Just when were trying to thank Montana FWP and the Commissioners for the doing the right thing by not extending the wolf hunt, the Director of Montana FWP, Joe Maurier, comes out with this little gem.
Montana FWP looking at other ways to manage wolves
Posted: Feb 16, 2012 8:23 PM by Marnee Banks (KXLH-Helena)
Updated: Feb 16, 2012 9:31 PM
On Thursday, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commissioners voted unanimously to stop the wolf hunt in the Bitterroot despite low harvest numbers.
The Commission hoped hunters would harvest 18 wolves in the Bitterroot but only 6 were killed.
Director Joe Maurier says residents need to remember the majority of the problems caused in the area are due to mountain lions.
However, he says he is fully prepared to take a plan to the next legislature which addresses the problem wolves in the area.
“Within the first two weeks of the Legislature, we get this wolf package passed which would allow some electronic calling, more than one wolf to be taken, so more than one license to be purchased, and allowing all of those sorts of tools to be used.”
He says the agency is completing a comprehensive study on wolves and those results will help dictate the next management steps.”
Read More: http://www.kpax.com/news/montana-fwp-looking-at-other-ways-to-manage-wolves/
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So it looks like FWP is going to run to the Montana State Legislature to get what they want.
Does any of this sound familiar? Judge Molloy relisted wolves in August 2010 after the Obama administration delisted them in 2009. The anti-wolf crowd went nuts. Oh no, they weren’t going to let the judicial system get in their way. Senator Tester D-MT came to the rescue. He inserted a wolf delisting rider into the US Senate budget bill last year to try to save his Senate seat by boosting his anti-wolf credentials, hoping to “out wolf” his opponent Rep. Denny Rehberg R-MT. Senate Democrats went along with the scheme and wolves were delisted via budget rider without judicial review, throwing Montana and Idaho wolves under the bus. A dangerous precedent was set. Any endangered species, who is labeled “inconvenient” to special interests, can be delisted by Congress, without pesky scientific fact getting in the way. Never mind that wolves have done nothing wrong. Never mind they are NOT a threat to the cattle industries’ bottom line or have little to do with prey fluctuations. All three wolf states have healthy elk numbers, totaling almost 400,000 elk.
Politicians aren’t scientists, they have no business meddling in the management of wildlife but I guess with wolves anything goes.
This is very bad news for Montana’s wolves and now more than ever we need the Ninth Circuit to overturn Judge Molloy’s decision and declare the wolf delisting rider unconstitutional and get wolves back under federal protection before the states decimate the wolf population and continue to torture them with cruel killing methods.
I’m frankly sick of this continual assault on wolves. They say environmentalists pushed too hard with legislation to keep wolves protected. This is why. The “wolf managers” can’t keep beating up on this species and not come out looking like bullies who are exacting retribution on wolves just for existing. They are playing to the wolf hating crowd and it’s making them look small and petty just like the people they are trying so desperately to please. Enough, go pick on something that can fight back!!!
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Posted in: Wolf Wars, Montana Wolves
Tags: Montana FWP, wolf persecution, retribution
Boulder White Clouds Council
Exposing The Big Game
Footloose Montana
Friends of the Clearwater
Lockwood Animal Rescue Center
Louise du Toit
LUPUSLAETUS
Mercy For Animals
Northern Idaho Wolf Alliance (NIWA)
Predator Friendly®- Because Wildlife Matters
Project Coyote
Project: Wolf
The Nature Conservancy
The Ravensong Group
WildEarth Guardians
Wisconsin Wildlife Ethic-Vote Our Wildlife
Wolf And Wildlife Studies: Jay Mallonee (Independent Wolf Biologist)
Wolf Song of Alaska
Wolves in english ! Les loups en anglais !
WWP's Gray Wolf Page
Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative
Howling For Justice 
I am so disgusted. I feel like the Wolves are being punished for who they are and nothing else. This is shear madness and we must make our voices heard for these animals that have no say. Soon the wolves will be wiped out if this continues. To me its like going out and shooting your dog. Wolves are wild dogs and they deserve better then this. We must do everything we can to protect them.
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How can these people claim to be at all educated? They think and act like back woods ignoramuses. There are scientific facts to be looked at here, but they prefer the UN-educated witch hunt approach. I think the slaughter of wolves MUST be stopped. I just hope we can get through to the FWP
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They prey on the ignorance of others, and that is why they are so successful in their game. Montana politicians are ‘cowboys’ first, then a politician…they need to keep their buddies happy, regardless of which party they belong to. I met Tester face to face in one of my MSU classes, everything he said to us was either a bold face lie, or just worthless information that didnt pertain to the question. After all, it is Tester who said that Montana needs engineers, and scientists, not critical thinkers. In other words….do and say everything we tell you to do and do not buck the system. This way of thinking has leeched into the wolf program, and it wont go away. How sad.
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This is so sad and frustrating. Anyone who is working for animals, whether wolves, cows, horses, or dogs and cats, learns that most efforts are met with resistance, laws are enacted with loopholes, laws are overturned, new ways of harming animals are constantly devised. I guess all we can do is keep trying. In the meantime, the killing and suffering go on.
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I’m mad as hell and am not gonna take it anymore….
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I’m with you Marianne!!!!!
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Thank you for the information – nice writing.
I am still thankful that the hunting season is closed in Montana on wolves for now- lets hope this remains in place.
I would love to see the wolves running free and wild without fear of being shot, trapped, hung, gassed, on and on.
I saw this quote on another web site and did not get the author’s name but thought it hit the nail on the head.
” The recent alllowance of wolf hunting is extremely distressing, given just how little encouragement humans require to lavish cruelty and violence upon them.”
For the wolves
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It’s one thing to delist an animal that was once protected because it has recovered, it’s quite another to initiate immediate hunts on an animal that has just barely recovered (and I’m not so sure I believe they have recovered in sufficient numbers. I’m hoping that the legislative process will do what it is supposed to do – impartial lawmaking and doing what’s best for people and animals with decisions based on sound science, and not just catering to the needs of special interests and the almighty $.
There’s a place for all in the West – but people are getting too greedy. I honestly cannot believe that this rider was allowed to go through without being challenged. What a travesty of justice.
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I can`t believe this two faced sob, who is paying him off and how much does it cost for the life of Gods creatures, this should be unacceptable to the whole of our great America, some one with money and strings should be pulling them.Where are Gates,Trump, Oprah!!!,always doing so much good, and profess to be animal lovers,Betty White where are you, If I were as wealthy as these people I would buy any land,that could support them,build a refuge, hire the professionals to care and love them,and always make sure there was food for them in all seasons,this would also be left in my will,to take proper care of these great wolves forever, Billions of $$$$$ goes a long way, but I live on S/S so all I can do is bitch ad hope to see some one take this issue and invest themselves, and $$$$$ to do the right thing,stop the killing,stop hunting period,no season for wolf hunting, no licences of any kind at any price.paso22
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Along the same line, I wonder where are the Animal Planet, Discovery, National Geographic channels who made tons of money off animals in general and off wolves in particular? National Geographic sucked money from the Yellowstone wolves for decades – where are they now when the need for national coverage is so big?!!! When the same wolves are being tortured and killed at an alarming rate, when they have already lost a lot of the biological diversity paramount to their recovery, when pregnant females are joyously murdered and cubs are gased in their dens?!
Why aren’t they produce a film to describe what befell on the barely recovered wolves on the Northern Rockies, so gloriously covered in at least half a dozen National Geographic shows? It wouldn’t yield as much money?! It would upset powerful politicians? Are they even aware of what’s going on in Idaho and Montana, and soon enough in Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin etc.?
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Astrid,Those shows,like Discovery are turning into hunting shows as of late.
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When the Ravalli County Commissioners voted to not continue the wolf hunt and when the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks concurred, it should have stopped there.
Why give these branches authority to make decisions about wildlife to only override these decisions in the state legislature?
We need SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT of wildlife and not use wolves as a tool to benefit the political and economic needs of special interest groups.
Toni A. Stark
Truth About Wolves
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We still have a lot of work to do.
Personally, I don’t trust politicians and bureaucrats,
’cause they don’t always live up to their word.
Therefore, we’ll simply have to put pressure
on these guys and demand that they leave our wolves
alone and stop appeasing to a mere handful of
redneck country-bumpkins who don’t give a who-knows-what
about all that is revered sacred.
I tell ya, this is a crazy world we live in.
Back on V-Day, I wrote a blues number (with the same title)
and video-recorded it on the following day.
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If Montana does not allow these animals to exist, what could be their excuse?
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They don’t have an excuse Allan…just bending to the special interests, the ranching and hunting lobbies who hate wolves.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Keep pushing the boycott of this nasty state, Idaho and Wyoming! Remind people that this is not a Republican or Democrat fight – it is a fight by ALL of us to protect the wildlife that is being murdered by the low IQ, special interests, immoral and unethicals in those states and the very agencies that are supposed to protect wolves are assiting in this! WHEN IS THE 9TH CIRCUIT GOING TO GROW A BRAIN?
What needs to happen now – EVERYONE – be prepared to wage a campaign against those in office who are perpetrating this, including OBAMA! He opened the door, here, and he turns a deaf ear and blind eye to the carnage! We need an Independent – and, if we could all agree on evern a decent write in, that would at least send a message. Obama is a dissappoinment and a sneak! HE NEEDS TO GO!
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I think all the crooked politicians need to go,
so we could start from scratch.
At the same time, I try to keep this all in perspective,
’cause this crazy stuff that’s going on today,
was foretold by ancient prophets, many ages ago.
We’re living in turbulent times of Trials & Tribulations, hon.
Right now, it’s gonna take an act of the Great Spirit
to shake up the status quo and it’s gonna be a rough ride
for awhile until all evil is purged and cleansed away
with plagues and apocalyptic catastrophes.
When it’s all said and done, politics will cease to exist.
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I agree 100% Maggie, you said it perfectly. Obama has undone all the hard work conservationists have devoted to wolf recovery. He is a terrible President who picked a rancher to head the Interior. How much worse could that possibly get? I think a second term of Obama would be much worse. I always wondered why a Democrat would turn on our wolves and wild horses but I believe he received big donations from oil and ranching, hence Salazar’s appointment. My only fear is look who we have to choose from on the other side?
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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You are so right Nabeki – who is there to replace Obama? Romney – a guy who tied his dog on the roof of a car and proceeded to drive with him being very sick? Is he someone that would care about Animals? I very much doubt it – and none of the Candidates have mentioned one word about saving Wolves, Polar Bears or anything else –
If nothing changes before the election how can we even vote? There is no choice – but I believe that Obama if he is re-elected will do much worse than he has up to now – he will approve the Keystone Pipeline and Drilling in the Gulf and at ANWR which we have been trying to save for so many years – cutting deals with Big Oil and Big Ranchers and there is no hope –
So what do to? Abstain from voting completely? It’s a no win situation –
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You people need to start throwing things.
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BOTTOM LINE for the killing states:
The sportsmen and women from all of the rest of the country … the people who used to bring big tourist dollars every year to fish and ski in Montana, Idaho and Alaska … have come to despise you for your wanton brutal slaughtering of wolves and other wild species, and your blatant lack of concern for your environment1 Have you failed to notice the boycotts of your industries, from tourism to beef and potatoes? It won’t be long before the full economic effects are felt. Fracking will not save your economy, since it brings its own set of environmental nightmares. With the help of the dishonest politicians you support, you are mutating into a pitiful low order.
People who object to this absurdity must keep writing but also intensify their economic boycotts.
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I knew WHen Everyone Sent emails saying LEts thank them and I said for WHAT destroying these animals? We cannot get back the animals and families Killed however we can keep REminding them ANd LET US NEVER FORGET THIs or stop our COnstant WOrk to send as many letters PHOne calls to Washington and DO NOt let up they are on a mission to destory each and every wolf in Montana and IDaho and WY … shame on these heartless Commissions and please get names so we can give to everyone… Thanks for the post..
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OH I am so disgusted with this. Is there no victory anywhere for these magnificent animals It looks like protest must be constant and sustained if we are to have nay wolves left at all.
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Its very hard to be a wolf advocate right now Shirley…i hate having to report bad news all the time but this all goes back to Obama delsiting the wolves..he and his rancher Interior Secretary. That’s what caused this…the wolf haters were always in those states…now they have the power. It’s going to take the American people to put a stop to this. If enough people unite against these wolf killing states it would make a tremendous difference.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Is there no hope? We must be constantly in battle for the wolves
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Other ways to manage wolves? Who gives these piece of crap people the right to manage animal welfare? Did GOD himself appoint them to do this? Why are we letting them do it? Everyone needs to stand firm in front of these poor, defenseless animals, so no one can get a clear shot. Screw these hunters! They need to be eliminated from this world. Animals rule..
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I heard that they plan on making the next Wolf Season much more aggressive in Montana next year, and some of the options include eliminating quotas, allowing each hunter to bag more wolves, extending the season, and allowing trapping.
This is not wildlife management; this is wildlife slaughter! There is absolutely no need to hunt wolves (and other predators), especially with this amount of intensity. Wolves did not evolve to be prey, and their social pack structures are not adapted to dealing with heavy exploitation. Also, to quote Dr. Haber, wolves have “high intelligence, expressiveness, and unusual emotional depth.” And to quote Dr. Mallonee, “when pushed to their physical and psychological limits, they [wolves] can also suffer emotional disorders similar to those observed in humans.”
I wish that wildlife managers took these biological traits into consideration when deciding on how to manage wolves (and wildlife in general), and did not just look at population numbers to determine how hunting, trapping, etc. effects the species. Granted, knowing the population numbers and how they are affected is very important (in order to keep population levels healthy and to prevent the species from going extinct or becoming endangered), but knowing and taking into consideration the biological traits of a species is just as important (if not more) when managing (and conserving) wildlife. Plus, you can’t have a population without individuals (and social groups, etc.), right?
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And to think that we thought that the MFWP was finally coming to its senses; that was a joke! It seems that they are very determined to kill wolves and they just keep making each hunting season more and more aggressive. I used to think that Montana was more responsible than Idaho and Wyoming in managing wolves but not anymore!
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