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Class prepares hunters for bison season
By BECKY BOHRER of the Associated Press
BILLINGS - The five men said little as the slides, narrated by state wildlife officials, clicked along - revealing the dos and don'ts of hunting bison that leave Yellowstone National Park.
Do bring a handful of friends to help tend to the carcass. Don't bring any hotheads who might escalate tensions with potential protesters.
“We don't know what's gonna happen here; we just want to be prepared,” Harold Guse, a warden captain at the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, told the men during a recent hunter training class here.
Hunting restrictions, the proper way to shoot bison and tips for dealing with or avoiding news reporters were also covered during the nearly one-hour class, which wildlife officials say all 50 hunters must attend before participating in the state's first bison hunt in 15 years. The three-month season opens Nov. 15.
The idea behind the classes is to prepare hunters for an enjoyable experience, advising them of the law, their rights and logistics, said Ron Aasheim, an administrator with the department. An orientation was endorsed by at least one major sportsmen's group in the state and Montana's wildlife commission.
“I have not heard any hunters concerned that this was condescending, or say they felt put upon,” Aasheim said. “I think there's the realization that we're talking about a big animal, and I need to be prepared.”
There's a realization, too, that what happens in the field this fall and winter could affect future hunts. And hunters, like Thomas Blazina, want to make sure they leave their best mark as sportsmen. The Buffalo Field Campaign, a bison-advocacy group, has promised to document the hunt.
“I want a clean kill, not a rodeo,” he said.
Blazina, who's to participate in the second half of the season beginning Jan. 16, said he plans to bring at least four people with him. He also expects to ride on horses and to bring mules to help pack out.
“A guy needs to get his ducks in a row, plan it out,” Blazina said.
He lists the weather, which can be bitterly cold in late winter, as one of his main concerns. Other hunters, like Mike Rossi, say the potential to encounter bison hunt protesters make them nervous.
Animal rights activists protested the hunts of the late 1980s, when game wardens directed hunters to bison that were in some cases grazing, and shot at close range. The state Legislature banned the hunt in 1991, but, in 2003, opened the door to reviving it.
State wildlife officials have said this hunt won't be run like those earlier ones. The area where bison could be hunted was also expanded from the abbreviated hunt canceled earlier this year out of concern for Montana's image.
“We know there are real issues and concern with this hunt, particularly at the national level, but we've listened for 15 years and made some dramatic changes,” Aasheim said.
The Buffalo Field Campaign's Jose Quervo said Sunday that the group isn't satisfied. It wants greater tolerance of bison outside the park and takes issue with the season being called a fair-chase hunt. Seay called the hunt a “mockery.”
“There's nothing respectable about it, no matter what these classes entail,” she said.
Rossi said hunting is more than a sport to him and that the opportunity to pursue a bison - even if he doesn't kill one - is a dream.
“To be able to hunt something that was almost extinct, what a great honor and a thrill. Just THINK about it,” he said, as he waited to buy his hunting license.
Aasheim said he couldn't predict how many hunters might turn out on opening day.
When Rossi goes out, he plans to carry himself proudly.
“You're breaking ground here,” he said. “It's one of the first, and everyone is going to be watching.”
Bison basics
Bison by the numbers: An estimated 4,900 bison roam Yellowstone National Park, and it is common for some to leave in the winter to find forage in Montana. Some of the park bison also have brucellosis, a disease Montana ranchers worry could be spread to cattle.
The hunt: As many as 50 bison that leave Yellowstone can be killed during Montana's first bison hunt in 15 years. The three-month season begins Nov. 15, and is divided into two sections. Up to 25 bison can be killed in each.
The class: All hunters must take a training course from the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to participate in the hunt. The class covers topics ranging from the history of bison and hunting regulations to desired shot placement for what officials consider the most humane kills and dealing with potential encounters with protesters like Jose, and news reporters.
Associated Press
By BECKY BOHRER of the Associated Press
BILLINGS - The five men said little as the slides, narrated by state wildlife officials, clicked along - revealing the dos and don'ts of hunting bison that leave Yellowstone National Park.
Do bring a handful of friends to help tend to the carcass. Don't bring any hotheads who might escalate tensions with potential protesters.
“We don't know what's gonna happen here; we just want to be prepared,” Harold Guse, a warden captain at the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, told the men during a recent hunter training class here.
Hunting restrictions, the proper way to shoot bison and tips for dealing with or avoiding news reporters were also covered during the nearly one-hour class, which wildlife officials say all 50 hunters must attend before participating in the state's first bison hunt in 15 years. The three-month season opens Nov. 15.
The idea behind the classes is to prepare hunters for an enjoyable experience, advising them of the law, their rights and logistics, said Ron Aasheim, an administrator with the department. An orientation was endorsed by at least one major sportsmen's group in the state and Montana's wildlife commission.
“I have not heard any hunters concerned that this was condescending, or say they felt put upon,” Aasheim said. “I think there's the realization that we're talking about a big animal, and I need to be prepared.”
There's a realization, too, that what happens in the field this fall and winter could affect future hunts. And hunters, like Thomas Blazina, want to make sure they leave their best mark as sportsmen. The Buffalo Field Campaign, a bison-advocacy group, has promised to document the hunt.
“I want a clean kill, not a rodeo,” he said.
Blazina, who's to participate in the second half of the season beginning Jan. 16, said he plans to bring at least four people with him. He also expects to ride on horses and to bring mules to help pack out.
“A guy needs to get his ducks in a row, plan it out,” Blazina said.
He lists the weather, which can be bitterly cold in late winter, as one of his main concerns. Other hunters, like Mike Rossi, say the potential to encounter bison hunt protesters make them nervous.
Animal rights activists protested the hunts of the late 1980s, when game wardens directed hunters to bison that were in some cases grazing, and shot at close range. The state Legislature banned the hunt in 1991, but, in 2003, opened the door to reviving it.
State wildlife officials have said this hunt won't be run like those earlier ones. The area where bison could be hunted was also expanded from the abbreviated hunt canceled earlier this year out of concern for Montana's image.
“We know there are real issues and concern with this hunt, particularly at the national level, but we've listened for 15 years and made some dramatic changes,” Aasheim said.
The Buffalo Field Campaign's Jose Quervo said Sunday that the group isn't satisfied. It wants greater tolerance of bison outside the park and takes issue with the season being called a fair-chase hunt. Seay called the hunt a “mockery.”
“There's nothing respectable about it, no matter what these classes entail,” she said.
Rossi said hunting is more than a sport to him and that the opportunity to pursue a bison - even if he doesn't kill one - is a dream.
“To be able to hunt something that was almost extinct, what a great honor and a thrill. Just THINK about it,” he said, as he waited to buy his hunting license.
Aasheim said he couldn't predict how many hunters might turn out on opening day.
When Rossi goes out, he plans to carry himself proudly.
“You're breaking ground here,” he said. “It's one of the first, and everyone is going to be watching.”
Bison basics
Bison by the numbers: An estimated 4,900 bison roam Yellowstone National Park, and it is common for some to leave in the winter to find forage in Montana. Some of the park bison also have brucellosis, a disease Montana ranchers worry could be spread to cattle.
The hunt: As many as 50 bison that leave Yellowstone can be killed during Montana's first bison hunt in 15 years. The three-month season begins Nov. 15, and is divided into two sections. Up to 25 bison can be killed in each.
The class: All hunters must take a training course from the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to participate in the hunt. The class covers topics ranging from the history of bison and hunting regulations to desired shot placement for what officials consider the most humane kills and dealing with potential encounters with protesters like Jose, and news reporters.
Associated Press
