Exposing the Big Game

Forget Hunters' Feeble Rationalizations and Trust Your Gut Feelings: Making Sport of Killing Is Not Healthy Human Behavior

Exposing the Big Game

Tag Archives: Montana

Montana Trap Check Bill, Trapped Mtn Lion

Posted on by
4

Friend,

View this email in your browser

Sorry for our absence and the length of our trapping news but….

Montana HB787 for MANDATORY DAILY TRAP CHECKS is almost complete and should then be scheduled for a hearing soon!

TFMPL partnered with our good friends at Wolves of the Rockies to make this happen!  Now we need you to be contacting your legislator!We know from our many diverse supporters that trapping is bipartisan issue! Regardless of your legislator’s party affiliation, mark our words, they need to hear from you and NOW! 

Montana Legislators & contact info can be found at find a Montana legislator.  It is best to call. Let them know you are in their district and that you urge them to vote for HB 787 Mandatory Daily Trap Checks! If necessary, leave a message as such. Let us know if you have any difficulty looking them up. Legislators want to be re-elected so it matters what their constituents want!

Trust us, make absolutely no assumption the Democrats will support it and Republicans will vote against it! Start calling NOW as their vote is often decided ahead of the hearing! You can follow-up with an email to them but best to use your own words and keep it brief.

Currently in Montana, traps set for bobcats in designated lynx protection zones and traps set for wolves are the only traps that are required for the trapper to check every 48 hrs. Other traps and snares can remain unattended for days even weeks with trapped animals legally suffering. 36 other states have 24 hr/daily trap checks in their regulations. 3 states have none, Montana included.

All of you should know by now we oppose trapping. We hope to see it end in our lifetime! However, that doesn’t mean there is not a lot we can do to help end the suffering of trapped animals and enable those released from traps a better chance at survival whether that be an eagle, lynx, mountain lion or your lost beloved dog!

HB787 also has a limited exception if the trapper cannot tend to his/her traps daily. Once the language is approved by legal, it will be of public record and we will provide it to you. Our deepest appreciation to Representative Bridget Smith of Wolf Point for sponsoring this bill!Please let us know if you plan to attend the hearing or want to. The House Fish & Wildlife Committee meets on Tues. and Thurs. at 3:00 to hear the bills.

 * We are also working with any interested parties on the language for Mandatory Trapper Education LC538, too!

More on the MOUNTAIN LION TRAPPED & KILLED IN MONTANA
January 3,2019 – Square Butte, Montana

A large male mountain lion was found dead on a Square Butte trapline near town of Great Falls. TFMPL obtained more specifics and learned the mountain lion was killed in a snare. The trapper was not charged as the warden deemed the mountain lion was unintentional. TFMPL also learned the trapper did follow the law and reported.


photo courtesy GreatFalls Tribune

Snares only cost a couple of dollars and so are a favorite weapon trappers like to set in large quantities and leave to strangle any animal to death, eventually. No matter the victim, routinely, trappers are not charged since traps and snares by nature do not discriminate. A Montana Trapping Advisory Committee (TAC)member has been asking about allowing the keeping of trapped mountain lions.  In just 2 years, 2013-2015, 48 mountain lions were known “accidentally” trapped in Montana. Over 80% were dead or reported noticeably injured. Meanwhile, another TAC member continues to push for the legal snaring of wolves which is currently illegal.

RALPHIE UPDATES!

The sweet goofy boy, Ralph, from Laurel, Montana who lost his leg to a snare after missing for a couple of days is recovering!

Thanks to your donations, Trap Free Montana was able to donate $1,000 towards Ralph’s reduced veterinarian bill of $1,125! Please remember Ralph and all the other trapped pets and the need for mandatory daily trap checks. We continue to hear of yet another precious dog in Montana trapped! Think too of all their medical bills and who pays those costs? Certainly, not the trappers. Keep this in mind with LC/HB2007 a bill for “Wolf Trapper Expense Reimbursement”.

WILDLIFE COLORING BOOK
Check out this wonderful educational coloring book, award winning, “Endangered Species Have Feelings, Too”!

It’s 32 pages front and back of wildlife and teachings promoting knowledge and compassion. “Endangered Species Have Feelings Too” is a wildlife coloring book unlike anything else on the market. Not only does it provide an opportunity for children to bring each page to life, but to also develop their morals and “feelings vocabulary” along the way.”

The author, Dr. Delis-Abrams, has generously offered 25% of sales to Trap Free Montana.
Purchase at http://bit.ly/2S1xnp2  Please be sure to mention Trap Free Montana in your purchasing! 

UPCOMING FINAL TRAPPING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
The Montana Trapping Advisory Committee (TAC) will have their final meeting in Great Falls on 1/31 and 2/1. To review the previous meetings and the upcoming agenda http://bit.ly/2FNMyvR. The meetings are open to the public and we are given 3 minutes to speak. People can submit a written comment to the TAC urging them to support mandatory 24hr/daily trap checks and support HB 787, mandatory reporting of all trapped animals, closure of trapping on rare species such as swift fox and fisher, trapping limits and protections for beaver, mandatory trapper education for all trappers with all stakeholders equally providing oversight and supporting LC/HB 538 for Mandatory Trapper Education.

Send your respectful comment & in your own words to FWP:
 jvore@mt.gov with subject line: Public Comment for TAC

WOMENS’S MARCH HELENA
TFMPL was given the honor and privilege to speak up for wildlife and for support for HB787 Mandatory Daily Trap Checks at the Helena Women’s March on Saturday 1/19/19!http://bit.ly/2DmNGox It was a great experience with excellent speakers promoting necessary changes!

MORE “END THE SUFFERING” BILLBOARDS ARE UP!
Trap Free Montana, our 501(c)(3) affiliate now has added Great Falls and Billings to the list of “End the Suffering” billboards on major highways across our state. To learn more and be one of the proud owners of a billboard visit: trapfreemt.org/our-work

Thank you friends of Trap Free Montana Public Lands.

Actual NBC Headline: Advocates press Montana to ban trapping of fanged predator

Posted on by
3

https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/advocates-press-montana-to-ban-trapping-of-fanged-predator

by The Associated Press

Tuesday, January 15th 2019

AA

BILLINGS, Mont. — Wildlife advocates are asking Montana wildlife officials to ban trapping along much of the Idaho border to protect a cat-sized predator that lives in old-growth forests.

Representatives of five environmental groups said in a petition submitted Tuesday to Montana wildlife commissioners that trapping is a serious threat to the Northern Rockies fisher.

Federal wildlife officials say at least 100 of the animals were killed in Montana between 2002 and 2016. Idaho does not allow trapping of fishers, but 86 were killed by trappers accidentally in that time period.

The fanged predators once ranged at least five states. They’re now limited to an area straddling the Montana-Idaho border. Federal wildlife officials in 2017 said fishers were not in danger of extinction despite worries about habitat loss and trapping.

Gray Wolf Trapping Orientation Announced

Posted on by
1

http://csktribes.org/more/archived-news/365-gray-wolf-trapping-orientation-announced

The Tribal Wildlife Management Program announces the scheduling of a Gray Wolf trapping class for CSKT Tribal members who plan to participate in 2018-2019 trapping activities for Northern Gray Wolves.

 

Lands within the exterior boundaries of the Reservation are sectioned into three Wolf Management Zones – the Northwest, South, and the Mission Zone.  The general hunting season for wolves opened on September 1st in all three Zones and will extend through April 30, 2019 within the Northwest and South Zones.  The Mission Zones hunting season will close on March 31, 2019.

 

Trapping season for the all three Zones will commence on December 1, 2018 and extend through April 30th, 2019 within the Northwest and South Zones, and close on March 31, 2019 within the Mission Zone, to avoid potential captures of non-target bears.  Tribal members must also follow Tribal off-Reservation wolf hunting and trapping regulations when hunting or trapping wolves in open and unclaimed areas, which are generally recognized as U. S. Forest Service lands.

 

Trapping regulations approved by the Tribal Council included the provision that potential trappers attend an informational class on wolf trapping if they have not previously attended a similar class conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Proof of completion of a wolf trapping class, through the Tribal Wildlife Management Program or Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks must be presented to the Tribal Fish and Wildlife Permits Office to receive a wolf trapping permit. The scheduled Tribal informational class will cover topics such as Tribal wolf trapping regulations, appropriate trapping equipment, required marking of traps, setting and checking traps, minimizing the potential to capture non-target species, trapping reporting requirements and properly caring for trapped animals.  If trappers would like the trap pan tension of their traps tested, they should bring their traps to this informational class or make alternate arrangements with the Tribal Wildlife Management Program.

 

Members of the Tribal Wildlife Management Program staff will conduct this informational class on Wednesday, December 12th from Noon to 1:30 pm @ the Mission Valley Power conference room.  Please contact Stephanie Gillin, Wildlife Biologist at the Tribal Wildlife Management Program by phone at (406) 675-2700, extension 7241 or by email at stephanie.gillin@cskt.org to sign up.

Famous Alpha Wolf’s Daughter, Spitfire, Is Killed by a Hunter

Posted on by
5

 

The shooting of another Lamar Canyon pack member has renewed calls for a buffer between Yellowstone and nearby lands, to protect roaming wolves.

926F, a wild wolf in Yellowstone, in the late fall of 2016. Like her mother, she was killed by a hunter.CreditDeby Dixon
926F, a wild wolf in Yellowstone, in the late fall of 2016. Like her mother, she was killed by a hunter.CreditCreditDeby Dixon

By Jim Robbins

HELENA, Mont. — A wild wolf known as 926F, dear to the hearts of wolf watchers who visit Yellowstone, was killed by a hunter as it wandered just outside the park last weekend.

A member of the Lamar Canyon pack in the national park’s northeast region, 926F was the daughter of 832F, an alpha female that had become a celebrity, famous for her hunting prowess and for her frequent appearances along the road traveled by tourists in the park’s Lamar Valley.

While wolf biologists called the mother 832F, the she-wolf was famously known as “06” for the year she was born. The subject of the book “American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West,” she was killed by a hunter as well.

“Everybody’s mourning, everybody’s thinking about what to do to stop this madness,” said Karol Miller, who founded a group of wolf lovers on Facebook called The 06 Legacy. “People love the Lamar Canyon Pack and people know 06 from her New York Times obituary. These are the descendants of 06, her legacy. People love those wolves.”

Please disable your ad blocker.
Advertising helps fund Times journalism.

Unblock ads

Wolf watchers called 06’s daughter Spitfire.

The shooting occurred near cabins and was within hunting laws; Montana has permitted hunting of wolves since 2011, and a few hundred are killed each year.

“A game warden checked with the hunter and everything about this harvest was legal,” said Abby Nelson, a wolf management specialist with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Help us break the next big story.

Subscribe to The Times

But the killing has renewed calls for a buffer around the park so wolves that live within the safe harbor of Yellowstone and that have little fear of humans cannot be shot if they wander beyond the park’s invisible boundary.

Spitfire, or 926F, chased away a grizzly bear that was trying to steal her kill in 2013.CreditDeby Dixon
Image
Spitfire, or 926F, chased away a grizzly bear that was trying to steal her kill in 2013.CreditDeby Dixon

While Montana lawmakers have passed legislation forbidding creation of a buffer zone, there is a hunting limit of two wolves in each of two districts adjacent to the northern boundary of the park.

Please disable your ad blocker.
Advertising helps fund Times journalism.

Unblock ads

Still, wolf hunting near Yellowstone has been extremely controversial, highlighting the clash between the New West’s ecotourism and the Old West’s hunting to protect game and livestock.

Wolves were restored to the park in the 1990s and quickly grew in number. About 100 wolves belong to 10 packs in Yellowstone, which is considered the ideal park for sightings of the animals as they hunt elk, feed on carcasses and play with their pups. Some 1,700 wolves live in the Northern Rocky Mountain states of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

Famous Yellowstone park wolf shot dead by trophy hunter

Posted on by
3
https://players.brightcove.net/624246174001/BJXA5Px6f_default/index.html?videoId=5973787955001&customParams=videoID%253D5973787955001%2526articleId%253D8660741%2526gs_channels%253Dshadow9hu7_safe_from_nestle_blacklist%2Csafe_from_essence_blacklist%2Csafe_from_harvey_weinstein%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_asda%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_halifax_misc_blacklist%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_workdayh2%2Csafe_aegis%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_aegis_blacklist%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_castrol%2Cbelvedere_negative%2Cgv_death_injury%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_emirates_crew_incident%2Csafe_from_emirates_blacklist%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_instagram-mobkoi%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_mobkoi-celine%2Cpos_animal_cruelty%2Cpos_castrol_blacklist%2Cpos_microsoft_blacklist_microsoft%2Cpos_microsoft_blacklist_wildfire%2Cpos_society_lgbt%2Cpos_terrorism_blacklist%2Cpos_ubs_tax_evasion%2Csafe_from_collective_landrover%2Csafe_from_facebook_blacklist%2Csafe_from_fas_blacklist%2Cgv_arms%2Cindy_south-west-gdo_aug16%2Cindy_dating-looking-for-love_nov16%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_emirates_pg%2Cnestle_bespoke%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_mobkoi_facebook_keyword%2526playertype%253Dautoplay%2526topictags%253Dyellowstonenational_park%2Cmontana%2Ctrophyhunting%2526permutive%253D3446%2C3448%2C3449%2C3507%2C7064%2C7065%2C3478%2C3487%2C3492%2C3499%2C3500%2C3527%2C3705%2C3737%2C3738%2C3748%2C3750%2C3751%2C3762%2C3763%2C3769%2C3783%2C3785%2C3795%2C3800%2C3812%2C3817%2C3821%2C3828%2C3845%2C3847%2C3850%2C3853%2C3881%2C3891%2C3899%2C3910%2C3915%2C3916%2C3937%2C3940%2C4052%2C4071%2C4076%2C4093%2C4104%2C4105%2C4155%2C4174%2C4183%2C4185%2C4187%2C4194%2C4203%2C4204%2C4208%2C4249%2C4298%2C4299%2C4306%2C4325%2C4327%2C4328%2C4336%2C4337%2C4342%2C4349%2C4359%2C4360%2C4363%2C4395%2C4482%2C4488%2C4489%2C4495%2C4496%2C4510%2C4511%2C4512%2C4559%2C4577%2C4742%2C4743%2C4844%2C4845%2C4961%2C4970%2C5061%2C5062%2C5064%2C5065%2C5067%2C5068%2C5074%2C5103%2C5266%2C5340%2C5455%2C5574%2C5596%2C5700%2C5702%2C5706%2C5707%2C5757%2C5776%2C5790%2C6116%2C6117%2C6164%2C6251%2C6252%2C6685%2C6750%2C6751%2C6762%2C6824%2C6833%2C7033%2C7066%2C7078%2C7312%2C7395%2C7440%2C7496%2C4554%2C6238%2C7609%2C7610%2C7612%2C3601%2C7667%2C7668%2C8022%2C7839%2C4670%2C8272%2C6207%2C8269%2C3563%2C4248%2C7693%2C8799%2C9895%2C9918%2C9954%2C10067%2C10141%2C10142%2C10143%2C10427%2C10491%2C3460%2C3461%2C3508%2C3509%2C3510%2C3542%2C3557%2C3660%3B&customTargeting=%2F71347885%2F_main_independent%2Fin_news%2Fin_world%2Fin_americas%2Fin_americas_article&playsinline=true

Hunting and killing wolves is legal in Montana

One of Yellowstone National Park’s most popular wolves has been shot dead by a trophy hunter.

Spitfire, also known as Wolf 926F, was killed legally a few miles outside a park entrance in Montana, according to animal rights group Wolves of the Rockies.

The organisation shared the news on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

Spitfire was previously the alpha female leader of the Lamar valley wolfpack.

Spitfire and her pack attracted animal lovers from all over the world (Leo Leckie)

Her mother was also killed by a hunter in 2012 and Spitfire was credited with keeping the pack together after her death.

Both animals were stars in an area described by Yellowstone officials as a “wolf-watching mecca”, which attracts animal lovers from all over the world.

The hunter who killed Spitfire was acting legally according to The Dodo, as it is currently hunting season for wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, the states that Yellowstone covers.

Wolf hunting licences in Montana cost just $19 (£15) for residents and $50 (£39) for others, according to the Wolf Conservation Centre.

https://players.brightcove.net/624246174001/SydS6Pxaf_default/index.html?videoId=5837728067001&customParams=videoID%253D5837728067001%2526articleId%253D8660741%2526gs_channels%253Dshadow9hu7_safe_from_nestle_blacklist%2Csafe_from_essence_blacklist%2Csafe_from_harvey_weinstein%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_asda%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_halifax_misc_blacklist%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_workdayh2%2Csafe_aegis%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_aegis_blacklist%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_castrol%2Cbelvedere_negative%2Cgv_death_injury%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_emirates_crew_incident%2Csafe_from_emirates_blacklist%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_instagram-mobkoi%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_mobkoi-celine%2Cpos_animal_cruelty%2Cpos_castrol_blacklist%2Cpos_microsoft_blacklist_microsoft%2Cpos_microsoft_blacklist_wildfire%2Cpos_society_lgbt%2Cpos_terrorism_blacklist%2Cpos_ubs_tax_evasion%2Csafe_from_collective_landrover%2Csafe_from_facebook_blacklist%2Csafe_from_fas_blacklist%2Cgv_arms%2Cindy_south-west-gdo_aug16%2Cindy_dating-looking-for-love_nov16%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_emirates_pg%2Cnestle_bespoke%2Cshadow9hu7_safe_from_mobkoi_facebook_keyword%2526playertype%253Dclicktoplay%2526topictags%253Dyellowstonenational_park%2Cmontana%2Ctrophyhunting%2526permutive%253D3446%2C3448%2C3449%2C3507%2C7064%2C7065%2C3478%2C3487%2C3492%2C3499%2C3500%2C3527%2C3705%2C3737%2C3738%2C3748%2C3750%2C3751%2C3762%2C3763%2C3769%2C3783%2C3785%2C3795%2C3800%2C3812%2C3817%2C3821%2C3828%2C3845%2C3847%2C3850%2C3853%2C3881%2C3891%2C3899%2C3910%2C3915%2C3916%2C3937%2C3940%2C4052%2C4071%2C4076%2C4093%2C4104%2C4105%2C4155%2C4174%2C4183%2C4185%2C4187%2C4194%2C4203%2C4204%2C4208%2C4249%2C4298%2C4299%2C4306%2C4325%2C4327%2C4328%2C4336%2C4337%2C4342%2C4349%2C4359%2C4360%2C4363%2C4395%2C4482%2C4488%2C4489%2C4495%2C4496%2C4510%2C4511%2C4512%2C4559%2C4577%2C4742%2C4743%2C4844%2C4845%2C4961%2C4970%2C5061%2C5062%2C5064%2C5065%2C5067%2C5068%2C5074%2C5103%2C5266%2C5340%2C5455%2C5574%2C5596%2C5700%2C5702%2C5706%2C5707%2C5757%2C5776%2C5790%2C6116%2C6117%2C6164%2C6251%2C6252%2C6685%2C6750%2C6751%2C6762%2C6824%2C6833%2C7033%2C7066%2C7078%2C7312%2C7395%2C7440%2C7496%2C4554%2C6238%2C7609%2C7610%2C7612%2C3601%2C7667%2C7668%2C8022%2C7839%2C4670%2C8272%2C6207%2C8269%2C3563%2C4248%2C7693%2C8799%2C9895%2C9918%2C9954%2C10067%2C10141%2C10142%2C10143%2C10427%2C10491%2C3460%2C3461%2C3508%2C3509%2C3510%2C3542%2C3557%2C3660%3B&customTargeting=%2F71347885%2F_main_independent%2Fin_news%2Fin_world%2Fin_americas%2Fin_americas_article&playsinline=true

Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds

The predators were reintroduced in Yellowstone in 1995 but remain at the centre of a debate in the US between conservationists who argue that the US wolf population needs protection, and hunters and farmers who argue that rising predator numbers are out of control.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/wolf-926f-spitfire-killed-hunter-yellowstone-national-park-lamar-valley-a8660741.html

Two hunters rescued in Beaverhead County by helicopter after ATV accidents

Posted on by
1

 

 

https://mtstandard.com/news/local/two-hunters-rescued-in-beaverhead-county-by-helicopter-after-atv/article_4bfee70f-3234-55de-adb4-fdd5571cff2e.htm

Two hunters rescued in Beaverhead County
The Blackhawk helicopter used to rescue a hunter in Beaverhead County is seen here.

Two hunters have been rescued in Beaverhead County after serious ATV accidents around the opening of general hunting season. Both rescues involved helicopters, one from the Montana Army National Guard and one from Life Flight.

According to Sheriff Franklin Kluesner II, the first call came in Friday at 12:27 p.m. The caller said his 58-year-old brother was unable to move after an ATV accident in the south end of the Gravelly Mountains. The men were scouting hunting areas for the next day when the accident occurred, Kluesner said. The caller hiked about a mile and a half from his brother to find cell service.

Kluesner said his office was able to help the caller determine his location coordinates through a cell phone app, which showed he was near Fossil Creek, over 60 miles southeast of Dillon — a two or more hour drive for emergency vehicles.

After learning their location, Kluesner said Life Flight was requested and a helicopter was dispatched from Rexburg, Idaho. Ground support was also dispatched, including a local search and rescue team and an ambulance from Lima.

About 90 minutes after receiving the call for help, the injured man was transported via Life Flight to a hospital. Kluesner believes the man is from North Dakota and is at a hospital in Bozeman as of Wednesday afternoon, with serious injuries.

Two days later, Kluesner’s office received three more search and rescue calls within a few-hour time frame. One was from a woman concerned about her husband, who returned back to his camp shortly after she called; another was from a group of people whose truck slid off of a road west of Lima, and were assisted by Bureau of Land Management rangers in the area; and a third resulted in a full deployment of local search and rescue volunteers, along with assistance from the Montana Army National Guard.

Around 1 p.m. on Sunday, the Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a woman who said she hadn’t heard from her 69-year-old husband since Saturday afternoon. The woman told law enforcement she had driven to his campsite Sunday morning, about 15 miles south of Dillon, but did not find him or his ATV. The man had planned to hunt in the area.

Kluesner said after his office spoke with the woman, Beaverhead Search and Rescue volunteers began a ground search for her husband while aircraft searched overhead. The hunter was not located on Sunday.

An expanded search resumed early Monday. At this time, Kluesner’s office looked at what other resources they had available. The search and rescue team decided to call the Montana Army National Guard, which promptly deployed a five-person crew via Blackhawk helicopter from Helena. The helicopter arrived in the area around noon.

At 1:30 p.m., the ground crew located the missing hunter, who had spent 44 hours pinned beneath his upside-down ATV in a ravine. The crew called the National Guard helicopter, which landed in the area, stabilized the man and transported him to Barrett Hospital and Healthcare in Dillon. Kluesner said the man is now at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula with serious injuries.

In the last four years Kluesner has been sheriff, he said he’s seen a steady increase of ATV use in Beaverhead County. This has also led to an increase in accidents.

“We have a lot of areas where you can still use four-wheelers and side-by-sides, which have become very popular,” Kluesner said. “But they aren’t that stable and do have the potential to cause real serious injuries.”

Kluesner went on to say these injuries are especially concerning when hunters and other recreationists ride into the backcountry, where they become harder to reach and there is little to no cell service. He said his office was extremely lucky to have access to Life Flight and Montana Army National Guard teams to rescue the two injured hunters, and he is proud of the collaboration that went into finding them.

“Helicopters are invaluable in these situations. They (helicopter flights) are expensive endeavors, but there’s no price you can put on a human life,” Kluesner said.

 

Camel owner applies to house 2 black bears in Paradise Valley

Posted on by
2

Bear menagerie
A Paradise Valley business is applying to house two black bears in this facility.

FWP

A Paradise Valley company is seeking a permit to house two black bears in a roadside menagerie near Emigrant, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

The agency is seeking public comment through June 30 on an environmental assessment for the Mayfield Roadside Menagerie, north of Emigrant, owned by Jason Mayfield.

Any person wishing to keep, in captivity, one or more wild animals for the evident purpose of exhibition or attracting trade must first secure a Roadside Menagerie Permit from the state of Montana. A USDA Class C Exhibitor’s permit is a prerequisite for permitting.

The facility has been built and is ready to receive the two bears and will be operated in conjunction with Camel Discovery along Highway 89.

The facility has an interior and exterior portion. The interior is constructed of poured concrete for the floor; partitioned cages constructed of welded wire and pipe; insulated walls; and water, electrical and gas services. The interior has ample room for food preparation and veterinary care if needed.

The exterior fencing is constructed of chain link fencing with four strands of charged electrical wire along the top. A secondary fence within the primary fencing is made of four strands of charged electrical wire attached to t-posts.

The proposed menagerie is in near proximity to the owner’s residence and doors and gates are to remain locked at all times to prevent escape of the bears or entry by unauthorized individuals.

The environmental assessment is available on FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov. Click on the News tab and choose Recent Public Notices.

Comments can be submitted online or mailed to Attn: Mayfield Roadside Menagerie; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Enforcement; P.O. Box 200701; Helena, MT 59620.

Bear Attacks Hunter Near Hungry Horse Reservoir

Posted on by
4

Attack apparently a “surprise encounter” in a very brushy area between hunter and bear

Bear Attacks Hunter Near Hungry Horse Reservoir

BY BEACON STAFF // 

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reports that a bear attacked a hunter along the East side of the Hungry Horse Reservoir over the weekend.

FWP is investigating the Sept. 24 attack, which took place in the Twin Creek area near the reservoir. The hunter who was attacked – an adult male – was apparently involved in what FWP is initially calling a “surprise encounter” in a very bushy area.

The man was injured, and drove back with his hunting partner to a hospital for medical attention. The two did shoot at the bear during the encounter, and the bear ran off.

The Region One FWP Wildlife Human Attack Response Team was dispatched to the area immediately upon notification. Details about the attack, including the type of bear involved and the injuries the victim incurred, were not yet available.

Grizzly committee to vote on delisting strategy for northwest Montana bears

Posted on by
5

SUBSCRIBE FOR 33¢ / DAY
National Elk Refuge grizzly bears
A grizzly bear sow and cubs roam the National Elk Refuge south of Grand Teton National Park. Grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have been removed from federal Endangered Species Act protection and handed over to state wildlife agency management in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee meets in Polson, Montana this week to consider last steps toward removing Montana’s largest population of grizzly bears from the Endangered Species List.

IGBC members meet on Tuesday and Wednesday to possibly adopt the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem conservation strategy, the blueprint directing how state wildlife agencies would manage grizzlies if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delists them.

FWS has already removed about 700 grizzly bears in the three-state area known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from the endangered list. Wyoming Game and Fish Department has proposed selling hunting licenses for at least 22 grizzlies this fall. Idaho has a quota of one male grizzly for hunting. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks commissioners opted to skip a grizzly hunt in 2018 over concerns that pending lawsuits against the delisting might block a fall hunt.

On Friday Idaho Fish and Game Dept. announced its system for a grizzly hunting lottery, with applications accepted between June 15 and July 15. The drawing is limited to Idaho residents with a valid state hunting license who must pay a nonrefundable $16.75 application fee and prepay the tag fee of at least $166.75. Unsuccessful applicants will get their tag fees refunded.

About 1,000 grizzlies live in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, which spreads along the Rocky Mountains from the Canadian border with Glacier National Park south almost to Missoula. They are considered geographically and genetically distinct from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem bears.

If the IGBC members approve the conservation strategy on this week, it may form the basis of the federal delisting rule set to be published later in 2018.

“It essentially commits the agencies to follow the spirit of the conservation strategy,” said IGBC spokesman Dillon Tabish. “This isn’t the end of the public opportunity to comment. Any actions they (the participating agencies) would have to take must follow public process.”

FWS Grizzly Recovery Coordinator Hillary Cooley said the final delisting rule remained a ways off.

“We’ve got an initial draft, but it has a lot of review to go through,” Cooley said on Friday. “We don’t have a specific date right now, other than by the end of 2018.”

Cooley explained that while the IGBC executive committee’s endorsement is important to the federal rule-making process, the individual agencies, such as the National Park Service, state wildlife managers and Blackfeet and Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal governments, sign separately.

The federal delisting rule sets mortality limits for how many bears may die before Endangered Species Act protections might be re-imposed. The conservation strategy guides local wildlife managers in how to avoid that situation.

“If a state or tribe decides to hunt at some time, that’s their business,” Cooley said. “What matters to us is they stay within the mortality limits, no matter what the cause.”

The strategy has received extensive criticism of its methods for measuring bear population trends, habitat quality and allowance of hunting opportunities. Mike Bader, an advocate for keeping grizzlies under ESA protection, said the new strategy appeared legally vulnerable.

“They’re just rushing this through as fast as they can,” Bader said on Friday. “I don’t think they’ve dotted the i’s or crossed the t’s on what the grizzly bear needs.”

Bader noted that seven NCDE grizzlies have died in the past few weeks, including four that were hit by vehicles on roadways. He said the strategy made overly optimistic assumptions about how fast grizzly numbers are growing, which could prove disastrous if conditions change unexpectedly.

A federal judge in Missoula has scheduled an August 31 hearing on challenges to the Greater Yellowstone grizzly delisting. Wyoming’s proposed grizzly hunting season starts right after that, and could be derailed if the judge rules to keep the bear federally protected or requires more time for review.

One issue the lawsuit raises is whether FWS can remove protection from some distinct population segments of bears (such as the Greater Yellowstone) without dooming recovery in smaller areas such as the Cabinet-Yaak or North Cascades ecosystems. A similar lawsuit involving delisting gray wolves around the Western Great Lakes ordered FWS to take a much harder look at how removing protections from one population segment might affect the others.

Tabish said the final 144-page strategy has an appendix with about 60 pages of responses to past public comments. Tuesday’s meeting will further discuss how the NCDE and Yellowstone ecosystem bear populations might link in the future.

The executive committee plans to tour the National Bison Range and some other parts of the Mission Valley affected by grizzly activity on Wednesday.

Montana outfitter pleads guilty to illegal mountain lion hunts

Posted on by
4

Seaborn Larson, slarson@greatfallstribune.comPublished 4:43 p.m. MT Feb. 27, 2018

In one of the snowiest years on record, crews are working overtime to clear the streets. (David Murray/The Tribune) Wochit

LINKEDINCOMMENTMORE

The owner, operator and outfitter for a Plains big game hunting business pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court to illegally offering mountain lion hunts in areas in which he wasn’t permitted to offer such pursuits.

Ernest Jablonsky, of Big Game Pursuits, changed his plea as part of a deal signed earlier this month. As part of that deal, prosecutors agreed to drop two other charges, including conspiracy to illegally hunt and kill mountain lions, and false labeling, as well as a separate case, which stemmed from another illegal mountain lion hunt from the same year.

Jablonsky’s case at hand was filed after authorities learned he had offered to take two Wisconsin men, including co-defendant Jeffrey Perlewitz, on a mountain lion hunt in December 2013. According to court documents, Jablonsky did not have a special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service to legally guide such hunts on national forest lands, according to court documents.

“I took Mr. Perlewitz where I did not have permits to take money for it, and he paid me for it,” Jablonsky, 51, told U.S. Magistrate Judge John Johnston on Tuesday.

More: Outfitter, clients accused of illegal Montana mountain lion hunt

More: Montana outfitter to plead guilty in illegal mountain lion hunt case

Court documents state Jablonsky also told the Wisconsin hunters to tell Montana hunting officials that they didn’t use a guide or outfitting service. Additionally, Jablonsky allegedly did not report the hunters when he turned in his own industry reports.

His sentencing has not yet been set.

Perlewitz is now the last person indicted on related charges to have not accepted a plea deal, as court records indicate he is expecting to take the case to trial.