MT Wolf Season Extension Comments due today

[Ben Lamb]

http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/opportunityForPublicComment/proposedWolfSeasonRefinements.html

http://fwp.mt.gov/fwpDoc.html?id=53303

FWP is proposing to extend the wolf hunting season until the end of January, 2012. Get your comments in today.

Also on the interested persons letter is a proposal to allow hunters to take depredating wolves:

PROPOSED PROCESS TO ALLOW WOLF DEPREDATION REMOVALS BY
HUNTERS FOR 2012 AND 2013
Elements of this proposal include those listed below.
• To enhance timeliness, livestock producers would identify the hunters to be authorized.
• Livestock producers must allow a reasonable amount of no-fee wolf hunting access
during the wolf hunting season.
• Hunters must have a valid wolf license.
• Hunters must report any kill within 12 hours.
• Hunters are meant to complement existing efforts by landowners and USDA Wildlife
Services.
• This hunter option is not required but may be implemented with coordination by
livestock producers, USDA Wildlife Services and FWP.
• This hunter option is available whenever there is no need to specifically identify the age,
sex, color or identify of any wolf prior to lethal removal.
• All lethal removals by livestock producers, USDA Wildlife Services and/or hunters must
be consistent with FWP lethal removal prescription.

 

[shoots-straight]

Thanks for the notice Ben. I filled in the blanks. It was really easy to do and didn't take a long time. The flip side to this, is all the wolf lovers are in full attack on this comment page. So join in all you hunt talkers and do your part now that we have a wolf season, and management.

 

[Big Fin]

Man, that was easy. Thanks for making it so easy, Ben. Hope all of you weigh in. It takes less than two minutes, unless you forget how to spell your name.

 

[Brandenbowhunter]

Thanks Ben,

the hard part was trying to figure out how to say it nicely!

 

[Ben Lamb]

Our comments:

MWF Comments on extending the 2011/2012 Wolf Hunting Season:

On behalf of the Montana Wildlife Federation (MWF), Montana’s oldest and largest hunter/angler conservation organization, please accept the following brief comments regarding extending the 2011/2012 Wolf Hunting Season. MWF has approximately 7,000 members who hunt, fish and recreate in Montana. Our 24 affiliated Rod and Gun Clubs stretch from Miles City to Libby, and from Kalispell to West Yellowstone.

Wolf Season Extension:
MWF has been actively and vigorously involved in returning management of grey wolves to the State of Montana, and as such, we are strongly in favor of extending the wolf season until the quota is filled or until at least January 31st. As is biologically and administratively proper, we also would encourage the FWP Commission to consider extending this season further if the quota of 220 has not been met.

Furthermore, we would encourage FWP and the Commission to establish criteria for meeting quotas in areas that have depressed ungulate numbers. MWF notes that while FWP is considering a proposal that would utilize hunter conservationists to help reduce the negative impact to livestock producers, yet no such proposal exists for areas such as Hunt District 250. We encourage FWP to follow the logic established for Game Damage hunts and institute similar options for these HD’s that continue to be severely under objective.

Allowing Wolf Depredation Removal by Hunters for 2012 and 2013
MWF has been actively pursuing a proposal similar to this for the last two years, and we are grateful that FWP has moved this forward. MWF supports the concept of allowing hunters to harvest depredating wolves, and we greatly appreciate the ability for landowners and hunters to work together to manage wolf populations. MWF is greatly encouraged by this forward thinking proposal and expresses its support. Utilizing hunters to help manage all wildlife populations is a tried and true method of wildlife management under the North American Model of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, and while we recognize that this program will receive some final finishing touches, we believe that the proposal as listed is a good starting point in helping remove problematic wolves as they cause issues for livestock producers.

We would furthermore ask that this proposal be modified to allow for the take of wolves in areas where their quotas have not been met so long as they are in conjunction with hunting districts that are below objective for ungulate populations such as elk, deer and moose.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this proposal.