I am a big game hunter. I’m not opposed to the ethical hunting of predators when it’s balanced with economic, social, and ecological factors. But the current wolf “hunt” in Montana is an eradication.
Montana’s wolf population is estimated between 900 and 1,100. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is well on its way to achieving its kill quota of 450 this year – that’s almost half the total population. In addition to shooting and trapping: baiting, snaring (strangulation), night hunting (on private land), and electronic calling are legal means for taking a wolf.
If you’re like me and nearly vomit when thinking about this atrocity and try to find a scapegoat – look in the mirror. We’ve put the people in power who are making these decisions. Our governor – himself an illegal wolf hunter– and our state legislators passed the laws, then appointed unqualified cronies to top positions.
Politics aside, what a bizarre set of societal norms we adhere to when distinguishing acceptable treatment/management of animals? You can spend a year in jail for beating your dog. And the weekly police blotter reveals just how many folks dial 911 to report an underfed horse. Yet we send Yellowstone buffalo to slaughter because they cross an invisible line in search of food. Then we casually annihilate half the population of a species that dates back nearly a million years – whose domesticated descendants loyally sit next to us on the couch each evening.
It might help us to unravel the buried layers of “ye old pioneer spirit” wrapped within our current management policy: centuries old fears, inflated horror stories, and the control of nature. And begin to separate old superstitions from current reality. Let’s be honest why this eradication is taking place before we eliminate an important ancient wild animal from our landscape for the second time.
Matt Bowser
Columbia Falls