Loco for lobo-puffs!

[Ben Lamb]

http://www.mtbullypulpit.org/2012/01/wolf-you-feed.html

We’re coming up on the end of Wolf season. It’s the second time in history that there was a regulated wolf hunt in the lower 48 United States. The first being in 2009, before the Simpson/Tester delisting rider passed congress.

It's been interesting to watch the adjustments made at the Commission level, from the elimination of hunter orange after the big game season to using hunters to help remove problem wolves, to extending the Bitterroot season until April 1st. Some of it makes sense, like extending the general season to February 15th, in the hopes of adding a few more wolves to the quota. Others tested our collective conscience of what it means to be an ethical hunter.

The West Fork of the Bitterroot is ground zero in the wolf saga of Montana. That iconic herd of elk has crashed, and crashed hard. There are a number of reasons why that crash happened, and yes, wolves had something to do with it. But a little known law had more to do with it. The law, HB 42 passed in 2003 required FWP to manage “at or below” objectives for elk. The Legislature mandated that we manage below carrying capacity. Like it was as easy as passing a bill.

 

[tjones]

What if the reason lions are killing more elk then wolves is because wolves are pushing the cats of their kills, thus making them kill more often?

 

[Ben Lamb]

What if the reason lions are killing more elk then wolves is because wolves are pushing the cats of their kills, thus making them kill more often?

Then we continue to adjust lion quotas and permits as the science dictates.

What if we kill a ton of predators, and the elk don't come back?

 

[1_pointer]

Then we continue to adjust lion quotas and permits as the science dictates.

What if we kill a ton of predators, and the elk don't come back?

But Don Peay says that predators are THE problem...

 

[Ben Lamb]

And all he needs is your tag to raise the money to kill them all.

 

[1_pointer]

And all he needs is your tag to raise the money to kill them all.

Yep! SFH was approached about throwing some money into the kittey for a large multi-agency project along the UT/WY border. Don's response the the requested amout was, "That's only 3 elk tags!"...

 

[Ben Lamb]

"That's only three hunters who will never get a shot at a DIY hunt!"

 

[tjones]

Then we continue to adjust lion quotas and permits as the science dictates.

What if we kill a ton of predators, and the elk don't come back?

What if we can't harvest more lions because the wolves are killing the lion dogs?

 

[Ben Lamb]

How many lion dogs have been killed up there this year?

 

[1_pointer]

"That's only three hunters who will never get a shot at a DIY hunt!"

Yep. It's no secret who and for what he panders too...

 

[tjones]

How many lion dogs have been killed up there this year?

None, they don't turn out with wolves in the area.

 

[trevore]

Ben:

Is there anything anywhere in the books about a minimum acceptable level, with regards to population for game? Is there a set threshold where measures would be taken to ensure the herd rebounds, somewhere? What would it take to get that into the "books"? Any ideas.

 

[Ben Lamb]

None, they don't turn out with wolves in the area.

Do you think that if they did, the wolf harvest would increase?

 

[tjones]

Do you think that if they did, the wolf harvest would increase?

The hound harvest would, for sure.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Ben:

Is there anything anywhere in the books about a minimum acceptable level, with regards to population for game? Is there a set threshold where measures would be taken to ensure the herd rebounds, somewhere? What would it take to get that into the "books"? Any ideas.

The only real direction that FWP has received in game management from the Legislature is to manage at or below objective.

FWP could increase the objective, ensuring better elk numbers, or they could ask that HB 42 be retracted so that they are not forced to kill healthy herds down to socially acceptable levels.

Problem becomes, as we are seeing, that it's more than one issue affecting those herds - so sportsmen and agencies need to look at the entire picture rather than blaming one species for the decline.

The tools are there, we just need to get the legislature out of the way.

Tjones can answer this better than I can though.

 

[tjones]

Ben:

Is there anything anywhere in the books about a minimum acceptable level, with regards to population for game? Is there a set threshold where measures would be taken to ensure the herd rebounds, somewhere? What would it take to get that into the "books"? Any ideas.

The Montana Elk Management Plan has minimum bull/cow, cow/calf numbers. When numbers drop far enough it then triggers more restrictive hunting seasons. Two years at each season type without recover triggers more restrictions. The problems is once population numbers drop far enough and predator numbers rise high enough you can't recruit enough calves to grow the population.

The west fork's woes started long before the wolf took a good hold. 6 years of either sex hunting, thanks to Debbie Barrett, and HB42 sent a lot of elk home in the back of trucks. At the same time lion harvest was cut back to almost nothing, and the wolf numbers starting to grow. We have way more problems then then soluations right now.

 

[Ben Lamb]

The west fork's woes started long before the wolf took a good hold. 6 years of either sex hunting, thanks to Debbie Barrett, and HB42 sent a lot of elk home in the back of trucks. At the same time lion harvest was cut back to almost nothing, and the wolf numbers starting to grow. We have way more problems then then soluations right now.

Also - increased loss of land from sub-divisions, dought, fire, etc, etc.

HB 42 was the biggest factor, IMO.

 

[trevore]

The Montana Elk Management Plan has minimum bull/cow, cow/calf numbers. When numbers drop far enough it then triggers more restrictive hunting seasons. Two years at each season type without recover triggers more restrictions. The problems is once population numbers drop far enough and predator numbers rise high enough you can't recruit enough calves to grow the population.

The west fork's woes started long before the wolf took a good hold. 6 years of either sex hunting, thanks to Debbie Barrett, and HB42 sent a lot of elk home in the back of trucks. At the same time lion harvest was cut back to almost nothing, and the wolf numbers starting to grow. We have way more problems then then soluations right now.

I see. Seems those same numbers should trigger a higher quota/tag allotment for predators in a given region.

 

[shoots-straight]

Also the EMP didn't compute the wolf in it's decision making process, with regards to impact on elk herds. That in it's self should give us the fuel to force a redo on that plan.

 

[Rat Fink]

Also the EMP didn't compute the wolf in it's decision making process, with regards to impact on elk herds. That in it's self should give us the fuel to force a redo on that plan.

Excellent point.