by Marc Cooke, President, Wolves of the Rockies, Stevensville
On November 12th, in Helena, the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Commission met to finalize this year’s wolf trapping and snaring regulations. We expected the worst and were not disappointed. From an “ethical” Montana trapper telling the world that if he trapped a wolf and didn’t have a “tag” (license), he would shoot the wolf and then release it. So, I ask you, how is this ethical? We often hear that trapping is highly regulated and that trappers are the poster child for their high standards and ethics.
When should public safety outweigh the rights of the so-called ethical trapping community? At this commission hearing, Region 2 MtFWP Commissioner Jeff Burrows put forth an amendment that reversed trapping setbacks to protect Ravalli County backcountry users, children, and pets. Virtually all of Ravalli County, except for four areas, have 50-foot setbacks down from what the rest of Montana has of 150 feet.
So how can this be? Why would the Region 2 MtFWP commissioner reverse a public safety tool that has worked reasonably well? Let me explain who we believe is responsible for your outdoor recreation stress. Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, along with an out-of-state (Idaho) anti-wolf organization, Foundation for Wildlife Management (Anti-wolf and pro bounty) organization, convinced Commissioner Burrows that the handful of trappers’ desires were more important than the public safety you, me, and our family pets deserve.
Clearly, Commissioner Burrows is in the pocket of the unethical wolf and large carnivore-hating organizations. This is all at the expense of hundreds, if not thousands, of Ravalli County taxpayers who, up until now, enjoyed a stress-free backcountry walk with their friends, family, and pets.
So, if you have the misfortune of having a family pet caught in a trap and it lives, you know the rest of the story and who to send the veterinary bill to should your pet live.