The Peasant Wars

(Republished by permission)

Opinion by George Dovel

George Dovel is Editor and Publisher of The Outdoorsman.

In 2003, North America’s foremost wildlife scientist, Dr. Valerius Geist, made the following observations:

“The miracle of North American conservation is that it is basically a blue-collar system, grounded in the political and financial support and the active participation of large numbers of middle-class citizens who bring their basic honesty and decency to bear on important issues. This is just the opposite of the elitist system that has existed throughout Europe for centuries and is spreading like cancer around the world today, even right here at home. Read more

Idaho’s Wolf Hunting Rules Will Be Ineffective, Illegal

I may be putting the cart before the horse here somewhat in anticipation that eventually the gray wolf in parts of this country will be removed from federal protection and put back in the hands of the states. If and when that happens will the current plans to manage wolf populations be effective? In fact, will authorities be able to have any control at all over wolves with the plans they have?

Idaho has some serious problems with their wolf management plans. I suspect that in the next issue of the Outdoorsman, we will all be educated by the editor and publisher, George Dovel, to the extent of which the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has overstepped their authority in creating wolf management plans. (This is all part of dealing with a fee increase being requested by the IDFG Commission.) Read more

Did Feds Address Court Rulings For Wolf Delisting?

Yesterday Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett announced the intentions of the Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from protection of the Endangered Species Act in the Western Great Lakes region and portions of the Northern Rocky Mountains. Following legal procedures, the USFWS will post the Final Rule in the Federal Registry next week and then 30 days thereafter, the rule takes effect.

The process of attempting to get the wolf delisted has been a confusing mess, mired in lawsuits, twisted out of shape by frustrating and puzzling rulings by judges and just as disturbing was the direction or seemingly lack thereof, the Feds took in dealing with the issue. Read more