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Wilks elk license

“At last, the Wilks brothers got what they wanted but money couldn’t buy: the guaranteed opportunity to hunt trophy elk on their ranch.
In a hastily arranged Zoom meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 24 -- to accommodate the personal international travel of Commissioner Walsh -- and with minimal advanced public notice, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission gifted coveted elk permits to large landowners. The Wilks brothers and their designees will now receive eight permits to hunt trophy bull elk on their ranch in the Snowy Mountains south of Lewistown this upcoming hunting season, and in return the public hunter gets little.
Under "Public Elk Hunting Access Agreements," landowners agree to open some of their private land to limited public hunting; in return, they get compensated. At face value, this doesn’t sound too terrible, however, the devil is in the details.”

It continues
 
“First, this is Montana -- not Texas, not New Mexico, not Utah and certainly not New Jersey. Landowners should absolutely be compensated for opening public access, but trophy bull elk should not be the bargaining chip; this privatization will only further incentivize landowners to block and limit public access rather than encourage it.
Second, as conceived, the Wilkses get to specify the terms of the contract within the sideboards set by the Legislature, which effectively eliminates the involvement of the public as well as FWP field biologists to ensure these deals are indeed equitable, sustainable and consistent with long-term public interests.

In this case, in exchange for receiving eight elk permits (above and beyond what field biologists recommended for this area), the Wilks Ranch will allow eight current permit holders the opportunity to hunt elk on the ranch along with 16 others who drew a 411 cow permit. According to the contract language, the Wilks Ranch gets to hand-pick these eight either-sex (bull) permit holders according to, among other qualifiers: “... who contribute to the success of the Ranch.”
 
“The 16 cow elk permit holders will be randomly selected by FWP and must agree to be accompanied by the ranch manager at all times, must schedule their harvests at least 30 days in advance, and is limited to five harvest days between Oct. 23 - Feb. 1.
Similar agreements have existed previously, but have never been this egregious. Amendments to a bill that was decried by hunters as it passed on the second to last day of the legislative session this year lowered the number of public hunters needed from four to three and added that the landowner gets to choose one-third of those public hunters rather than all of them being equitably selected by FWP. In this perverted case, the Wilkses choose who hunts the limited-entry bulls while FWP randomly chooses the cow harvesters.”
 
“So what are we do?
The only real remedy to ensure Montana’s fish and wildlife is managed for and on behalf of the citizens of the state -- which certainly includes landowners -- is to revamp the system to elect rather than appoint the FWP commissioners. This would establish the necessary accountability to the public as opposed to special interests. Until then, however, we will sadly bear witness to the steady privatization and commercialization of our publicly-owned fish and wildlife which, up to this point, made Montana the envy of the world.
Thomas Baumeister is the Capital Chapter leader of the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.
 
Dakotakid said:
“So what are we do?
The only real remedy to ensure Montana’s fish and wildlife is managed for and on behalf of the citizens of the state -- which certainly includes landowners -- is to revamp the system to elect rather than appoint the FWP commissioners. This would establish the necessary accountability to the public as opposed to special interests. Until then, however, we will sadly bear witness to the steady privatization and commercialization of our publicly-owned fish and wildlife which, up to this point, made Montana the envy of the world.
Thomas Baumeister is the Capital Chapter leader of the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.
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Where have you been? The duly elected powers in this state have created the political climate that resulted in this debacle. Electing the FWP Commission at this juncture would merely add to fuel the fire burning down viable wildlife management and the historic Montana public hunting legacy.
 
Straight Arrow said:
Where have you been? The duly elected powers in this state have created the political climate that resulted in this debacle. Electing the FWP Commission at this juncture would merely add to fuel the fire burning down viable wildlife management and the historic Montana public hunting legacy.
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If they add R or D to the names I could see it being a blood bath but what if they are not allowed to be affiliated?
 
Anyone else find it convenient that they get to hand select who hunts bulls and FWP randomly selects the cow hunters. This stinks of the "good ol boys club"... I hope it doesn't turn into New Mexico out there.
 
Wind Gypsy said:
If they add R or D to the names I could see it being a blood bath but what if they are not allowed to be affiliated?
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Theoretically fine. But in practicality unrealistic. Consider the Public Service Commission ... supposedly apolitical ... but not in reality.
If wildlife advocates and hunters want viable solutions and realistic changes, then elected officials in the Legislature and the Governor's office must be those with different values than those of today.
 
I have no idea what it would take to make the change to make the commission an elected body, but I think it would likely produce better results than what we currently have, but maybe worse results than what we have had in the past.

All that said, changing the makeup of the legislature and or/governor seems a far less likely possibility than electing a better commission. The democratic party is a well too-poisoned to have any shot in the meaningful future in this state, and the R's point to the lunacy of the Ds to justify their own. It stinks and I don't know what the answer is.
 
EYJONAS! said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't there a thread on this very site. That commended and welcomed ol Hank with open arms? Now nobody likes him🤣

Pretty sad to see where all this shit is heading anymore.
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Given the choices that were there at the time, and the past history, yeah. I still think he's a good man, with whom I strongly disagree on policy issues.

Hank hasn't lied to the public. Quite the contrary, he seems to lean in on unpopular opinions & does the job he was hired to do: Advance the Governor's agenda.
 
Ben Lamb said:
Given the choices that were there at the time, and the past history, yeah. I still think he's a good man, with whom I strongly disagree on policy issues.

Hank hasn't lied to the public. Quite the contrary, he seems to lean in on unpopular opinions & does the job he was hired to do: Advance the Governor's agenda.
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Once again I bow to you sir.
 
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