Proof That "Official" Wolf Count is Light

[BigHornRam]

Agents kill 2 wolves near Hall
By KIM BRIGGEMAN of the Missoulian



Two wolves from a new pack in the northern Flint Creek Valley were killed Tuesday on private property near Hall.

Federal agents from USDA Wildlife Services shot the wolves after confirming that the deaths of a calf and two sheep were caused by wolves.

A buck sheep was killed outright. A ewe and the calf in the same pasture were severely injured and had to be put down, said Liz Bradley, a wolf management specialist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.


FWP authorized the lethal removal of the wolves.

Tracks of multiple wolves were present at the kill site, and Bradley said at least two animals remain in the pack, which probably ranges east from Highway 1 to Gold Creek.

“We suspected there was a pack in there this summer. We got reports from a ranch to the east of there,” said Bradley.

Attempts to trap the wolves in order to radio-collar them were unsuccessful, and “the wolves seemed to disappear,” she said. “We got kind of scattered reports, but not a lot of tracks through the fall. It really wasn't until this incident that we confirmed we did have a pack in there.”

FWP's attempts this week to trap and radio-collar a remaining wolf have been stymied by cold.

The Flint pack is the second in the area, joining the Willow Creek pack to the southwest of Hall.

There are also signs of two new packs in the Philipsburg area. Bradley said one ranges on the main fork of Rock Creek, the other on the East Fork. The first has about five wolves, the second three. None have been radio-collared.

They join the already established Sapphire pack in upper Rock Creek, one of the largest in the region. Officials said 14 animals remained in the pack after five were legally killed following depredations in July and September.

Bradley classified winter wolf kills as scattered. Continued depredations of livestock on the Rocky Mountain Front west of Bowman's Corner prompted authorization to kill two more wolves last week after three were killed in December.

“Normally, our problems peak more in spring at calving time and in late summer and September,” Bradley said.

A recent report of wolf tracks just east of Missoula doesn't necessarily mean a pack has formed there, Bradley said.

“Wolves travel around a lot in the wintertime,” Bradley said. “They're defending their territory or there's a single animal that's passing through, maybe looking for a mate. They really can just show up anywhere.

“Right now it's just before breeding season, and they're actually kind of checking each other out and going outside their normal territories.”

Wolves are expected to be delisted from the federal endangered species list next month, and wildlife managers in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have tentatively adopted hunting seasons. Changes in the federal 10(j) rule will also give the states greater discretion over when and for what reasons they can order the execution of wolves.

To learn more about Montana's recovered wolf population, go to www.fwp.mt.gob/wildthings/

wolf. Sightings of wolves or wolf sign can be reported on the Web site, helping FWP with the inexact science of verifying the activities, distribution and pack size of the state's wolf population.

 

[Bambistew]

Nothing new.

 

[280]

******yawn*******

 

[Hntnhrd]

About two hours ago I was up on the the east side of the valley. The ranchers there were driving around ( according to one of them) apparently looking for a couple wolves that are getting into their heifers. Looks like there might be a couple more of those articles in the near future.

 

[BigHornRam]

Proof That the Bush Administration Hates Wolves

Conservation Groups Challenge Bush Administration Wolf Killing Plan

“It’s going to be open season on wolves,” says Natural Resources Defense Council


LIVINGSTON, Mont. (January 24, 2008) – Conservation groups say they will file a lawsuit in federal court immediately to block a rule announced today by the Bush administration that will allow the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to kill most of the threatened wolves in the Northern Rockies. The new “10(j)” rule widens a loophole in the Endangered Species Act that permits the killing of hundreds of wolves even though the animals are considered at risk of extinction. State plans to hunt, trap and shoot wolves from airplanes threaten to reverse one of the greatest wildlife recovery stories in U.S. history, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).


“The Bush administration is giving a blank check to the states to slaughter wolves for doing what they need to do to make a living – which is eating deer and elk,” said the NRDC’s Louisa Willcox. “The government spent millions of dollars to reintroduce wolves to the wild in the Northern Rockies, and now it wants to spend millions more to kill them. That’s crazy.”


The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service announced today it will publish the rule in the Federal Register on January 28. The rule allows states to kill wolves that they believe are adversely affecting on elk. But elk numbers in the region are at an all-time high. Despite this fact, the states of Wyoming and Idaho have made it clear that they intend to manage wolves at the minimum allowable level, leaving alive as few as 600 of the 1,500 wolves now living in the region. According to the rule, aerial gunning and shooting from the ground will be used to kill wolves.


The rule precedes an expected decision to remove wolves from the endangered species list next month. After that happens, wolf numbers could be reduced to as few as 300.


“I’m prepared to bid for the first ticket to shoot a wolf myself,” said Idaho Gov. Butch Otter at a press conference at the state Capitol in Boise on January 11, 2007.

Wyoming officials say they ultimately aim to kill two-thirds of the approximately 300 wolves on state land according to an article published in the Billings Gazette on June 11, 2007, leaving about 100 animals alive – the minimum number allowed by federal law.

The reintroduction of wolves by the federal government 12 years ago has been widely hailed as a major success story. It has measurably improved the natural balance in the Northern Rockies and benefited bird, antelope and elk populations, according to NRDC. Many thousands of visitors flock to Yellowstone National Park each year to see and hear wolves in the wild, contributing at least $35 million to the local economy each year, the group said.

“Wolves are one of the main attractions for visitors at Yellowstone National Park. People are amazed and awed when they see them,” said Willcox. “Their recovery after more than a century of extermination is nothing short of miraculous. Turning back the clock would be a huge mistake.”

Conservation groups oppose the revised 10(j) wolf killing rule and the decision to delist wolves because the wolves’ numbers, genetic diversity and geographic spread have not increased enough to ensure their long-term survival. But the loophole announced today allows the slaughter to begin even before the wolves are formally delisted. It also will allow the state and federal governments to continue killing wolves if conservation groups are successful in slowing or stopping delisting through litigation.


In revising the 10(j) rule, the Fish and Wildlife Service says it needs to make killing wolves easier to protect big game from wolf predation. However, current rules already allow wolves to be killed if the states can show that they are the “primary” cause of elk, moose and deer depletion. The new rule allows wolves to be killed anywhere big game herds are considered below desired management levels, even though studies show that elk populations are particularly high and not in jeopardy.

Thousands of gray wolves roamed the Rocky Mountains before being slaughtered and eliminated in most of the West by the 1930’s. The gray wolf was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1973. Reintroduction efforts placed 66 wolves in Yellowstone National Park and part of Idaho in 1995-96. As many as 1,500 wolves now live in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

“The federal government is giving the states a license to kill under almost any circumstance,” said Willcox. “It’s going to be open season on wolves.”


# # #


The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.2 million members and online activists nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing

 

[280]

BHR ,,,since you are the one cut'n and pasting all the wolf stories let me ask ya ,,,what have you done to help insure the wolf season happens here in Montana?,,,write any letters? make in phone calls? attend any meetings?,,my guess is "sittin on the sidelines"

 

[Bambistew]

Ok... So how many wolves were supposed to have been in the area prior to the 'slaughter'? I've never reserched that... it would be intersting to know how the present population compares.

Also what leg will the wolf huggers have to stand on in a lawsuit? I was under the impression that the feds did everything by the book (and more), not only because they had too, but because they didn't want to get tied up in the delisting.

 

[Tom]

Who ,,, do,,, you,,, ,,, think ,,, he ,,, ,,, should,,, ,,, ,,, write, 280???

 

[280]

feds did everything by the book (and more), [/QUOTE

as did Montana

 

[brymoore]

It'll be years before wolf seasons open in Western states. The lawsuits are just beginning.

 

[shoots-straight]

The Quote "Slaughter" that the bunny huggers suggest will take place still has to be approved by Ed Bangs, the man in charge of the recovery effort. Whomever wrote the article from Livingston was an idiot. Wilcox is also a idiot. Just read what the new criteria states and it dispels the notion that the wolf is in jeopardy of mass destruction. Montana will not use the new ruling to control wolf numbers, their plan to wait and let sport hunters control the numbers.

By the way anybody who wishes to comment on FWP's new season's and structure need to asap. [email protected]

BHR ,,,since you are the one cut'n and pasting all the wolf stories let me ask ya ,,,what have you done to help insure the wolf season happens here in Montana?,,,write any letters? make in phone calls? attend any meetings?,,my guess is "sittin on the sidelines"

I actually saw MR. Bighorn at a tentative meeting in Hamilton, although he didn't testify, or wait for me to introduce myself in person.

 

[Hntnhrd]

SS you didn't introduce yourself to me either!!!! J/k I saw paul there too.

280 maybe the question should be turned to you. I only see your posts where you are slamming someone do you ever contribute anything positive?

 

[280]

do you ever contribute anything positive?

No

I saw paul there too.

did you speak, or just sit on your hands?

 

[shoots-straight]

SS you didn't introduce yourself to me either!!!! J/k I saw paul there too.

I testified 4 different times, if I'd known whom you were I would have. I wasn't the dip chit from the West Fork that testified twice on each subject though. I was the Good looking guy that testified for early lion season's, and against A-9,B12 tags, and for the FWP to follow the Elk Management Plan that they wrote.

As for the fact's concerning the lawsuits, I see no merit in anything the huggers address, and hope that any decent Judge will see the same and move on quickly.

 

[Hntnhrd]

280 I didn't say a word at the meeting But sent 8 paragraphs worth of comments the next day in writting via email. I like to think through my comments before spewing them forth like diarreha.

SS Yeah what the heck was up with that guy. Everything semed to go back to area 270 and 250 even when they were discussing the breaks archery permits. I was the even better looking guy tahn you sitting a couple rows behind the guys from the Ravalli County Wildlife . I thought there would actually be more people there. Surprisingly there didn't seem anyone opposed to the wolf hunts.

 

[BigHornRam]

Can't argue with a word of this sportsmans comments in the this mornings paper.

Wolves no longer need endangered species protection
By JOHN BENDA



I just got home from the yearly Fish, Wildlife and Parks Hunting Regulations comments meeting held at the U.S. Forest Service Superior ranger station. Communities all across the state are experiencing this annual winter forum presented by our dedicated FWP staff, ours being from Missoula District 2.

I was very proud of my fellow Mineral County residents. Of the 40 or so who showed up to the comments meeting, all carried themselves elegantly for the two-hour meeting. Everyone was very polite towards the three representatives from FWP, yet assertive about asking honest questions about the future potential changes in the regulations. I felt that they listened. I felt we were heard.

As the group went through the scheduled FWP itinerary, beginning with potential season date changes, then on to deer, elk and turkey unit regulations and quota changes, and so on and so forth, I glanced at the last topic to be covered that evening: wolves. We all sat patiently waiting for that final topic for information and then debate. I would like to make reference to the Jan. 20 Missoulian article, “Wolves in the delisting crosshairs,” for anyone who wants a recap of the history of the wolf and wolf reintroduction into Montana the past decade.


The “tentative” wolf hunting regulations which may possibly be implemented this fall if the wolf is delisted in a timely enough manner is a hot topic. There were many comments concerning the proposal and the crowd was educated by the FWP officials as to the number of verified packs ranging in Mineral County along the I-90 corridor from Fish Creek to Big Creek at Haugan. Five confirmed packs, of which four contain one collared wolf each. The packs range from six to 12 wolves, which equates to about 45 wolves. In the past three years, all of us who live in Mineral County have definitely seen behavioral changes in the deer, elk and moose herds, as well as population and distribution changes. Wolves are regularly seen and heard, and their predation effects on the ungulate wildlife herds are obvious. The few local ranchers who contribute so much to the community and the hunting population by opening their land for us to hunt upon are especially concerned, for their livestock have been killed by these wolves along with rural landowner pets.

I dwell on the word “patience,” as I used earlier, for now is the time that delisting of the wolf must take place. The quality of the ungulate herds although good is on that teetering point where all could go south very quickly. The qualifying numbers of breeding packs for delisting have more than been met, and this is truly another success story for American wildlife.

At the turn of the 20th century, market hunters nearly destroyed the wildlife across the lower 48 states. Sportsmen’s ethical values and their understanding of the importance of our existence with nature underwent a significant maturity then. Sportsmen organized in the 1920s and ’30s to bring back the wildlife. With great personal dedication and political will they brought back decimated species one after another. This endeavor can be considered one of our country’s greatest achievements, in which most all the credit belongs to the American sportsmen, state and federal wildlife agencies, and conservation organizations. It was their commitment that has now allowed for the last and final of all great North American predators to be running naturally again, the wolf. For without the resurgence of deer, elk and the like, there would be no predators.

However, wolf reintroduction did not come easily to Montana ranchers and sportsmen. Since their reintroduction in 1995, sportsmen and ranchers alike feared the results of what would become of their vast huntable ungulate herds and livestock. They voiced their opinions, fought against it in many a forum, but in the end it was something that was inevitably forced upon them. We have waited patiently for the past 14 years and grown to understand more about the wolf and its place in our world. These animals now too can be managed with the same respect as the rest of our wildlife.

Yes, the time to delist the wolf is now. Sportsmen and ranchers have been more than patient, and have actually adjusted their attitudes this past decade in working within this new era of the predator wolf. It is time that the wildlife and wilderness defense groups with their selfish agendas back away from the courts with more lawsuits or appeals that will slow the delisting process. We as sportsmen have shown our patience, now you must show your respect to us. The wolf would not be running again in the mountains and prairies of Montana if it weren’t for the century-long efforts of the American sportsmen waiting patiently for the day the wolf is delisted.

John Benda is the chief bowhunting education instructor in Mineral County. He has taught bowhunting education for 15 years. He writes from Superior.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

They are confirmed as being in Eastern Oregon now...

 

[BigHornRam]

That didn't take long. Question: Why did the USFWS even mess with changing the 10j rule, when according to Shoot's Straight, delisting is going to take place next month and a hunting season in Montana will take place this fall?

Environmental groups sue over wolf plan
By JOHN CRAMER of the Missoulian



Environmental groups filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to stop the federal government from giving states more leeway to kill protected gray wolves in the Northern Rockies.

The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Missoula, challenges the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision Thursday to loosen restrictions on when wolves could be killed to protect game herds, pack animals and dogs in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

Environmentalists called the decision an invitation to “wholesale slaughter” of wolves, but federal officials called it a minor revision before next month's expected removal of wolves from the endangered species list.


The revised rule, which would go into effect only if the delisting is held up in court, involves wolves in the Yellowstone National Park area and in central Idaho, where they were reintroduced in the mid-1990s as “nonessential, experimental” populations.

The new rule does not affect wolves in northwest Montana, where they naturally recolonized from Canada in the early 1980s.

Ed Bangs, wolf coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the rule was revised to give states more flexibility to kill a relatively small number of wolves while an expected legal battle plays out after wolves are delisted next month.

Wyoming and Idaho have proposed to kill several dozen wolves under the revised rule. Montana has not proposed to kill any under the new rule.

The rule also was revised in order for Wyoming's wolf management plan to be accepted and the delisting to move forward, Bangs said.

“This rule has got tons of safeguards and it's based on solid science,” he said.

Environmental groups said all but 600 - 200 each in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana - of the region's 1,500 wolves could be killed under the new rule.

“This is a giant step backward. There is absolutely no reason to begin a wholesale slaughter of the region's wolves,” said Suzanne Stone, a wolf conservation specialist for Defenders of Wildlife, one of seven environmental groups that filed an injunction to block the rule.

Federal officials want to allow state wildlife and tribal agencies the opportunity to kill wolves that have a major impact on elk, deer and other ungulates, whose populations are at or above state management goals in most of the Northern Rockies.

The previous rule, which federal officials decided was unattainable, required states to show that wolves were the primary cause of a decline in ungulate populations.

Federal officials determined wolves alone were not likely to be the primary cause for reducing ungulate populations, which also are influenced by other predators, habitat, hunting, weather and other factors.

Under the revised rule, states and tribes that want to kill wolves must submit proposals for scientific and public review.

The proposals must show wolves are a major cause for declining ungulate numbers, that efforts are being made to address other major causes for the ungulate decline and that the state's wolf population would not drop below 200.

Wolves were officially recovered in the northern Rockies by 2002, when their population reached at least 300 across the entire region. Since then, the region's wolf population has grown to an estimated 1,545.

Federal officials said wolves' rapid reproduction, abundant prey and influx from other packs would keep wolf populations at high levels.

Montana, Wyoming and Idaho would take over management of wolves within their borders if next month's delisting goes forward. The states' plans include proposed hunting seasons on wolves.

Federal regulations require each state to maintain a minimum of 100 wolves, including 10 breeding pairs.

The states' management plans would curtail hunting when their total population drops below 450. Federal protection would resume if their numbers drop below 300.

Environmental groups say the region can support 2,000 to 3,000 wolves in a “meta-population” that freely intermingles.

Federal officials said such intermingling already happens and that wolves now occupy most suitable habitat in the northern Rockies.

Earthjustice is representing Defenders of Wildlife, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Humane Society of the United States, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, and Friends of the Clearwater in the lawsuit.

 

[shoots-straight]

That didn't take long. Question: Why did the USFWS even mess with changing the 10j rule, when according to Shoot's Straight, delisting is going to take place next month and a hunting season in Montana will take place this fall?

Big Whore seems I'm not the only one that thinks the wolf will be delisted next month, Oh by the way thanks for the enfo that backs me up.

Ed Bangs, wolf coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the rule was revised to give states more flexibility to kill a relatively small number of wolves while an expected legal battle plays out after wolves are delisted next month.

This came from the head of the wolf recovery. Duh!

 

[BigHornRam]

"It also will allow the state and federal governments to continue killing wolves if conservation groups are successful in slowing or stopping delisting through litigation."

You must have skimmed past this paragraph in one of my earlier posts Shoot's Self. Does delisting actually occur if the wolfers win in court? Do you think this group will have the resources to win in court or at least drag delisting out for 10 years?.............

"The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.2 million members and online activists nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing"

Please tell us what year you think Montana's wolf season will take place.