Wolf hunts are on as judge eyes request to stopby The Associated Press
Monday August 31, 2009, 1:26 PM
MISSOULA -- Gray wolf hunting will begin in the Northern Rockies as a federal judge considers an injunction request by environmental and animal welfare groups to stop the predators from being killed.
Hunters in Idaho, where up to 220 wolves could be killed, are poised to head into the field Tuesday. Montana's season is set to begin Sept. 15, with a quota of 75 wolves.
[/url]After a three-hour hearing Monday, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy gave no indication how he might rule on the request. Molloy said he would decide "as quickly as I can."
State wildlife officials said the hunts would proceed pending the ruling.
Wolves once roamed North America but by the 1930s had been largely exterminated outside Alaska and Canada. An estimated 1,650 of the animals now live in the Northern Rockies -- the result of a contentious $30 million reintroduction program that began in 1995.
Today, the debate centers on whether that population will remain viable if hunting is allowed. That population is now five times the original recovery goal set in the 1990s.
Wolves were removed from the endangered species list in Idaho and Montana in May, and management of the animals was transferred to the state wildlife agencies. About 300 wolves remain on the list in Wyoming due largely to a state law allowing them to be shot-on-sight across 90 percent of the state.
About 4,000 hunters in Idaho already have bought tags allowing them to kill a wolf. Tags went on sale Monday in Montana.
Missoula hunter Mac McLaughlin, who attended Monday's hearing, said he was going directly to a sporting goods shop to purchase his tag because he's tired of the predators attacking elk. McLaughlin said he would use an elk call to lure in wolves, but he rated his chances of success as poor.
"If the opportunity comes up, you bet I'll shoot one," he said. "There's got to be a balance and our game populations have taken a terrible beating.
In arguing to stop the Idaho and Montana hunts, Doug Honnold with the environmental law firm Earthjustice said wolves remained at risk. The government had twisted the Endangered Species Act to suit its own purposes, and there were insufficient safeguards to ensure the gray wolf's survival under state jurisdiction, he said.
"It's the endangered species that need to be protected, not the states' rights to kill wolves," Honnold said.
Michael Eitel, representing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the agency would continue to monitor the population and step in to return the animal to the endangered list if warranted.
"The Northern Rocky Mountain wolves are doing very well," he said. "Yes there might be wolves that are killed, but that will not affect the population in Idaho and Montana."
By carving out Wyoming when it decided to remove wolves from the endangered list, the government had "flip-flopped" on a prior policy against making endangered species decisions based on political boundaries, Honnold said.
Eitel acknowledged his agency changed its position on the issue, but urged Judge Molloy to accept its latest interpretation of the law.
Molloy appeared doubtful. "How am I supposed to make judgment as to which of their positions to give deference to?" he asked.
-- The Associated Press
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Very cool!! KILL THEM ALL[cool]
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[#000000][size 1]I[/size][/#000000][#000000][size 1] had one heck of an experience this past Friday. I was walking into an[/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]area I spotted 5 bulls last weekend when wolves started howling, growing [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]and snarling about 300 yds away in the timber below me. It was just [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]getting light so, I hung out for a while hoping to get a look at the [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]wolves. Nothing appeared so, thinking that there were probably no elk [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]in this spot I headed back to the truck. I unloaded the ATV and was [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]headed to an area called the "Natural Corral" on Bald Ridge. About ½ [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]mile down the dirt road I came upon a herd of cattle running around in a [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]circle and making all sorts of sounds. The herd parted and 2 wolves [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]popped out to look at me. Just beyond the two was another wolf on the [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]hind end of a cow pulling a chunk of flesh from the cow that was still [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]alive. The two wolves ran to my right and stopped about 50 yds away. [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]The wolf on the cow jumped off and stood on the road. I charged him [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]with the ATV and he ran to my right and stopped 25 yds. away. I had my [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]..44 mag and could have popped him, but knowing the penalty for killing [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]a wolf, I pulled out the camera instead and took a picture of him while [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]he was running away. It's a grueling sight to see an animal being eaten [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]alive. [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]I called 911 to get the local Game Warden, Chris Queen. He called back [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]and was heading to the spot after he finished loading hay. I asked if I [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]should put the cow down since it was still alive. He knew the owner of [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]the herd and said not to finish it since the owner was particular about [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]killing his cattle. Chris called Mark Brucino, USF&W biologist that [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]handles wolves and grizzlies in the area. Mark called me back to say he [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]was on the way. I told him that I was heading back out to look for elk [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]and would be back later [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]The wolves starting to attack the herd again further down the road [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]behind me. I took off down the road, but the wolves were gone. I got [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]back to elk hunting and spotted 3 groups of cows, calves and spike bulls [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]totaling 41. A plane appeared and was flying transect patterns. I knew [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]it must be FWS people. The elk didn't care for the plane and slowly [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]head back into cover. This was not working for elk hunting so, so I [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]twisted off the hunt and headed back to the truck. [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]At the kill site I met Mark and an agent with USDA Wildlife Services [/size][/#000000]
[#000000][size 1][/size][/#000000]
[#000000][size 1](formerly Animal Damages Board), Monty Nicholson. Mark said they were [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]trying to pick up any signals from collared wolves. None of the wolves [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]I saw had collars. After explaining my account of the situation and a [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]description of the wolves they made a decision to call in a chopper and [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]hunt them down. The chopper came in and Monty jumped in with a 12 gauge [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]and #4 Buckshot, his standard load for killing wolves and coyotes from a [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]chopper. [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]Monty had explained that the area I was in is the border for 3 wolf [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]packs; Sunlight Basin , Absaroka and Clark 's Fork. He believes these 3 [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]wolves are lead by a older male wolf that walks with a limp. Because of [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]the injury the older wolf cannot compete with stronger wolves for [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]females and is leading the 3 younger males. The older wolf has a radio [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]collar, however the plane did not pick up the signal. [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]Soon the rancher and trail riders arrived. Mark wrote out a ticket for [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]the rancher to get reimbursed "7 to 1" meaning he will get paid 7 times [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]the cost of the 2 yr. old cow. It is based on the assumption that the [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]cow would be able to produce 7 calves during the life span. Of course [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]the money comes from the State even though the Feds brought the wolves [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]into WY and now we have to deal with the mess. What was the cost of [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]this one situation? [/size][/#000000]
[#000000][size 1][/size][/#000000]
[#000000][size 1]- Time for 1 DOI FWS biologist [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]- Time for 1 USDA Wildlife Services agent [/size][/#000000]
[#000000][size 1][/size][/#000000]
[#000000][size 1]- Time for 1 WY Game Warden [/size][/#000000]
[#000000][size 1][/size][/#000000]
[#000000][size 1]- Flight time for 1 surveillance plane [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]- Flight time for 1 chopper [/size][/#000000]
[#000000][size 1][/size][/#000000]
[#000000][size 1]- Payment for 1 cow (.85/lb x 1000 lbs x 7 = $5,950) [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]So much for wolf management in WY. I could have helped out for the low, [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]low price of one .44 mag round. At least I could have taken care of ¼ [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]of the pack! [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]Len Fortunato | Account Manager [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1]Applied Control Equipment | 2717 Cowgill Rd. | Cody | WY | 82414 | USA [/size][/#000000]
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[#000000][size 1][/size][/#000000]Sorry about the way this came out on this post as I'm not sure how to change it, hopefully one of the moderators will jump in and correct it. A friend who guides at Deseret sent this to me last weekend, thought it should tie-in with this article on wolves.
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Thats an ugly wound on that cow. Too bad the animal rights guys only think about the poor wolves and not the other animals that are left to die like this one. For every wolf out there, there is probably 4-5 wounded animals like this left laying around, trying to survive.
Too bad we can't have a shoot on sight policy in Utah.
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They are a disease that is not going away anytime soon.
Great story Packfan...
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That's quite an experience. Too bad you couldn't shoot the dang thing.
Any sucess with your other hunts this year???
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Wow, that's quite the adventure you had Pete. Too bad it messed with your hunt though.
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I guess maybe that didn't come out too clearly, the article was actually written by the guy who's name appears on the bottom from Cody. I probably wouldn't have restrained myself that much and at least sent a round toward the critter. Sorry for the confusion. Like I said a friend of mine who guides for DLL sent it to me.
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My wife, my dad and a friend of mine all took cow elk on the archery hunt here in Utah the 1st week. All I did was bone and pack meat but we had a fun hunt. Our WY. elk hunt starts on the 19th. thru the 23rd. The wife and I are looking forward to that.
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I personally have a shoot on sight policy for large coyotes! There are no wolf in Utah silly[:p]
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Good on ya! You must be a tough old bugger to be packin all those elk out. I have a rough time with one [crazy]
Good luck to you on your hunts. [
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I think the wolf supporters are out of their flipping minds. I agree with whoever put on here that we should shoot on sight. Wolves are a nasty nasty animals which were hunted to dang near extinction for a good reason.
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I can't believe anyone would shoot such a magnificent creature. This poor female wolf was the mother, aunt, sister, friend of other wolves. Imagine the pain those wolves are going through without this magnificent animal in their lives.
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Braz,
Is that you all laid out like a center fold honey with that lovely Wolf rug by you?
ROTFLMAO!
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Lookslike Idaho has 3 less now!!
[url "http://www.localnews8.com/global/story.asp?s=11034307"]http://www.localnews8.com/global/story.asp?s=11034307[/url]
Notice how the hunter is already getting hate mail.
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EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe these guys are hunting them the wrong way in ID. They need to tie a horse to a tree for bait.[
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Growing up in a ranching community and environment while owning horses myself, I have always said horses were only good for one thing.
PACKING MEET OFF OF THE MOUNTAIN.
Now it looks like I was wrong. The use of horses as wolf bait appears to be a legit use.[sly]
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