Wolverine trapping season haulted

[tjones]

A state district court judge has halted Montana's wolverine trapping season while he prepares to hear arguments on why the animal should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The Helena-based Western Environmental Law Center led a slate of eight environmental and conservation groups in suing the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks over the trapping season.

District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock will hear the full case Jan. 10.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed wolverines on its "warranted but precluded" list of candidate species for ESA protection in 2010. That meant it had reason to believe wolverines were at risk of extinction in the continental United States, but lacked the money or resources to complete its research.

The agency estimates between 250 and 300 wolverines live south of the Canadian border. About 150 of them are in Montana.

FWP allowed five wolverines to be trapped per season. The 2012 season was scheduled to open on Saturday.

 

[Bambistew]

So what's your take on this?

If there are really that few, does it make sense to keep trapping them, and feel good about doing so?

 

[tjones]

Out of 150 in the state, trappers taking 5 makes no difference. IIRC there were only 2 taken last year.

 

[RobertR]

These environment groups cannot change the climate which I believe is effectiving the wolverine. One other thing is some of there prey is not as abundant.

These wacos use trapping as an excuse to ban anything possible.
I have infiltrated some of their message boards and have asked several times is they were to eliminate hunting and trapping how they would manage wildlife and their habitat and no one can give a straight forward answer.
I call these anti wacos Internet predators and they immediately go off the deep end every time. They target trapping sights and steal pictures and circulate them on the web.

 

[Wyodeerhunter]

Out of 150 in the state, trappers taking 5 makes no difference. IIRC there were only 2 taken last year.

Two reported.

 

[shoots-straight]

So what's your take on this?

If there are really that few, does it make sense to keep trapping them, and feel good about doing so?

How many do you suppose there were in Montana when Lewis and Clark came through? There never will be the numbers of Wolves, Griz, Elk, Deer, or Bison. Wolverine aren't any different.

Lions are the biggest predator of Wolverine. If 5 were taken, that hardily would do anything to the over all population. The fact that less than that are taken only adds to that assumption.

 

[Bigbuckkiller]

Got one with the car on the way to school the other day here in CO.

 

[huntRme]

Back in the 60's some deer hunter shot one in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Up until then they were thought to be extinct in the state. Since then there has been an effort to find out how many are actually in the state, and many have been photographed using bait and trail cams. I don't expect to ever see one.

 

[mtmuley]

I think the core issue is the trapping itself. Once the anti's get a foothold, so to speak, they will go after something else. I shake my head when I read or hear comments from hunters that are for a trapping ban. Little by litttle the enviros will chip away at what we do. mtmuley