Does Supplemental Feeding Of Elk Support Artificially High Numbers, Promote Disease?

Groups are suing to stop the supplemental feeding of elk at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming saying that by doing so it is promoting the growth and spread of diseases such as chronic wasting disease and brucellosis. Supporters of supplemental feeding say without it thousands of elk will die. Read more

“We’ll Be Quiet No More!!!”

Editor’s note: The following appeared as an editorial in “The Outdoorsman”, Bulletin 28 of the May 2008 issue. With permission from the editor of that magazine, I reprint it here.

The editorial is accompanied by two graphic photographs of which I have chosen to include at the end of the text of the editorial simply because of the graphic nature. Consider this a warning to readers that what we all love to call “nature” can be cruel and visually upsetting. On the same token, it is reality, something of which is all too often absent from debate in dealing with wildlife management. Read more

What They Didn’t Tell You About Wolf Recovery

I have been meaning for some time now to get this information available for readers. I apologize that it has taken so long.

The Outdoorsman, a print publication out of Idaho and published and edited by George Dovel, is one of the most informative publications available to outdoor sportsmen today. Granted much of the material focuses on Idaho and the surrounding areas of Montana and Wyoming, much of what you can find in this magazine can and does apply to many other areas as well.

In the January, February, March, 2008, Bulletin Number 26 of the Outdoorsman, Dovel includes a nine-page information-packed article entitled, “What They Didn’t Tell You About Wolf Recovery”. If you would like a comprehensive read about facts and information not made public before about the efforts of recovering the gray wolf in the Western Rockies, I have made this portion of the Outdoorsman available to you in a pdf format. George Dovel has been kind enough to grant me permission to make this available to readers. Read more

Mindsets Change About Wolves When Problems Hit Close To Home

Barry Saddler lives in Northern Idaho. He says he’s never shot and killed an animal before in his life but that all changed this week when he killed one wolf from a pack that was attacking his dog. Now that he has had a first hand experience in what it’s really like dealing with wolves, this is what he had to say about it. Read more

For Sportsmen, Clean Water Restoration Act Goes Too Far

Peyton Knight of the National Center for Public Policy Research is warning sportsmen that the proposed Clean Water Restoration Act sponsored by Representative James Oberstar (D-MN), “would do more to threaten the cherished pastimes of hunters, fishermen and other outdoor enthusiasts than it would to ensure the cleanliness of our nation’s water.”

I’ve written a couple times over the past few months about the CWRA (here and here) but Knight brings to the attention of American sportsmen what could await us should this act be approved. Read more

Comment: Wolf Delisting And Designation As Distinct Population Segment

I received the below comment that was sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pertaining to the removal of the gray wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act and the intent to list the population of gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains as a “distinct segment”.

With permission to republish, here are comments made by Gary Marbut of the Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd. Read more

Where Have All The Elk Gone? Long Time Passing

How many elk are there in the Northern Rockies area in and around Yellowstone National Park where wolves now control the landscape? How many were freely roaming the forests and the plains in their peak? How many are there now?

I’m not so naive that I don’t understand at least to some degree about counting wildlife. There are two things I know for sure; wild game are difficult to count and is mostly done based on gathering data rather than counting one by one, and when asked, fish and game officials are supposed to give out “official” numbers - I would suppose those put together from the last round of calculations even if their anecdotal evidence reveals something different. Read more

Anti- “Fill in the Blank” Groups Sue To Stop Wolf Delisting. Begin Campaign Of Lies

The Associated Press has said that eleven groups have formally announced plans to sue the federal government to stop the removal of the gray wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act. A list of some of those groups, of which the Associated Press seems reluctant to announce, includes the Sierra Club, the Humane Society of the United States, Defenders of Wildlife, Earth Justice and Center for Biological Diversity.

They made their announcement of intent and then will formally file within 60 days. The groups’ lawyer, Doug Honnold, said he would seek an emergency injunction to stop any wolf killing that is attempted before the courts rule. Read more

Three State’s Wolf Management Plans

While the topic is a hot one and I’ve had at least one reader ask for me to publish the wolf management plans for Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, I thought I’d give it a shot - at least provide you with links where you can get the information.

This link (pdf) is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife final rule document for delisting of the gray wolf. This was made public yesterday. Read more

“Undue Burden: The Real Cost Of Living With Wolves”

Are you looking to get a different perspective on wolves other than the Disney version or one that is perpetuated by the mainstream media? Now is your chance. Western Institute for the Study of the Environment says: Read more

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