I'm in the same boat as you, interested in knowing how this all shakes out.
Here is the quick outline,
MT and ID have wolf management plans approved by the USFWS. WY does not have approval, yet. The MT and ID plans were approved a long time ago. I think in 2005 or 2006. WY was approved, then rejected in court, then re-sbumitted and rejected, and they still are in a spat with USFWS over such.
USFWS allowed for MT and ID to go forward with out plans and hunting seasons. That gave us wolf hunts in 2009.
Wolf lovers sued, claiming it was all three states, or none of the three states. Federal Judge Malloy agreed with the, so MT and ID lost our wolf season, until such time the USFWS would accept the WY plan. We still don't have our wolf season, as we are waiting for USFWS and WY to settle their feud.
Still no progress with USFWS and WY, though they are meeting this week. Without progress between them, MT and ID sit in the gates, waiting to implement our plans, and watching our elk and moose get eaten by wolves.
Last fall, a bill is introduced by Max Baucus, a Senator from MT. Not a very good bill, but would give MT and ID temporary relief. It dies after the election.
In February, Rep. Simpson from ID works with Senator Tester from MT to get language put in the budget bills that would allow MT and ID to go about our business while WY and the USFWS work out their problems.
Great language, compared to the Baucus bill of last fall, though still not the answer to every single problem. Though it is not a home run, most in the known of political realities view it to be a triple. This language is now called the Simpson-Testser language.
The House and Senate need to get the budget bills to the President, rather than these two and three week stop -gap measures we have seen in the last two months. Those budget bills have the Simpson-Tester language.
Once this Simpson-Tester language was placed in these bills, SFW started lobbying behind the scenes to get the bills killed that would let MT and ID be disconnected from WY. Rumor of such started last month, but it was all confirmed last week.
Last week, word comes down that the Simpson-Tester language has support from both parties and the President. It is going to pass, once Congress approves the final budget. They are still fighting about the budget numbers, but the Simpson-Tester language is safe.
Within 48 hours, the wolf nuts craft a settlement as a smoke screen. They know they are gonna get steamrolled on this one and they are running scared. So, the settlement offer is given to Judge Malloy. He may, or may not, accept it. Hunter say, "Screw the settlement, go for the throat." Going for the throat being a metaphor for getting the Simpson-Tester language passed.
Simultaneously, NRA/SCI/CSF blast SFW/BGF for an email sent to all 535 legislators in DC, where SFW/BGF claimed NRA/SCI/CSF were against the Simpson-Tester language, when they actually supported it. Even though NRA et al told SFW/BGF they did not agree with the release, and in fact supported Simpson-Tester language, the release was sent to Congress.
NRA et al tell the entire world that SFW/BGF blatantly misrepresented their position and last Friday, issued the worst beat down I have ever seen in a press release. You need to read that if you get a chance. It is the worst shellacking you can imagine. Here is the link -
http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/story/13004394711jzrfxykqtu
Not to be outdone, SFW sends their WY attorney, Harriet Hageman on the full scale attack against NRA, et al last Friday. And also admits they are working behind the scenes to kill the Simpson-Tester language. See posts #1 and #2 of this thread.
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=246163&page=2
The heat gets turned up over the weekend, beyond what I even thought was possible. SFW feeling the heat, has the BGF guy, Ryan Benson issue a rebuttal.
Nowhere does he deny that they were working behind the scenes. The release hammers NRA, et al, and claims that the communication that started the spat with NRA was a private communication. As if that changes their position and their actions.
Now, the heat is getting intense. SFW sends out the troops to put out the fires. You see them trying to douse the flames over on MM.
So, the big spats over on MM were trying to get SFW/BGF to come clean as to whether or not they were taking MT and ID hunter money for the wolf issue, then turning around and working to kill the Simpson-Tester language that would disconnect MT and ID from WY. Language that would allow MT and ID hunters to go on about our management of wolves.
Understand that SFW/BGF has their own bill, S.249 in the Senate and HR 509 in the house. They push that as the only solution, bringing about the question of whether or not they were trying to kill all other wolf bills, even the ones that will actually pass, and have the wolf lovers on the run.
S.249 is a regurgitation of prior attempts to remove the ESA. That was attempted in the past, when Bush was Pres and the Republicans controlled both the Senate and the House. That couldn't pass then, and anyone with even the slightest political acumen would bet it won't pass now with Democrats controlling both the White House and the Senate.
Yet, SFW continues to state they have an answer and it lies in S.249. That is how they are raising vast sums of money on the wolf issue. They claim they have a plan, but to date, I don't know of anyone who has seen the plan.
So the crux of the battle amongst hunters is this.
A) Do we support the Simpson-Tester language that gives MT and ID the option of going forward, and allows WY to fight with USFWS without worrying of the affect that they are having on MT and ID?
This bill is most likely going to pass. It is the bill that has the wolf nuts scared. And for whatever reasons, is a bill that SFW/BGF keeps lobbying to kill in their emails, releases, and attacks by their attorneys.
or
B) Do we junk Simpson-Tester, keep the three states connected, and throw our efforts behind SFW/BGF for however long it takes them to remove the ESA? All the while, we could be hunting wolves in MT and ID, and if WY and the USFWS strike a deal, hunting them in WY. And we all know that SFW/BGF does not have the horsepower to get S.249 passed. They never did, and now that they are fighting NRA, they have ZERO chance. Yet, the Kool-aid drinkers are still at the well, slurping it up.
The point we are making is that we need to take the Simpson-Tester language, and go forward getting better solutions for WY. We don't let that be the end of the fight. We keep pushing for as much as we can get, even some of the S.249 language, when at all possible.
The tact SFW/BGF is taking is that we accept nothing other than their bill, S.249. It is still a mystery to most people why they take this stance, a stance destined for failure, and tossing out all the progress we have made to get to this close point.
I will let you decided for yourself why they are pushing the solution that will never pass. I have my opinions, but would be interested in yours.
I hope that lays out the order of what happened. I have skipped some parts, I am sure.
Someday when the smoke clears, it will be fun to lay out the entire behind the scenes details of how this has been coming down; The wolf nuts caving and fighting among each other; SFW/BGF going forward with Congressional releases misstating the position of NRA et al; and how the groups involved are managing their positions. Watching who placed bets where and who is going to lose those bets is probably the most intriguing.
Needless to say, barring some big change of events, the hunters of MT and ID are going to get paid on their bets. Read the posts over on MM and make your own determination as to the likelihood of SFW/BGF and the wolf nuts getting paid on their bets, both being similar bets against the Simpson-Tester language.
Did you see his reply to mine? And mine to his? Laffin!
What I think is funny is these people who we didn't hear boo from for eight years coming crying. Now that wolves might be coming to their state they want the others who have suffered for years to wait and help them. I say get the ball rolling while we can.
