protected as endangered.
Although I personally believe that wolves belong to no one but themselves, to use game department jargon, wolves and other wildlife belong to everyone in the state equally—not just the squeakist-wheel ranchers and hunters. By far most of Washington’s residents want to see wolves allowed to live here and don’t agree with the department’s lethal wolf removal measures (that no doubt include plans for future wolf hunting seasons, which are currently being downplayed by the WDFW).
What’s to stop Washington from becoming just like Idaho, Montana and Wyoming in implementing reckless wolf-kill programs that eventually lead to contest hunts (as in Idaho) and the subsequent decimation of entire packs? Or year-round predator seasons that ultimately result in federal re-listing (as in Wyoming)? What guarantee do we have that Washington’s wolves will be treated any differently?
Text and Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson
Exposing the Big Game 
I was there too but gave my time to Tricia Cook because I would have said similar things.
Your question is exactly the one that needs to be asked. If I get ANY chance to address WDFW in the near future, I will definitely be asking–unless you ask it first. We have been playing footsie way too long with Miranda Wecker and her henchmen. Something polite but straightforward and more confrontational regarding their views is in order.
Unfortunately, Jim, I think that as long as we are dealing with ranchers (who continue to ranch) the animals will lose. The grazing industry has a strong history of wolf hating, along with a myriad of other species. The history of this slaughter speaks for itself. And it continues today. Grazing exotic domesticated livestock where native wild animals live automatically creates adversaries: the wolves, coyotes, etc., become “competitors” for the land, and the livestock industry mindset sees them as “vermin, evil.” While there may be a rancher or two here and there, who individually may not view these “predators” as so bad, they usually stand with, or do not oppose their livestock community. As a whole, this folk oppose native wildlife reintroductions, & protections such as wolves, prairiedogs, etc. It does not change.
Rosemary, I agree with your post but must add that hunters and trappers of a certain ilk have been, I think, the most brazenly outspoken of all. And … they are for the most part a cruel bunch. After all, it takes a certain mentality to kill a HEALTHY, non-edible animal to be used as a wall decoration. Of course they ride the coat tails of the ranchers, using supposed predation as the catalyst for their “heroic” and “helpful” acts.
Reblogged this on Sherlockian's Blog.
JIm you are amazing
Thanks Louise, you too.
I sincerely hope, Jim, that you are allowed to enter those sensible and cogent remarks into the record at some future hearing.
Thanks, I’m sending them to the WDFW, (in hopes that there are some sensible minds on the receiving end).
Isn’t there any way people could stop the hunters? … ANY way, indeed! I agree with you: wolves belong to NO one but themselves… They’re great and beautiful creatures… Open a petition on http://www.care2.com This is a good idea to start :-)c
Something else to bring up at these meetings: state management agencies like to say that they use science-based management in developing their “harvest” strategies. Ask them, “where’s the science?” There is no science that says any level of wolf harvest is good for predators or prey. Ask them, “what are the goals and outcomes?” Reducing wolf populations to some arbitrary number is not science. There is a lot of science that says reducing coyote numbers causes them to breed more and produce larger litters – the opposite effect sought in most culling operations. Wolf hunting (especially as currently practiced by some state agencies) is unethical, counter-productive, and cannot be justified on scientific grounds.
It makes me completely crazy, but the mission of the Idaho Dept of Fish and Game is to ensure plentiful populations of animals for hunting, fishing, and trapping. Of course, that leaves out all of us who can’t stand hunting, fishing, and trapping, but their mission simply demonstrates that the whole system is putrid. I haven’t researched it, but I suspect that the mission of all the state “game” agencies are similar.
Nonetheless, we must all keep the pressure on these agencies and the perverts they serve, and continually spread the word as much as possible. As vile as hunting is, I think that trapping represents the real achilles’ heel. There are lots of unbearable YouTubes of cowering and despairing trapped animals, but I’ve only seen one that actually shows the executions. Frankly, I wish I could inflict it on every single person in this country because I believe the public backlash would be swift and furious. The clip is on the website of Footloose Montana, under the “in the news” tab, and is undercover footage of trappers in Pennsylvania. I asked Idaho Fish & Game to review it and make a ruling on whether those execution methods are legal in this state. They responded carefully, with two points: They encourage humane treatment of animals (right!), and the methods depicted are not illegal in Idaho. Beware — if you watch the clip, you may be sick or heartbroken or haunted or all three.