Selecting a MT. FWP Director

[howler]

the Gov. Elect Bullock is in the early stages of selecting a new Director of the Montana FWP, this man will make or break the FWP, We need a man that is more than familar with sportsmens problems access issues, over indulgence in the selling of Elk B tags and deer B tags in area's with NO DEER, What kind of a Director do you think we need.

 

[jlmatthew]

You guys should steal Rick Cables from the Colorado Parks & Wildlife

Your landowners will absolutely love him!

 

[JLS]

I think Joe Maurier from Colorado Parks was sufficient (or not).

 

[howler]

yeah maybe we've had enough of colorado type managment.+

 

[Mule Deer]

Someone who isn't going to change anything but how many doe tags are given out.

Man this is a big deal.....

 

[Lawnboy]

Double post

 

[Lawnboy]

You would hope the local bio's would be able to determine the number if any on doe tags but that seems to be lacking in Region 3.

There's a few on here that I would love to see take a position like that. Too bad it will never happen.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Bottom line for me is FWP should be directed by a professional focused on best interests of fisheries and wildlife and sportsmen & women ... not on the direction of the political wind.

 

[muleguy]

My Christmas wish list:
Someone that did not hold secret meetings
Someone that would listen to area biologist and allow them to attend commishioner meetings
Someone that would fight to increase elk objective #
Someone that would work to get commishioners appointed that were big game hunters
Someone that believed we have a predator problem
Someone that realised that the elk and deer tags are what brings in the most revenue to the state.
Someone not from Colorado
These few things would be a good Christmans for a start.

 

[jlmatthew]

Someone that realised that the elk and deer tags are what brings in the most revenue to the state.

That is why you need Colorado style management. OTC tags for everyone! Landowner vouchers for your limited draw area's!

Lets be honest, when it comes to raising revenue from wildlife, Colorado is the best!

True you'll have very short and crowded seasons, but you'll have a very well funded wildlife dept. Even Big Fin thinks Colorado is the greatest place on earth for OYOA type hunters. C'mon on, you guys will love it LOL!

 

[utah400elk]

I am sure that Don Peay and Montana SFW are neck deep in pushing the next best guy for Montana. Look at all the money Utah has raised. Give SFW in Montana a chance and you could see Rifle elk rut hunts, hundreds of conservation tags and a poacher for a director. Who could argue those qualities? Just a little perspective to help you remember that things can always get worse.

 

[CILhunter]

Since Big Fin is out of the loop hunting, and not able to defend himself, I nominate him for the job!

 

[Ben Lamb]

My Christmas wish list:
Someone that did not hold secret meetings
Someone that would listen to area biologist and allow them to attend commishioner meetings
Someone that would fight to increase elk objective #
Someone that would work to get commishioners appointed that were big game hunters
Someone that believed we have a predator problem
Someone that realised that the elk and deer tags are what brings in the most revenue to the state.
Someone not from Colorado
These few things would be a good Christmans for a start.

That's a good list Mule Guy. Mine is this:

Someone who puts the well being of the agency and it's employees ahead of their own ambitions
Someone who understands the agency, it's culture, problems and mission
Someone who is an advocate for wildlife
Someone who is politically savvy
Someone who wants to build bridges with traditional constituents and non-traditional ones as well
Someone who understands the financial situation the Dept is in, and works to find creative ways to implement the NAM through alternative funding
Someone who isn't afraid to stand up for what is right regardless of who is pushing the wrong thing

Fin would be a great director. The confirmation hearing in the Senate would be better than Ali-Fraser.

I also nominate Tjones for the Commission.

 

[JLS]

Bottom line for me is FWP should be directed by a professional focused on best interests of fisheries and wildlife and sportsmen & women ... not on the direction of the political wind.

Or someone whose sole qualification was being Schweitzer's BFF from college.

 

[Eric Albus]

You guys don't think that the commissioner from Poplar would be a stellar choice as director??? I am hearing some very frightening/dividing names come up as to who will recieve the directorship. Hopefully Gov-Elect will make a good choice...and choose a qualified individual, not someone who will further divide landowner/sportsmen relations.

The new director should be someone who puts the resource first...then worries about the rest of the drivel that goes with his "appointment". If the resource is taken care of first and foremost, the rest all falls into place.

 

[Ben Lamb]

The new director should be someone who puts the resource first...then worries about the rest of the drivel that goes with his "appointment". If the resource is taken care of first and foremost, the rest all falls into place.

With you on that Eric. But that person also needs to figure out how to work the politics so that the division becomes less both on the ground, and at the Legislature.

84 bill draft requests. Most are going to be bad.

Overreaction by the Legislature only furthers the divide.

Who are you hearing?

 

[drahthaar]

WTH? 84? How many did it start out last year before whittling them down to what 34?

This isn't going to be good.

 

[Ben Lamb]

We went into the session with over 100 bill draft requests, ended up with 110 introduced and 169 requested.

And now we're up to 89. Mike Phillips from Bozeman put in 5 placeholders.

Many of these bills won't ever see the light of day and are submitted as placeholders. Still, the 2013 session is revving up to be on par with 2011.

If I were someone who is worried about what the new Governor was going to do if we can't kill many of these really bad bills, I'd be writing him and requesting that he keep the Branding Iron. Many first time Governors don't believe that can issue many vetoes.

 

[Eric Albus]

I will not throw the names out that I have heard, but suffice it to say that if both sides of the issues at hand are going to come together and find some common ground these guys rumored to be in the running will not be a help.
Wildlife management is not rocket science. Politics have made muddy the waters of wildlife managment...personally I am sick of biology taking a back seat to the whims of politics and the dollar. Right now the Dept. and Block Management are in a bind financially, and something needs be done to fix the problem(overspending 3-4x's on the Milk River Ranch is part of the problem)... deer numbers are at near historic lows in some areas, elk numbers are down in many areas(up in others) and predators are a major problem that nobody seems to want to touch. Grizzly bears and wolves are not a "threatened, or endangered species"...there are litterally thousands of wolves and hundreds of bears from Yellowstone to the Yukon(Y2Y, another suggested "park"), & Ak.. Mountain lions need predator status, same as wolves. Grizzly bears need to have a limited permit system and be hunted back to tolerable numbers....fewer predators, more game for the sporting public... more dollars spent...simple supply side economics.

 

[Lawnboy]

You guys that are informed on this kind of stuff always let us know who to call and where to raise a stink. Is there anything we can do (call/write) to persuade the gov. to possibly pick someone that you know and feel would be the best candidate.

Feels pretty helpless just sitting here hearing the horror stories that could happen. Why not throw some names out that are possible candidates and we bombard the office with public comment?