Fighting for wolves is at the heart of everything we do at Bold Visions Conservation. Wolves in Montana are under attack by Governor Gianforte and his Republican-led legislature. Wolves remain at the heart of a cultural divide in the state. The Governor is a trapper and kills wildlife for trophies. Montana’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks continues to allow their slaughter by misleading the public regarding the number of wolves in the wild and how they count wolves, which many wildlife biologists have made clear is grossly inaccurate (IPOM), Integrated Population Occupancy Model. Based on its latest inflated tally, Montana is prepared to kill 500 wolves this year. It is a disgrace and pure evil, and based on politics, not science.

Wolves play a vital role in the health of our lands and waters. They improve, not harm, wildlife and the health of the herds by cutting down on the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease, which has been impacting deer, elk, and moose populations.

In Washington, DC, Interior Secretary Burgum couldn’t care less about anything but drilling and destroying our wildest areas. In addition, the US Fish and Wildlife Service head is Brian Nesvik, a man who did nothing when Wyoming resident Cody Roberts tortured a beautiful yearling wolf in the Green River Bar in Daniel, WY. His record running the agency in Wyoming was abysmal. He must be removed from his position because he lives to kill wildlife.

Bills are currently in the US House to delist wolves nationally and to remove the Endangered Species Act. President Trump, who has never hiked in his life, wants to sell off public lands and destroy all endangered wildlife.

Despite the rhetoric of our Governor and legislature, deer and elk numbers are higher than they have been in a generation. Yet, those who trap and hunt predator species, groups like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, The Foundation for Wildlife Management, outfitters, and livestock groups, continue to push the persecution of wolves despite having no evidence of the harm they could be doing. They now allow a $1000 bounty in Montana, with higher amounts in Idaho.
The way Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks counts wolves in the wild is referred to as the iPom method. It is clear this method of counting is flawed, and lawsuits are challenging its validity, yet the killing continues. This year, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commissioners, who are, with one exception, Commissioner Brooks, are sycophants to the Governor and wildlife killers.

Wolves are pack animals with feelings and are bonded with their packs, which is vital for their survival, yet agencies see this as irrelevant, as animals’ pain and suffering are never considered.

Trapping a wolf is torture; as sentient beings, wolves are part of family units; they hunt together, mate for life, and enjoy playing and being a family unit. Wildlife agencies talk of “harvesting” wildlife when they instead inflict suffering and slaughter; removing wolves from their historic range impacts not just wildlife but our streams, rivers, and wildlands. Trapping is not a recreational hobby; it is the sick torture of living animals.

Ranchers complain about all predator species, yet wolves and other wildlife harm far fewer cattle and sheep than do storms, disease, and falls. The federal government subsidizes ranchers to use our public lands for pennies on the dollar. Last year in Montana, with more than 2 million head of cattle, wolves attacked 14 cows, and the ranchers were generously compensated.

At Bold Visions, we are working to educate the public about wolves and to work in the legislature to defeat the worst of the bills, including SB-372, which would have made trapping part of the state constitution. We are fighting to end trapping on our public lands and stop predator species slaughter, which remains vital to a healthy environment. We are pushing the federal government to relist wolves to stop the slaughter.

The killing of wolves on the Yellowstone border was an outrage and continues to tarnish our state. To many, the Governor’s blatant killing of Max the wolf remains a disgraceful, illegal act. We must stop these forces of evil. Wolves belong in Montana and across the West. We cannot allow ignorance and the will of trophy hunters and trappers to destroy this iconic species.

What is Bold Visions Conservation doing?

• We have been at the legislature for the last 4 years, fighting horrible bills that would slaughter even more wolves;
• We have testified at Fish, Wildlife and Parks hearings;
• We are working with Tribes on a lawsuit that could help wolves dramatically.
• We are working to end trapping on public lands around Bozeman.
• Starting a petition to ask for the removal of the Commission and new legislation that would end the days of rancher and trophy Hunters’ control on the commission, it would shift to conservationists, scientists, and demand the use of sound science, and remove the Governor from making these picks.
• We are working to create a 1.8-million-acre wildlife sanctuary that comes out of the northwest corner of the Yellowstone National Park, to south of Bozeman. It would ban the killing of predators, including wolves and grizzlies.
• We constantly work to educate the public here and in Washington, DC.