In Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks Only Knows to Kill

Stephen Capra, Bold Visions Conservation

Over the last few months, attention in Montana has focused on a so-called Mountain Lion problem. Really? It appears an agency only too happy to kill predators is once again feeling that trigger finger. Or should I say trap fever?

After several years of slaughtering wolves, justifying it using the iPOM method of counting that many professionals in the field have made clear works for elk, not wolves, and filling it with old data, they continue to contend that the wolf situation is just fine. This is from an agency that is bleeding workers with experience because they are forced to work under the terms of Governor Gianforte and the abysmal Republican-led legislature that wants to make Montana a deer and elk farm.

Now we are told we have a mountain lion issue. Reading over the reports by the agency, one would think we are a state devoid of deer and elk. The reality is we have far too many and endless shoulder seasons (additional hunting of elk and deer) make clear that we do not need to kill mountain lions, so there are more elk, rather we need more wolves and predators so we can have a healthy balance on the land.

What remains interesting is the push by Commissioner Patrick Tabor, who has interjected himself into this debate by making several motions during the hearing in June to make clear that he wanted an aggressive kill on lions that will likely result in eliminating 40 percent of the population.

Prior to this, the Commission set up a special committee that was represented by hunting interests. They were spoon-fed data and facts from the agency that was supposed to be science-based.

Questions were posed, such as: What is the problem? Answer-too many lions. What is the issue? Answer- the impact on hunting objectives could result in fewer young elk and deer. This group then was charged with coming up with a solution. Once again, the agency was playing God with wildlife and spoon-feeding the public a result. Tabor, whose son now has been given his outfitting business and stands to profit greatly from such hunting, and if there were more deer and elk to kill, made sure his efforts were not in vain. (It is part of why we ask you to sign our petition to be removed from the Commission.)

Once again, the self-dealing of the commission is on full display. Once again, a predator species is under attack. First, it was coyotes, then wolves, then the push to delist grizzlies so they can be killed, and now mountain lions.

Their fingerprints litter the woods and meadows: trophy hunting interests, trappers, livestock players, the Outfitters Association, and now the agency and commission acting on behalf of a Governor who lives to destroy the very predators that bring health to the land. It is part of the privatization of wildlife, which will profit private land owners and ranchers. The Governor wants to destroy predator species so that elk and deer tags will become hard currency for the few.

Meanwhile, even those who hunt mountain lions are angered by such radical actions, speaking out against such an aggressive kill when we still do not have accurate counts on the lion population.

This naturally follows actions taken in Idaho, where lion conservation has been destroyed. Governor Gianforte, rather than understanding the former value of the Fish, Wildlife and Parks history of independence and standing up for wildlife, is pushing it to replicate Idaho.

We continue to fight for sanity despite the chaos that has become wildlife management in the Rocky Mountain North.

Mountain lions are as beautiful as they are elusive. Yet once again, ignorance and the desire for profit conspire to destroy them. We must transform the very agency that is designed to manage them. It must be rebuilt from the ground up. Rather than using concrete, it should be rebuilt with science, ethics, compassion, a real conservation focus, and an understanding of the pain and suffering being inflicted on wildlife. It must make wildlife the priority, not that of those that seek to harm their wildness.

It should go out 100 years in thinking, so we can reflect on the folly of our ways today, driven by the ignorance and sacrifice of species that are considered normal. We must never allow Governors or sportsmen to control an agency and ranching interests should be blocked from serving on any Commission.

Our work begins with being at the hearing on August 17th and making clear the slaughter must stop and that trapping has no place in modern Montana. It ends when we flush the stench out of an agency that represents a bygone era of man’s fear of wildlife.

The Path to Defeating Ignorance

Stephen Capra, Bold Visions Conservation

We work in a counter-intuitive place. They are lands that are graced with beauty and wildness. It is a landscape that many dream of, and few are lucky enough to spend time in. In essence, we are part of a vast bucket list for many people. Yet, within the confines of Montana and Idaho, we are decomposing with the ignorance that fears wildness.

There remain people who live in fear of wildness in its many forms. Some fly flags to show their Americanism to all, while others conspire to destroy wildness so they assuage their personal fears and inadequacies.

Such people are trappers, trophy hunters, ranchers, and those who continue to push the myths that wolves and grizzlies must be feared and that all predator species must be removed.

Social media today is the cancer that feeds them such nonsense. They follow other trappers, listen to the NRA and groups like the Foundation for Wildlife Management and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and are fed a steady stream of misinformation. Lust for killing and creating anger against those of us who clearly understand the genocide they are using against wildlife builds their anger and commitment.

Why is it that so many people flock to Yellowstone from the world over to glimpse a wolf or a bear? As one woman told me, seeing a grizzly “brought her to tears and was a moment she will never forget.” Yet others see the bear and want to destroy it for bragging rights.

The opposition has succeeded in tying the killing of wolves with supporting ranchers. The very people who are on the federal dole and are given the “privilege,” not the right, to graze on public lands. But in a small town, that rancher is your neighbor.

Montana Wolf Trapping Season Comment Period Open!

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are accepting public comments regarding their upcoming wolf trapping and killing season. We encourage everyone to participate and provide a letter or “comment” calling for policies that stop the slaughter of wolves and support legislation that promotes non-lethal management and restores protections for the Montana wolf population.

The comment period closes this Monday, July 24th. Comments can be submitted on the state website by scrolling to “TRAPPING AND WOLF SEASONS” and clicking the drop-down. You can also email your comments to fwcomm@mt.gov, you are not required to provide the state that you live in, and your wolf comment will be sent to the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission.

Below are a few talking points to help guide your comments. Right up front, please tell the Commission how you personally feel about wolves and why they must be protected. Personalizing the letter, even a little, makes a HUGE difference.

Thank you for your advocacy on behalf of wolves in Montana!

Gray wolf management should be science-based, not political.

Ensure equal representation of all stakeholders, including non-hunting communities.

Increase transparency in wildlife management decisions.

The model used to estimate the statewide wolf population, IPOM, is full of compounding errors, meaning the actual size of the state’s wolf population is unknown.

Improve accuracy and proper usage of IPOM.

Halt wolf quotas until a new and accurate method of counting is established.

Traps and snares are inhumane and indiscriminate. They cause suffering to animals beyond wolves and lead to unnecessary livestock casualties by disrupting wolf family groups.

Trapping should be ended on public lands, and snaring is a primitive, archaic, and torturous method of killing animals and fails to pass the rule of Fair Chase. It also damages Montana's public image as a state that respects wildlife and will deter tourists from visiting.

Recognize the positive economic impact of Yellowstone wolves on tourism revenue ($80 million a year) all of which will be at risk if Yellowstone wolves continue to be baited out of the park and slaughtered.

Increased wolf trapping endangers other species federally designated as threatened, including grizzly bears and Canada lynx, as well as family pets – like domestic dogs and outdoor recreationists.

Snares are cruel and inherently indiscriminate.

Cow Patties

Stephen Capra, Bold Visions Conservation Recent months have seen a continuation of some real insanity on the part of those who lease federal lands but continue to think that gives them ownership, even when combined with private holdings. The rancher in question sued because hunters crossed the corner of his private property to gain access to public lands. A federal judge in May ruled that hunters or hikers who travel from one corner of public land to another did not trespass on adjacent private lands. The ruling was concrete to the BLM and Director Tracy-Stone Manning. Her response was to make clear to state directors that such crossing is legal. This issue had been in limbo for some time at the agency. This ruling was important because ranch owner Fredric Eshelman’s lawsuit sought more than $7 million in damages from four hunters who climbed over fences at a corner of his property in Wyoming in 2021 to hunt on public lands. Hunting is not our world; in fact, hunters that kill predators remain our mortal enemy, but the reality is this is part of what ranchers have been doing to keep people off our public lands. By saying the crossing was illegal, he claimed exclusive access to some 6,000 acres of land for his private hunting grounds, which is disgraceful. This attitude is part of a pattern of livestock interests on the federal dole while trying to keep the people from recreating on these public lands that belong to all Americans. It also allows them to kill predators at will with little for the public to see or report. From my years of experience, this is why so many ranchers oppose wilderness or other federal land protections. First, in the case of National Monuments, it requires one extra page of paperwork. But mostly, they are driven to keep people away and control these lands as though they are private. The passing of SB-295, the bill to delist grizzly bears, would allow cattlemen to kill grizzlies on remote portions of Forest Service lands, lands that many could be utilized for recreation, but gives livestock priority protection, the cover for grizzly slaughter. Again and again, we see the results of grazing on public lands, much like oil drilling on these same public lands. The oil industry leases these lands, contaminates groundwater, and then sells off assets to avoid spending the money for cleanup, which will one day allow the federal government to clean up their mess at great expense to taxpayers. The federal government is subsidizing those who graze on public lands and often degrade the public lands that are grazed, leading to erosion, senseless wildlife killing, and the trashing of rivers and other waterways. The time has come to make part of any lease agreement that the lessee cannot kill wildlife to protect its herd. They can use non-lethal methods, but like any business, accept the fact that losses are part of the risk of this business. Similarly, many people are beginning to understand this with homeowners’ insurance as climate change wreaks havoc across the country, and their coverage evaporates. But the cattlemen and their protectors in Congress—spelled Republican Party—must realize that they lease these lands, accept responsibility for their actions, and should be fined if the lands is degraded or the public is prohibited. They should also face the prospect of losing their lease if they kill valuable wildlife such as wolves or grizzly bears. At Bold Visions Conservation, we are working to protect our federal public lands and wildlife. Being Bold means demanding change from the status quo that has allowed our lands to be controlled, not by citizens but by the livestock industry, and the time has come to enact fundamental changes to land management plans devoid of special interests. We need to remove livestock owners from our Game and Fish commissions and clarify the price for leasing lands demands co-existence with all wildlife; it should also include insurance that will pay for the degrading of our natural resources by grazers. We cannot continue down this road of ignorance; the time has come for real change. We will clarify that wildlife on our public lands is worth far more than the price of beef and cattle across our arid western lands. If we are to create lands for wildlife to thrive, such change must begin now.