David Allen, RMEF President & CEO, has published a call for its members to vote against I-177. Mr. Allen says it would mean an immediate ban on trapping on all Montana public lands. This initiative was thoughtfully written with a view that includes everyone concerned with trapping. I-177 allows trapping for scientists, government agencies, and allows trapping on public lands to protect livestock and property, but requires that traps must be checked every 24 hours and have signs prominently displayed where a trap is placed.
That is not an immediate ban to trapping.
He goes on to say trapping is a key tool used by wildlife managers. Trappers have taken approximately 40 percent of wolves recorded in the past few years. This is true but misleading as not all wolves trapped during a season were trapped on public land.
Remember when… A large front page headline in the Missoulian: WOLVES KILL TROPHY ELK… RMEF promotes trapping of wolves… until then I didn’t know a wolf knew the difference between a trophy and a calf. Later there was a small paragraph stating: RMEF says trapping is hard on small species. RMEF started a big brouhaha about wolves. It got so bad and so misleading that a collection of locals pooled their money to hire a biologist to study the situation in the Bitterroot. The study concluded that bears (outside of humans) kill most of the elk.
Mr. Allen says just as dangerous is this actual process itself. Dictating wildlife biology and management practices at the ballot box would lead us all down a slippery slope that would only go from bad to worse. This dire prediction is aimed at hunting and fishing. I-177 will not affect hunting and fishing, protected by the Montana State Constitution. Eight states have restricted or banned trapping, including major western states CA, CO, AZ, and WA. Not one has had any effort toward ending hunting and fishing.
I respect your personal political opinion, Mr. Allen, but you are asking all members of RMEF to vote your way. It is illegal to trap or lure elk before you hunt, so why do you as the head of a hunting organization support the Montana Trappers Association? Their past president and current division representative is associated with the American Lands Council promoting the transfer and development of Federal lands, our public lands, lands all of us may enjoy, not just trappers, and that includes elk hunters.
Don’t cry ‘Wolf!’ Mr. Allen. That is a slippery slope.
Linda Helding
Missoula