Our iniquitous Governor has established himself as a great white predator slayer during the past year. Last season he shot a trapped Yellowstone wolf, and this season a treed Yellowstone lion. Walking up and shooting a trapped or treed animal is not exactly what constitutes hunting’s “fair chase” ethic. As stated, the fairness is in the chase, not in the trigger-pulling. But maybe this is more about the governor’s photo ops.
Additionally, the wolf and the lion were both wearing radio-collars. These animals were collared (at great expense) so that their locations could be documented by wildlife biologists as part of an approved wildlife study. Is it possible that the biologists weren’t the only ones that knew the locations of these wild creatures? I mean, he is a governor with access to many databases that contain sensitive wildlife information, like transmitter frequencies. Many hounds-men place radio-collars on their dogs, and carry radio-receivers, so they can find them. Receivers are also what biologists use to track their research animals. Is this some great coincidence? I would hope that no hounds-man would ever entertain such an idea.
Maybe next year the governor can shoot a collared moose, or maybe a collared bighorn. He’s got the connections and evidently much to prove. When will this governor realize that hunting is so much more than the kill-shot or the photo op?
Rick Yates
Whitefish