Wolf Hunt Update

Where In The Hell Is Wildlife Management Headed These Days???

2012-01-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

Following is an e-mail that was sent today to Steven Williams, President of the Wildlife Management Institute...It also went to the heads and upper management of many sportsmen-based wildlife or conservation organizations.

Dear Steven;

I really need to ask...What in the hell are universities teaching those who are majoring in wildlife studies these days? One thing is for certain, it sure isn't the good ol' North American Model of Wildlife Conservation that has served us so well over the past 75 or 80 years. Is it?

Last week, I read the study presented by "Professor" Mark Hebblewhite, of the University of Montana, at the 72nd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference (2007). The title of that study was, Predator-Prey Management in the National Park Context: Lessons from a Transboundary Wolf, Elk, Moose and Caribou System. In that study, Hebblewhite referred to wolf recovery in the Lower 48 as "one of the great conservation successes of the 20th century". In reality, it has been the biggest wildlife disaster in our lifetimes.

But then, I guess that all depends on whatever one's real agenda happens to be. The University of Montana is a collaborator of the Yellowtone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, and for that matter so are MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. And I guess I don't have to tell you the "agenda" of that environmental pipedream. But for some of those in the "Cc:" field, I will anyway. The "agenda" is to pretty much remove the majority of human inhabitants from western Montana and Idaho, on through Canada, to establish a wild corridor three times the size of California - which would allow major predators to travel freely North-South for more than 2,000 miles. One of the Y2Y policies states that the effort neither "endorses" nor "condones" the hunting of wolves, grizzly bears and cougars...the very predators which are now destroying big game populations in MT, ID and WY.

Is this the new wave wildlife management that's now being taught? Is that why the mismanagement of predators and big game now leans so heavily in favor of our anti-hunting enemies with organizations like the Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, and the Humane Society of the United States?

If this is the direction that the Wildlife Management Institute has also chosen, forsaking all of the members of all the sportsmen based organizations and groups in the "Cc:" field - tighten your belt, the sportsmen of this country have had their fill of this idiocy.

The change just may begin here in Montana come November 2012 - when the voters purge our political ranks of those who have stood in the way of getting back to the business of managing wildlife the way the sportsmen who have footed the bill want wildlife managed. And when we get a like minded governor into office, rest assured that MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks will get one hell of an overhaul...and those who are not with the program today's sportsmen want will be the first to be shown the door.

We're going to take wildlife management back, and make it harder than ever for radical environmental NGO's to do business in this state. America is as mad as hell right now, and the stupidity of allowing wolves and other major predators to destroy the wildlife resources that have taken nearly a century to rebuild is a powder keg that will explode right in the faces of those who continue to practice such idiocy.

Where does the Wildlife Management Institute get its funding?

You can't play both sides of the fence. The Wildlife Management Intitute is either part of the problem or part of the solution. There is no middle ground.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

www.lobowatch.com

"Wolf Lies" Presentation In Kalispell on August 25th

2011-08-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

How Many Lies Can The Wolf Recovery Project Support And Continue To Have Any Validity Whatsoever?

Everyone who is now affected by an out of control wolf problem in the Northern Rockies needs to revisit the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Plan and the 1994 Environmental Impact Statement issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before wolves were "reintroduced" into this region of the country. If you do, and fully realize the negative impact wolves are now having on our wildlife populations, the increased rate of livestock depredation, the threats to human health and safety, the loss of hunting opportunities, the destruction of the rural economy, and the overall not-so-good psychological impact wolves are now having on human residents, it's easy to realize just how gullible most of us were to believe that anything good would come of this government orchestrated disaster.

It also becomes even easier to realize that those who were "in charge" of the "plan"...those who assessed the impact wolves would have...those who promised that the wolf population would be "managed"...were either too stupid to get the job done - or outright lied from the very start, and have had an entirely different agenda since well before the first wolves were released into Yellowstone National Park in 1995.

When one takes the time to compare what has really happened since those wolves were released into America's wildlife wonderland to what was stated as fact, as known, as real, anyone capable of rational thinking knows that "wolf recovery" in the Northern Rockies has been little more than one great big lie. And that lie began well before USFWS released those first wolves 16 years ago.

Likewise, the agency knew fully what the outcome would be, before the door of the first wolf cargo box was opened. And USFWS has lived the wolf lie ever since.

The need for wolves in this ecosystem was likely the first big lie. For that matter, so has been the need for greater grizzly bear densities. The wolf that USFWS released as a "replacement" for the native wolf was not the same, or in other words was also a lie. How the funding for the project was stolen from Pitman-Robertson funds, under the "assumption" it was okay - is just another lie. How wolves have "spread on their own" is a lie. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks became a willing partner in this wildlife disaster, and has repeatedly lied about the true number of wolves in this state...and has lied to cover up the loss of big game to wolves. The states of Idaho and Montana have lied to residents about the health threats and physical danger that wolves pose humans. State and federal agencies who have vowed to cover livestock losses to wolves repeatedly refuse to pay that reimbursement due to lack of "evidence" that wolves were involved - even though sheep and cattle carcasses had been ripped apart by wolves, and the ground has been covered with wolf tracks. In other words, those sent to assess whether wolves caused the death or not are also living the wolf lie.

These and other wolf lies will be the topic at a presentation given by LOBO WATCH founder Toby Bridges in Kalispell, MT on Thursday, August 25. His "Wolf Lies" presentation will be at the Outlaw Inn, on Highway 93 South, and begins at 6:30 p.m.

LOBO WATCH
www.lobowatch.com

Will Judge Molloy Challenge Congress When It Comes To How Wolves Were Delisted For A 2011 Management Hunt?

2011-07-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Above, Scott Rockholm, of Save Western Wildlife, is being interviewed during a protest rally at the U.S. Dsitrict Court - Missoula courthouse back in March. JOIN US ON JULY 26TH...WE NEED SOME NUMBERS!

Back in April, President Barrack Obama signed H.R. 1473 into law. This legislation, known as the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriation Act of 2011, also contained a briefly worded rider which removes wolves in several states from the protection of the Endangered Species Act. And that has not set well with several pro-wolf environmental organizations, who are challenging the constitutionality of the manner in which Congress slipped this issue in among the 459 pages of the continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded, and working.

The wolf rider reads: "Before the end of the 60-day period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall reissue the final rule published on April 2, 2009 (74 Fed. Reg. 15213 et seq.) without regard to any other provision of statute or regulation that applies to issuance of such rule. Such reissuance (including this section) shall not be subject to judicial review and shall not abrogate or otherwise have any effect on the order and judgment issued by the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming in Case Numbers 09-CV-118J and 09-CV-138J on November 18, 2010."

Judge Donald Molloy, of the U.S. District Court in Missoula, MT, has accepted a lawsuit filed by the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and the Center for Biological Diversity, and despite the wording "shall not be subject to judicial review" found in the wolf rider, it is now very apparent that this federal judge has decided to do just that. Many residents of the Northern Rockies now feel that this issue no longer has anything to do with establishing and maintaining a recovered wolf population, but rather it has become all about a federal judge making law instead of enforcing the law.

The lawsuit filed by the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and the Center for Biological Diversity seeks to determine the legality of adding the wolf rider to a budget continuing resolution. Their goal is to stop the wolf management (i.e. control) hunts in Montana and Idaho this year. Despite the fact that the number of wolves in these two states are now upwards of 10 to 12 times the recovered population goals established in the early 1990s Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Plan and the 1994 Environmental Impact Statement filed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, such environmental groups keep moving the goal post - and the over population of wolves is now making a severe negative impact on elk, moose, deer and other big game herds, with escalated depredation of livestock as well.

A large segment of those sportsmen and ranchers who have been fighting to gain control of wolf numbers now see Judge Molloy as the real threat. His decisions have stalled wolf control hunts, resulting in a tremendous loss of wildlife and making it more difficult for ranchers to raise livestock profitably. One such decision cancelled a much needed 2010 wolf hunt. Molloy found that Montana and Idaho could not conduct such a hunt, even though both states had approved wolf management plans, because Wyoming's plan had not been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Actually, the Wyoming plan had been approved by USFWS. However, Molloy did not agree with the manner in which the state intended to manage wolves in only the northwest corner, to insure the 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs mandatory under the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Plan and the 1994 EIS. In the rest of Wyoming, wolves would be considered a predator, and could be shot on sight. Donald Molloy so harshly criticized the plan that USFWS turned around and disapproved how the state intended to manage wolf numbers. A couple of months after Molloy's decision, a federal court in Cheyenne, WY stated that USFWS had been wrong to reject the Wyoming Wolf Management Plan. Still, the 2010 wolf hunts did not take place in Montana and Idaho, and tens of thousands of big game animals were lost to a burgeoning wolf population.

Last month (June), Molloy received the briefs for the wolf rider lawsuit, and on Tuesday, July 26th, he will hear oral arguments by the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and the Center for Biological Diversity, and by the U.S. Department of the Interior. In June, a dozen or so sportsman, conservation and ranching organizations filed to become interveners in this case, which Molloy denied. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m., at the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse, 201 E. Broadway, Missoula, MT.

This could prove to be a "no win" case for this judge. Should he side with the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and the Center for Biological Diversity, and rule that Congress did not have the constitutional right to add a wolf delisting rider to the budget continuing resolution, that could be the catalyst to push Congress to amend the ESA, returning wolf management to every state. Should Molloy decide in favor of the rider being added, Montana and Idaho will conduct wolf control hunts this fall and winter - on top of which Congress could very likely still act to amend the ESA.

That same day, sportsmen groups from the Northern Rockies are organizing a wolf protest on the sidewalks around the courthouse, to show support for wolf control, and calling for an end to wildlife management being decided by an extremely biased federal judge. The rally will begin at 9 a.m. and run until the hearing has ended. There's sure to be some extremely colorful protest signs being carried that day. - Toby Bridges, LOBO WATCH

At The Heart Of The Northern Rockies Wolf Problem Is USFWS & State Wildlife Agencies

2011-07-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Following is some correspondence I received from one of our state senators here in Montana. That senator had requested some info on how neighboring Idaho would attempt to get a handle on an out of control wolf population, and this is what was sent.

"I was finally able to speak with Idaho Fish and Game today about their current wolf management efforts. Here's what they've been doing under the most recent delisting:

1) Ungulate protection: use of control activities in the Lolo game management unit. This includes:

a) aerial control -- which was used for less than a month after delisting in the Lolo unit due to the weather and a change in wolf movement. The wolves moved into the timber, making aerial control unfeasible. 5 or 6 wolves were killed in the effort, but that's far less than the goal, which sounds like it was 20-30 wolves.

b) authorization for licensed outfitters to shoot wolves on site in the Lolo game unit during the spring black bear season which runs through June 30. None is believed to have been taken this way yet.

2) Hunting: the Idaho Commission is expected to adopt its hunting proposal in July. The details of the proposal are expected to be released in the next week or so for review. The commission is expected to be more agressive than the 2009 hunt, authorizing trapping as well as rifle and perhaps use of more liberal quotas and issuance of multiple tags to individual hunters.

3) Designation of sheriff's officers as special agents in Idaho County, specifically in the Elk City area. Elk City apparently has traditionally had elk within its boundaries and the wolves have followed the elk in. The agreement between the county and Idaho Fish and Game delineates the circumstances under which sheriff's officers may shoot wolves. Apparently, the first wolf was just taken in the city limits.

The person I spoke with promised to send me some written materials related to Idaho's efforts via email next week. I'll be happy to forward them to you if you like.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance."

One concern this elected official has centers on the liklihood that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will, once again, adopt a quota that will accomplish nothing in the way of controlling wolf numbers...or the damage wolves deal the state's wildlife resources and the ranching community. Following is some of what I sent back...

"The biggest obstacle we face here in Montana is the false image of just 566 wolves in this state.

I have personally now seen 16 wolves in the state over the course of the past 12 months. If one person can physically see that many wolves while travelling a state the size of Montana...there are a heck of a lot more wolves here than the "at least" number that Fish, Wildlife and Parks is now touting.

If we use the math that wolf biologist Dr. L. David Mech used in his 2008 delisting declaration, Montana now surely has "at least" 1,500 to 1,600 wolves (possibly as many as 2,000). If FWP sticks with their 566 population count, and fills a quota of 220...that means there will still be 1,280 to 1,380 wolves in this state.

And with the birthing of pups next spring, at a 25% reproduction increase, the number of wolves will jump right back to anywhere from 1,536 to 1,656 wolves - more than the number we truly have now.

The wolves we already have here are already decimating game populations, and putting an ever bigger dent into livestock production. Still, FWP is hell bent to insure that with each new year, we will have more wolves than the year before. And that will mean still greater depredation losses."

This morning, the senator sent a link to an article in today's Idaho Statesman newspaper, headlined "Idaho To Offer Looser Wolf Hunt Rules As Tag Sales Lag". The only comment made was... "The gap between Idaho and Montana management just grows and grows!"

To which LOBO WATCH responded...

"Here is how the majority of sportsmen now see this issue. USFWS and state wildlife agencies (MT FWP and IDFG) have created the problem, this bona fide wildlife disaster, by "managing" wolves to insure that their numbers rapidly increases year after year. And now that this not-so-grand experiment has gone terribly wrong, with excessive wildlife resources lost and growing livestock depredation, these agencies now expect the sportsmen to step up to the plate and save wildlife in this country once again. The real fallacy of all this, at this point, has been any talks of quotas...and selling "wolf hunting permits".

Those agencies created the problem, now they want sportsmen to pay to fix the problem they created. And that is pure hogwash.

MT FWP's extremely low "at least" wolf number is part of the junk science that plagues this failed project. What FWP needs to do this year, is to allow any hunter with any valid hunting license/permit to shoot a wolf (or wolves)...and to keep a count of the number killed...those wolves need to be checked in. No "wolf" permit...no "wolf" quota...no "wolf" season. When, say 400 wolves are killed, then close down the hunt, and then make an all out honest effort (through the winter) to get a feel for how many wolves are still here. Rest assured, there will still be far more wolves than what was culled.

Over the weekend, I will be putting together a July LOBO WATCH news/editorial release that looks at the junk science behind the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Plan, and in the crosshairs will be state wildlife biologists and wildlife managers, the greenie academic type professors now teaching wildlife ecology (and their new agenda), the lack of technology and manpower to adequately research and account for wolf numbers and the damages caused by wolves, and how the radical environmental groups are now buying off "scientists" (and probably a few politicians, wildlife department heads, educators, etc.) for them to support their environment/wildlife cause or agenda.

Hope you don't mind, but I want to share this with a few others...some of which I do believe have been enticed (or ordered) to outright lie to or misslead the public when it comes to wolf numbers, wolf impact, what it will take to get a handle on this problem, and other threats and dangers of allowing wolves to spread basically unchecked across a settled land (i.e. - physical harm and the more than 30 infectious diseases wolves carry and spread)."

What are your thoughts?

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

State of New Mexico Pulls Out Of Mexican Wolf Re-Introduction Program!

2011-06-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

The above photo shows what some rural New Mexico residents have had to revert to, in order to protect their children, waiting for the school bus, from ever bolder Mexican gray wolves. On 6-19-11, the State of New Mexico decided they had had enough of this idiocy, and voted to pull out of the Mexican Gray Wolf Reintroduction Program. Following is an e-mail received from LOBO WATCH follower, New Mexico outfitter Jess Carey...

I would like to report to you; On May 18th, 2011 the Catron County Commission sent a letter to The N.M. Game Commission and Governor Martinez requesting them to remove the State from Mexican Wolf Re-Introduction. Six documents were attached to show the damage the children and folks of Catron County has suffered due to Mexican Wolf Recovery. At the New Mexico Game Commission meeting today, 06-09-11, the Commission voted unanimously to remove the state from Mexican Wolf Re-Introduction. Governor Martinez also supports the state being removed from Mexican Wolf Re-Introduction. Governor Martinez and the Game Commission will be receiving a lot of flack from the pro-wolf supporters and wolf organizations, it is "imperative" that we all send a letter or email to Governor Martinez and each Game Commissioner to support them and thank them for the action they have taken.

Now the USFWS cannot blame the Game Department on wolf issues, now the USFWS can be held accountable. We want Governor Martinez to take action on documented wolf interaction to remove those wolves. Every wolf livestock depredation and habituated wolf interaction around homes and people needs to be documented.

Catron County Commissioner Glen Griffin did an excellent job in his presentation to the Game Commission, as did all the folks who spoke against the wolf program. Many could not attend the Game Meeting due to the fire at the Arizona state line.

You can be assured that the liberal press will only use the same old pro-wolf advocate statements in their paper and make everyone else look bad.

Please pass this email on to everyone you know and ask them to send a letter or email in support to remove the state from Mexican Wolf Re-introduction.

Thank you,
Jess Carey

Addresses below:

Office of the Governor
490 Old Santa Fe Trail
Room 400
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Those wishing to send an e-mail message to Governor Susana Martinez can use the form on the official state website at...

http://www.governor.state.nm.us/Contact_the_Governor.aspx

LOBO WATCH sent the following response to New Mexico resident and outfitter Jess Carey...

Thanks Jess,

This afternoon, I will circulate this throughout the Northern Rockies, and I will send a letter to the Governor of New Mexico, and to the New Mexico Game Commission thanking them for doing what had to be done.

Wolf control begins with the populace of a state saying "No!" to forced federal programs which so severely impact the health, safety and welfare of the people as negatively as has forced wolf introduction. Not only have wolves destroyed wildlife resources and created undue hardships for ranchers, USFWS wolves are also destroying a way of life and delivering the
"cou de gras" to an already dying economy.

I only wish our Governor here in Montana was man enough to do the same thing. He's a big talker, but not much of a doer. He continues to play the USFWS wolf game, and because of his lackluster stand against wolves, the state of Montana, the "Treasure State", is fast losing one of its most precious treasures - the abundance of wildlife once found all along its western mountains. Wildlife conservation in this part of the state has suffered a 40 to 50 year set back...now the ranching community is being forced to feed far more wolves than our Governor and our Game Commission
acknowledge here. They have become an integral part of the problem, and Montanans have grown sick and tired of the idiocy behind the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Project, and those responsible for the tremendous losses this state has suffered, and continues to suffer.

Thanks for getting this information to me.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

www.lobowatch.com

Rehberg Among Army of Western Lawmakers to Introduce Legislation to Combat Frivolous Lawsuits on Taxpayer Dime

2011-06-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has introduced legislation with Representative Cynthia Lummis (WY-AL) to reduce taxpayers’ burden to pay for the attorneys’ fees of environmental obstructionist groups who abuse the legal system to block economic development and destroy jobs. The Government Litigation Savings Act makes long overdue reforms to the implementation and oversight of funds distributed through the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA).

“The abuse of our legal system and attack on Montana jobs is a big enough problem without the government asking the taxpayer to foot the bill for the lawyers,” said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Western Caucus. “Whether it’s wolf management, timber production or energy development, you can’t walk across the street in Montana without being sued by an out-of-state environmental obstructionist group. And while these groups have millions in the bank, they’re using tax dollars to fund their legal obstruction. This bill helps change that.”

“When the government stopped tracking EAJA payments in 1995, it was a dream come true for radical environmental groups. Lack of oversight has fueled the fire for these groups to grind the work of land management and other federal agencies to a halt -- and it does so on the taxpayer’s dime. Americans have unwittingly funded these obstructionist political agendas for far too long at the expense of individuals, small businesses, energy producers, farmers and ranchers who must pay out of their own pocket to defend the federal government against relentless litigation,” said Lummis. “This common sense legislation would help restore integrity to EAJA and return the program to the original intent of Congress.”

In 1980, Congress passed EAJA to help individuals, small businesses and non-profit organizations with limited access to financial resources defend themselves against harmful government actions. EAJA allows for the reimbursement of attorney’s fees and costs associated with suing the federal government. When operating as it was intended, EAJA allows plaintiffs who sue the federal government to recover part of their attorney’s fees and costs if they “prevail” in the case.

The original legislation required annual reports to Congress on the amount and nature of EAJA payments, but those reports ended in 1995. Two private studies, one by a Wyoming law firm and another by Virginia Tech University, have shown that despite congressional intent to assist small organizations, some large environmental obstructionist groups appear to be the biggest beneficiaries of EAJA payments. The Wyoming study, for example, found that more than 1,200 federal cases were filed in 19 states and the District of Columbia by just 14 environmental groups. The cost to the taxpayer was $37 million.

Rehberg’s legislation returns EAJA to its original intent reforming eligibility requirements to receive EAJA reimbursements, limiting repeated lawsuits, and reinstating tracking and reporting requirements to make EAJA more transparent. Under the Government Litigation Savings Act, veterans, social security claimants, individuals and small businesses will still enjoy full access to EAJA funds.

“No one wants to restrict access to the courts,” said Rehberg. “But let’s use some common sense and stop asking the taxpayer to fund the very lawsuits that are destroying their jobs and livelihoods.”

The legislation has been endorsed by over 85 agriculture, sportsmen, recreation and energy groups including the Montana Association of State Grazing Districts, Montana Public Lands Council, Montana Stockgrowers Association and Montana Wool Growers Association. The full list is below:

• Boone and Crockett Club
• National Rifle Association
• Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
• National Federation of Independent Businesses
• Public Lands Council
• National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
• National Association of Conservation Districts
• Congressional Sportsman Foundation
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
• National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
• Safari Club International
• Western Energy Alliance
• National Mining Association
• United States Cattleman’s Association
• American Sheep Industry
• National Association of Forest Service Retirees
• Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
• Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association
• Motorcycle Industry Association
• Americans for Responsible Recreational Access
• Specialty Vehicle Institute of America
• American Agri-Women
• Mule Deer Foundation
• Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
• Independent Petroleum Association of America
• Foundation for Environmental and Economic Progress
• Women in Farm Economics
• National Trappers Association
• Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever
• U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance
• Wildlife Forever
• Wildlife Management Institute
• Archery Trade Association
• Campfire Club of America
• Catch-a-Dream Foundation
• Masters of Foxhounds Association of America
• Orion-the-Hunter’s Institute
• Quality Deer Management Association
• Ruffed Grouse Society
• Tread Lightly!
• Pope and Young Club
• Association of National Grasslands
• Specialty Equipment Market Association

Regional, State, and Local Associations
• Western Legacy Alliance
• Western Business Roundtable
• Intermountain Forestry Association
• Wyoming Stock Growers Association
• Black Hills Forest Resource Association
• Wyoming Wool Growers Association
• Colorado Timber Industry Association.
• Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation
• Idaho Farm Bureau Federation
• Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts
• South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association
• Wyoming Petroleum Association
• Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas
• Dallas Safari Club
• Houston Safari Club
• Delta Waterfowl Foundation
• Texas Wildlife Association
• Texas Cattle Feeders Association
• Oregonians for Food and Shelter
• New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association
• New Mexico Wool Growers, Inc.
• Arizona Farm Bureau Federation
• Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association
• Arizona Public Lands Council
• California Cattlemen’s Association
• California Wool Growers Association
• Central Committee of Nevada State Grazing Boards
• Nevada Cattlemen’s Association
• Colorado Cattlemen’s Association
• Colorado Public Lands Council
• Colorado Wool Growers Association
• Florida Cattlemen’s Association
• Georgia Cattlemen’s Association
• Hawaii Cattlemen’s Association
• Idaho Cattle Association
• Idaho Wool Growers Association
• Iowa Cattlemen’s Association
• Kansas Livestock Association
• Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association
• Montana Association of State Grazing Districts
• Montana Public Lands Council
• Montana Stockgrowers Association
• Montana Wool Growers Association
• North Dakota Stockmen’s Association
• Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association
• Oregon Cattlemen’s Association
• Utah Cattlemen’s Association
• Utah Farm Bureau Federation
• Washington Cattlemen’s Association

CONTACT: Jed Link, 202-225-3211

From LOBO WATCH:

Environmental groups, among them spurious organizations like the Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the especially lame and misnamed Humane Society of the United States, have raped this country for far too long, and have banked BILLIONS...not millions mind you...but BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars by milking the cash cow known as the Equal Access to Justice Act. They have also abused the Endangered Species Act thousands of times over the past several decades, keeping hundreds of lawsuits in court at just about any given time.

Yanking this financial rug from beneath them will be a major step in regaining control of wildlife issues in this country. With so much of this "easy money" flowing into their coffers, rest assured there are a lot of extremly dirty people in some mighty high places, who have pulled political and legal strings for these groups. There are many who need to be investigated, most likley including a governor or two, several high ranking judges, and a whole lot of state and federal wildlife agency directors and high ranking appointees.

Along with putting this choke hold on the Equal Access to Justice Act, more effort than ever needs to be made to get the gray wolf removed from the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Likewise, management hunts for grizzlies in the Northern Rockies are way past due.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

www.lobowatch.com

(To bring yourself up to date on the wolf issue, go to the above website link, and on the opening page, click on "News Releases".)

Oregon Congressman Blumenauer Supports Growing Wolf Numbers...

2011-05-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

Recently, Oregon resident Cathy Keach wrote to Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer in regard to the growing impact of wolves in that state. Cathy and her husband Mike are ranchers, and have concerns about the negative impact wolves will have on their livlihood. They are also extremely outdoor oriented people, and are also worried about how wolf depredation will rob them and others of the opportunity to hunt elk and other game - as it is robbing sportsmen in Idaho and Montana right now.

Typical of extremely out-of-touch politicans these days, Representative Blumenauer sent her back the following form letter.

Dear Mrs. Kaech,

Thank you for contacting me about the fate of gray wolves. I share your concern about undermining the wolves' protection under the Endangered Species Act, and I strongly opposed the inclusion of this policy rider in the recent budget deal. I am especially concerned about the precedent of Congressionally delisting species from the Endangered Species Act, as I believe these decisions should be made by wildlife experts and scientists, not members of Congress.

I have been inspired by the recovery of the gray wolf in Yellowstone, and have watched the positive impacts it has had on the rest of the ecosystem. While I support state efforts to manage wolves, they must do so in a way that ensures healthy wolf populations over the long term. Especially in light of lax state protections, I strongly support the wolves' protection under the Endangered Species Act and I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure that the gray wolf makes a full recovery.

Thanks again for contacting me about this important issue. Please continue to be in touch.

Sincerely,

Earl Blumenauer
Member of Congress

LOBO WATCH used the form on Congressman Blumenauer's website to send the following message...which we're sure never got read...by him or even his staff. But...it is here for you to read.

Dear Congressman Blumenauer;

This morning, I read a letter that you sent to one of your constituents about all the positive and beneficial things that growing wolf populations have done for our environment.

Earl, it's quite clear that you don't know squat about wolves...and it's what you don't know which is bad for the State of Oregon and its
residents.

I will post that letter on the popular LOBO WATCH website tomorrow...along with a very long list of NEGATIVE impacts that wolves have on our wildlife populations, on rural residents who rely on livestock production, as well as on outdoor recreation, along with the health and safety threats that wolves present to humans. (You are aware that wolves carry and spread more than 30 infectious diseases...don't you?)

By any chance, are you up for re-election in 2012?

If you are, you may really want to get a darn site more educated about wolves. As I said, it is very apparent that you don't know anything about this apex predator...and it's impact on human life. Wolves are the wildlife equivalent of cancer...or plague. To boast that you support the full recovery of the wolf population in this country is akin to supporting the spread of rabies, cystic hydatid disease, trichinosis, and many other "living" viruses, bacterias, and infections which wolves spread widely.

I would be very interested in hearing just what benefits you feel wolves bring to an ecosystem that was rich with wildlife before the forced introduction of non-native, and non-endangered, Canadian wolves. If you want that side of your argument of why wolves belong here included, please get (by e-mail) that information to me today or tonight. If I do not receive that information, tomorrow I will share with everyone what it is that you DO NOT KNOW about wolves. And why you have absolutely no business adressing this issue.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH
Missoula, MT

LOBO WATCH will publish ALL that Representative Earl Blumenauer apparently does not know about wolves on the LOBO WATCH website this evening - May 25, 2011.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

www.lobowatch.com

Have You Left Any Comments With MT FWP In Regards To The 2011 Wolf Hunt?

2011-05-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

Montana Fish, wildlife and Parks is now seeking comments in regard to the wolf quota, season dates, hunt units and boundaries.

Following are the comments I sent yesterday.

"When is MT FWP going to get honest about the number of wolves in this state? To say that killing
220 wolves will reduce the state wolf population by about 25-percent, to around 425, is pure hogwash.

Why do you people continue to lie to the hunters of this state?

Last year, when proposing the 2010 hunt (that did not take place), FWP had no problem proclaiming that a
quota of "186" wolves represented a 13-percent decrease in the state's wolf population. Perhaps you guys
need calculators...or at lease take off your boots when ciphering numbers, so you have more digits to work
with. If "186" represented 13-percent of the population, that means there were around 1,430 wolves in
Montana LAST YEAR. Now you are saying that a quota of "220" represents 25-percent of Montana's wolf
population...or in other words, you are now saying there are 880 wolves in Montana.

What happened to the other 550 wolves??? Also, I guess those 1,430 wolves you acknowledged last year
didn't have any pups, eh? Come on, admit it, MT FWP has absolutely no idea how many wolves are in this state.
How could you, you do not possess the technology for counting wolves, nor do you have the personnel in the
field to get even a close count...let alone a count that's reasonably right.

What mysterious mathematical equation are you using to pull your numbers right out of blue sky? If you mad
scientists used the math presented by Dr. L. David Mech, in his declaration for the 2008 wolf delisting, you
would surely realize that the true number of wolves in this state is well over 1,500 (more like 2,500) - which
would account for the excessive depredation of big game in a number of areas.

Also, you should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves for lying to the sportsmen of Montana, who have fully
supported FWP since its start, and for the shoddy manner in which your agency continually tried to cover up the
loss of elk, moose and other big game to wolves. You've now built a wall between FWP and Montana's sportsmen.
Your actions and lies have revealed your true agenda, and that is no longer to insure the health of our wildlife
resources. FWP has sold out to the radical green environmental groups, and with the 2012 election, the sportsmen
of this state will seek revenge. They will elect a governor that best represents them...and who will have absolutely
no reservation about giving FWP a total overhaul. And that will start by skimming off the scum at the top....then
seeing who is left that's true to their chosen professions. We now realize that the top management of FWP can no
longer be trusted.

Toby Bridges
Missoula, MT"

To leave comments of your own, go to the following link, and click on "For Hunters", that will take you to a list of
topics open for Public Comment, scroll down to the 2011 Wolf Hunting Seasons, and click on "Submit Comments".

http://fwp.mt.gov/news/newsReleases/headlines/nr_3955.html

Don't hold back. It's bad enough that our wildlife agency has willingly allowed wolves to destroy hunting up and down
most of western Montana. What's even worse is that by forcing YOU to buy a tag in order to control wolf numbers, they
are now making you pay (once more) to fix their screw up.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

The Wolves Are Now At MT Governor Schweitzer's Door!

2011-05-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

In Western Montana, These Elk Calves Have Less Than A 10-Percent Chance Of Surviving To Reach 1-Year Of Age - Thanks To Wolves & A Spineless Governor!

Is Montana's "Lame Duck" Governor Brian Schweitzer running scared of the Department of the Interior and USFWS when it comes to EVER taking control of the wolf issue in this state? It sure seems so. In fact, the following letter he sent to Montana Secretary of State, Linda McCulloch, in regards to vetoing the opportunity for a spring wolf hunt definitely says that he's shaking in his undeserving cowboy boots.

I doubt if he's reading this...but just in case he is...here is an e-mail I plan to send him today (5-6-11)...

"May 6, 2011

Brian;

You continue to prove that you have very little regard for the will of Montana residents, and you certainly are no sportsman - or even a friend of the sportsmen in this state.. The following letter proves that you are so out of touch with the problem, you have absolutely no business even discussing it - or having the right to veto Senate Bill 402. This legislation would have gotten a jump start on "wolf control" - not "wolf management".

You, and your not-so-crack team of wolf "managers" with Fish, Wildlife and Parks, seem to have a problem with comprehending that Montanans DO NOT want to manage for MORE WOLVES...they want to put into action control measures that insure there will be FEWER WOLVES. Rest asured, the FWP Plan will have absolutely no effect on controlling wolf numbers in this state...or the loss of our big game herds.

FWP's approach is a joke at best...and none of us are laughing. But we will be organizing to do some serious house cleaning after the 2012 election, when your regime will become only a bad memory.

Let me put this as simple as possible - so you and FWP Director Joe Maurier may be able to comprehend what is being said.

The proposed spring hunt was in no way (EVER) intended to be a trophy wolf hunt - it was merely an opportunity to get a handle on the elk calf massacre that lays just ahead. The 2011 elk calf crop is just about to hit the ground...and waiting are the 1,400 to 1,500 wolves in this state, ready to enjoy another spring killing spree that will wipe out 90-percent or more of those calves before they have the opportunity to reach one-year of age. Due to the continual loss of young-of-the-year, our elk herds in western Montana have become geriatric, now averaging around 9 years of age. Before wolves, these herds averaged a healthy 4 years of age. They have now reached an age, that even without the stress of wolves, their chances of reproducing have become extremely slim.

Congratulations for driving another nail into that coffin. I hope you and your old college roommate buddy Joe Maurier can live with that. The sportsmen of Montana will long remember how you played a role in selling them out. I certainly hope you do not have any aspirations of remaining in politics in this state. If you do, I'd say that your chances of ever being elected again to any seat or office are even less than those of a 2011 newborn elk calf ever reaching maturity. The wolves are now knocking at your door.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH
Missoula, MT"

Following is Schweitzer's letter to the Secretary of State...

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
STATE OF MONTANA
BRIAN SCHWEITZER

JOHN BOHLINGER
GOVERNOR LT. GOVERNOR

April 29, 2011

The Honorable Linda McCulloch
Secretary of State
State Capitol
Helena, MT 59620

Dear Secretary McCulloch:

In accordance with the power vested in me as Governor by the Constitution and the laws of the State of Montana, I hereby veto Senate Bill No. 402 (SB 402), "AN ACT PROVIDING FOR SPRING WOLF HUNTS; ESTABLISHING FEES FOR SPRING WOLF HUNTING LICENSES; AMENDING SECTIONS 87-1-304, 87-2-523, 87-2-524, AND 87-5-131, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE."

Senate Bill 402 was introduced in anticipation of federal delisting of wolves from the Endangered Species Act. According to proponents, Montana "lost" the fall 2010 hunting season to the relisting of wolves earlier in the year, and SB 402 was an effort to allow, essentially for the purposes of just the current year, a spring hunt of wolves. This legislation provides a mandate for this single-year spring hunt, despite numerous biological, administrative, and practical difficulties associated with such a hunt.

In federal legislation recently shepherded through Congress by U.S. Senator Jon Tester, wolves have been delisted. This uncommonly helpful congressional action was passed in uncommonly quick fashion. At the moment, Montana awaits the necessary federal regulations and protocols for implementation of the recent delisting, which I understand may take up to 60 days. For purposes of a hunt, that timeline would put Montana into the middle of June, at which time the Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) Commission would take up matters such as season-setting, quotas, hunting districts, public input, and license sales. The net result is that Montana would be looking at July or August for its "spring hunt," even as we expect fall wolf hunting in the backcountry to begin in mid-September. Because of these difficulties with timing, and for practical reasons involving the mingling of hunting seasons, and for the sake of public safety during the summer months when Montana families are enjoying other activities in the woods, I believe a wolf hunt outside of fall to be unworkable and ill-advised. In any event, stated otherwise, it is not practically possible for a "spring hunt" to occur, as S8 402 would require.

There are several biological and social reasons why a spring wolf hunt is further ill-advised. Female wolves with pups will be vulnerable and tied to their dens. Montana has long-avoided hunting during these times, due not only to biology, but social acceptance. The prospect of field-dressing pregnant females or the likelihood of starving, abandoned pups does not meet ethical standards of fair chase or humane treatment of animals.

Further, wolves are undernourished and in their poorest condition coming into the spring, and the young are immature through the summer. The harvest of animals in poor condition with mangy pelts and the taking of underdeveloped animals are not what most Montanans have in mind when buying a hunting license. FWP and the Commission already have the authority to set any season that is appropriate to the agency's mission, including a special season for wolves as circumstances may dictate. However, a statutory setting of mandatory hunting without consideration of these broader implications, in my opinion is ill-advised.

Additionally, FWP has a wolf management plan, and the substance of that plan helped secure passage of Senator Tester's legislation to de-list wolves in Montana. Enactment of SB 402 has the potential to jeopardize Montana's delisted status, a result none of us desire. Ultimately, delisting was facilitated by Montana's sensible and scientific approach.

Montana will indeed have a wolf hunt this fall, and I am not willing to jeopardize recent hardfought gains to put wolf management back where it belongs, in the hands of the state. I respectfully ask for your support to sustain my veto.

Sincerely,
BRIAN C. SCHWEITZER
GOVERNOR

cc: Legislative Services Division

Drop Governor Brian Schweitzer an e-mail...and give him a piece of your mind...

brianschweitzer@mt.gov

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

LOBO WATCH Is Now Also On Facebook!

2011-04-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000470507642#!/pages/Lobo-Watch/213339158676640

LOBO WATCH Mails Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

2011-04-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Governor Walker;

I've been reading where the residents of your state have finally gotten tired of living the wolf lie - as have the residents of every other state where wolves are destroying wildlife resources, negatively impacting livestock production, and posing both physical and health threats to human residents.

Much of this animosity toward wolves could have been prevented...if...

And "if" is indeed a mighty big word when it comes to this issue. If states would have stood up to the federal government 20 years ago, wolves would not be the problem they are now. If state wildlife agencies like the WI DNR would have rejected the idiocy of the USFWS wolf project, states would have a lot more control than they enjoy now. If those same state wildlife agencies had more carefully employed state biologists true to their career, we wouldn't be living as big a lie as we are now. The "ifs" could go on and on.

Fact is, EVERY state with an established wolf population has one heck of a lot more wolves than state and federal wildlife agencies admit. They are simply covering up the mess they've created, and perpetuate the lie by down playing the number of wolves in the major "wolf states"...including Wisconsin. I recently read where the WI DNR/USFWS is saying there are now 800-850 wolves in Wisconsin. Isn't the true number more like 1,200 to 1,500? I have been to northern Wisconsin many times. There is absolutely no way that anyone using any available technology could come even close to accurately counting wolves. And it is what your DNR experts don't know which is wiping out whitetail herds, damaging the rural economy and placing harsh impositions on the residents of your state.

During the Wisconsin Conservation Congress meetings held this past week in every county of the state, those attending all of these meetings were fairly unanimous in taking a stand against wolves. Issues included 1.) Establishing a wolf population of 350 or less...2.) WI DNR to implement meaningful wolf control...3.) To have the wolf federally delisted...4.) And to no longer simply relocate problem wolves (instead to eliminate them). All 72 counties voted in favor of these measures.

The bounty of wildlife that Wisconsin enjoys has been the result of nearly a hundred years of sound wildlife conservation practices, all paid for by the sportsmen of your state - not Johnny-Come-Lately organizations like the National Wildlife Federation...Defenders of Wildlife...the Humane Society of the United States...and other similar so-called "environmental" or "animal rights" groups, which have learned to milk the wolf "cash cow" for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Here in Montana, the sportsmen of this state are on the very edge of full revolt. They have grown sick and tired of the foot dragging and political grandstanding of do-nothing politicians, not to mention a state wildlife agency that has repeatedly lied to them - and those elected officials and politically appointed persons which have either contributed to the dramatic loss of wildlife or which have done little to nothing to stop the damage will most likely find themselves soon standing in the unemployment lines!

With wolves now at everyone's door in Wisconsin, you are now sitting on one very explosive powder keg. Attached is a release I sent out here in the Northern Rockies. More than ever, those who are being affected by out-of-control wolf populations and levels of depredation want to know who are their political enemies.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

(Note: The release mentioned can be read on the LOBO WATCH website at the following link.)

http://www.lobowatch.org/adminclient/Legislation6/go

Support A Fellow Wolf Warrior!

2011-04-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

The combined efforts of many fighting to win control of growing and extremely destructive wolf populations are beginning to help insure that wolf numbers will be dramatically reduced. Much has been done on both state and federal levels. And as things get bashed around within our state legislatures and back in Washington D.C., we're learning who our political friends and who our political enemies are.

This arena will become the main thrust for LOBO WATCH as we now head toward the 2012 elections. There is some serious house cleaning to be done at all levels of government. And the sportsmen and true wildlife conservationists of this country continue to become more organized. We can and will make a major difference in future elections. We have grown tired of wishy-washy, flip flopping politicians who say one thing, then support efforts which are not in the best interest of hunting...fishing...and the outdoors in general.

It's time to remove them from office.

Another area that LOBO WATCH will now begin to focus on is to organize sportmen boycotts of those companies and services which financially support major anit-hunting enviromental groups - such as Defenders of Wildlife, the Humane Society of the United States, the Sierra Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity.

On local levels, LOBO WATCH will encourage all to scrutinize who they do business with...and to support ONLY those businesses who are with us in this battle to save America's wildlife from major predators - be they animal or human.

One business here in the Northern Rockies which needs to be recognized for being in this fight all the way is Alpine Artistry Taximermy, of Arlee, MT. The sign above, along U.S. 93 between Arlee and Ravalli, used to carry the shop's name, but owner Shawn Andres felt it needed to convey another message - to halt the devastation non-native and non-endangered Canadian wolves, wrongly forced on the residents of Montana by USFWS, have dealt elk, moose, deer and other wildlife species.

If you are looking for one true World Class taxidermist, take a look at Shawn's work at the following link. He is with us 100% in this Wolf War, strongly supporting wolf control hunts, attending sportsman meetings to discuss the problem, and protesting against wolves at rallies.

www.alpineartistry.com/

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

Congress To Authorize Wolf Hunts...

2011-04-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

The following just came in from Don Peay, the founder of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, in regards to Congressional legislation that could result in wolf control (a.k.a. "management") hunts in Idaho and Montana as early as late this month.

LOBO WATCH will have a release out on this tomorrow...and who to contact to push for those control/management hunts to get wolf numbers down before calf elk begin hitting the ground.

Get up to date on the wolf issue...Go To...
www.lobowatch.com

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

"Fellow Sportsmen,

I am writing with a very important update on wolf delisting. Recent developments have added to what was already a very complex and dynamic situation. Hopefully, this email will help clarify the situation and what we can do as sportsmen to help wolf delisting move forward in Congress.

All indications are that the Long Term Continuing Resolution to Fund the Government for the Rest of the year will contain wolf delisting provisions for some states, but not others. Specifically, the 2009 Northern Rocky Mountain Distinct Population Segment Delisting Rule would be given the full force and effect of law. Additionally, part of the Congressional language would specifically precludes the ability of anyone to litigate the decision. So, wolf hunts, per state fish and game agency direction in Montana and Idaho can begin this year, potentially as early as this spring.

As many of you are aware, this language is far from perfect. So, here is what we believe it means to the overall wolf delisting effort:

1. All of Idaho, Montana and parts of eastern Oregon and Washington and a small part of northern Utah will remove wolves from ESA protection, and states will be allowed to manage wolves according to state management plans. This is potentially a very positive development, especially for Idaho and Montana.

2. nfortunately, the entire state of Wyoming, the majority of Utah, Colorado, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona, New Mexico and other states were not included. In fact, this action by Congress to codify the language of the 2009 delisting rule may be interpreted to reverse some of the important ground gained by Wyoming in support of dual management status and other aspects of their wolf management plan. This is a very concerning development which reinforces the need for further Congressional action to finish what we started.

3. Big Game Forever has already started the process to get the REST of the wolf states, including the Upper Midwest, and all of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska delisted as well in the next few months, in Congress. We are not done and we must ask Senator Tester, Senator Baucus and Congressman Simpson to help us finish the fight.

This is our understanding on process of how this wolf delisting bill will be passed into law. The wolf delisting language is being printed into the Continuing Resolution to fund the government on Monday, it will be voted on in the house on Wednesday, the Senate on Thursday, and President Obama will sign it into law on Friday. States should be able to immediately begin to manage wolves, just as they were, prior to the Malloy Decision to stop wolf hunts. This bill stops short of returning full state management authority back to these states, including Idaho and Montana. So USFWS remains in a supervisory role. But, if USFWS does not interfere and allows the states do their job, a wide variety of wolf management activities can be resumed by these states. We are hopeful this is a step in the right direction.

Interestingly, on Saturday (two days ago), Judge Malloy rejected the settlement brokered with the Animal Rights groups. These group had decided to drop the law suit against wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho – they wanted to settle so Congress would not act. To be clear, without the pressure in Congress built by our cosponsors, sportsmen, SFW and BGF, this proposed settlement would not have happened. This decision by Malloy to reject the settlement just proves once again, Judges cannot be allowed to decide issues about wolf management, they won’t even agree with the ENEMY, when the ENEMY is ready to surrender.

So, this Congressional Action is a GREAT Victory, and at the same time, it is a Great defeat if we allow this to be the end of the road.

The Great Victory is that just over one year ago, when other groups and experts said (1) Congress would not touch wolf delisting; and (2) the only solution was to fight it out in Court. SFW and BGF said Congressional action was the clearest path to restoring the rights of states to manage. Some very dedicated folks believed we could win in Congress if we changed the game. Randy and Coni Brooks stepped up with a $100,000 donation and Big Game Forever was formed. Increasingly, people began to believe. Independently, a Great American Sportsmen, Texas trial Attorney Ted Lyon, who owns a ranch in Montana, and was disgusted to watch wolves destroy elk herds in his back yard, independently began legal work on drafting what would become HR. 509 and S. 249. In Mid September, Mr. Lyon and BGF went to DC and began to obtain significant Congressional support to move wolf delisting legislation forward. Over 10,000 wolf warriors joined the effort at Big Game Forever to do what was said couldn’t be done. These wolf warriors not only joined the effort, they have worked week after week to make by making phone calls, sending emails and spreading the word on the need for Congressional action. Other groups have joined the effort and worked with us to make wolf delisting a reality.

It has not been an easy road. Even as late as last September, many in the hunting industry said BGF was foolish to think wolf delisting could occur in a Continuing Resolution (CR).

After meetings with Senate Leader Reid, and strong leadership by Senator Hatch, Barrasso, Kyle, McCain, and Congressman Matheson, Ross, Rehberg and others, an incredible amount of progress was made to educate Congress about the destruction of jobs, wildlife herds, rural economies. The case was made and it became clear that CONGRESS was ready to Act to save elk, moose, deer and other wildlife from further delays in delisting. We knew Congressional Action could be achieved, it would just be an incredibly hard and intense fight, requiring strong grass roots support in many states.

So, now the animal rights community and some radical environmental groups want to stop any wolf delisting form occuring. While the bill is not perfect, and in fact has some clear problems, it does clearly set a precedent for Congressional action to delist wolves. This precedent can be helpful to other states who need delisting, including Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, New Mexico and states like Utah, Nevada, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa who do not want the destruction to spread to their states. We suggest that for wolf delisting to move forward for all states, we need to counter the efforts of the these anti-hunting groups to kill this bill. We need to thank Senators Tester and Baucus of Montana for Sponsoring this legislation, and for Congressman Simpson for finding a way to get something done. Congresswoman Lumis of Wyoming tried to amend the bill and include Wyoming after the Judge Johnson decision, but house rules are peculiar, and after the cake had been cooked, it couldn’t be changed. So let’s thank Senate President, Leader Reid, Tester, Baucus and Simpson and ask them to join the 60 cosponsors who have already said they will fight for delisting for all states and all Americans.

It will also be important to drop some emails, make some phone calls this week, into the Whitehouse. There are some indicators that Obama will sign the bill. Tester and Baucus were in the press yesterday saying the Democratic Senators and Obama had agreed to put this languate in the hotly debated CR. This was agreed to in principle late Friday night.

The great defeat is that all the other wolf states were left out of this language. And here are some reasons for that:

ON Feb. 16, at the BGF sponsored DC event in the US Capitol, Senator Risch’s Chief of staff came with a DRAFT bill they said they had Democratic Support included all of Utah and all of Wyoming.

After that meeting, sportsmen groups in Michigan, MN and Wisconsin began to engage to get their states delisted as well.

Tremendous support for and All state delisting HR 509 and S. 249 was growing, and looking to become a reality, so opponents to wolf delisting, including the USFWS, Animal Rights groups, and some Democratic Senators who had been completely opposed to any Congressional Action on wolf delisting said, “We have got to do something or this issue will run us over.”

Unfortunately, some hunting groups decided to work toward accepting an easier two state deal, instead of taking a four state deal, or even fighting for a better deal. As I said earlier, now the cake has been baked and this will be the incremental victory for now. So we all need to work this week to make sure this important precedent is established that shows that Congress must act to delist wolves, even if just for a few states. If we can win this incremental victory, we must then all work to finish the job. There will be those who will try to use this two state deal to end further delisting in the Midwest and West. We know that this incremental step is not good enough for ranchers, for sportsmen and for America in the long run. We must return the full rights of all states to manage wolves and all wildlife without strings attached. Our commitment is to keep up the fight to stop the destruction, restore balance and begin recovering wildlife populations for all of America.

Some very powerful groups have made this solid commitment to keep up the fight and work with us until it is done. We have requested meetings with some of the other groups to put the divisiveness behind us and hopefully, we can move forward in the future, together to solve this wolf issue, for all states, for all sportsmen, with all groups working together.

Great Victory, lets go finish the job to return full state management of all wolves, in every state to State Fish and Game Agencies and remove the Federal Government from State wildlife management.

BGF is rapidly growing membership and endorsements and respect amongst Congressional Leaders. We will not rest until we have achieved Victory and stopped the efforts by animal rights groups to (1) destroy the future of responsible management; and (2) destroy what sportsmen have invested billions to restore."

When sending this to the newly formed Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, which is just now turning 1-year old, Don Peay added...

"Congratulations MONTANA SFW. Clearly your efforts have FORCED the agenda. I hope you will now do two things

1. Start Engaging MT FWP to have a wolf hunt starting on NEXT Monday

2. Stick with Rehberg, and encourage Tester and Baucus and continue to help BGF and SFW fix the rest of the country.

You guys efforts have born real fruit for Montana. Should be signed into law by Friday."

Contact Idaho Governor Butch Otter And Ask Him To Sign HB-343 Into Law!

2011-04-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

Subject: HB-343 on Governors desk

Please contact Governor Otters office and request that he sign HB-343 Wolf Emergency Legislation, and take appropriate action to enforce its provisions.

http://gov.idaho.gov/ourgov/contact.html

FOLLOWING IS THE MESSAGE I SENT TO GOVERNOR OTTER IN REGARD TO THE IDAHO EMERGENCY WOLF DECLARATION...

Dear Governor Otter;

Although I live in neighboring Montana, I do spend a great deal of time in your state, and like many, I have seen the devastation wolves have dealt wildlife resources there.

Please be man enough to sign HB-343 into law. Yes, it challenges the federal government...Yes, it challenges the Endangered Species Act...Yes, it challenges the rulings of Judge Donald Molloy. However, most importantly it challenges radical environmental groups who have worked so hard to destroy a way of life here in the Northern Rockies.

The residents of Idaho are looking to you to stand up to government and environmental idiocy. Idaho's House of Representatives and Senate have voted the will of the people. Will you let them down by not signing this legislation?

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

For A Look At Why Idaho, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin And Michigan Are All Now Working On Wolf Management Legislation...And Why There Are Now Two Bills In Washington D.C. Aimed At Removing Wolves From The Protection Of The Endangered Species Act - Go To This LOBO WATCH Article -

www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/WolfWar2/go

Former U.S. Forest Service Employee Spotlights The Damage The Endangered Species Act Has Caused The Northern Rockies

2011-04-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

The following letter was sent as testimony to the Montana Legislature in support of H.B. 321, which called for nullifying the federal Endangered Species Act in Montana. It was sent by former U.S. Forest Service employee Ken Guy. And while this bill did pass the Second Reading with a 61 to 39 vote, it is expected to die. This is one of the pieces of legislation that Governor Schweitzer has deemed a waste of the state legislature's time, and which he would not sign if it did reach his desk.

Ken Guy says it like it really happened. He knows...because he was one of those dedicted foresters who were forced to do whatever the Department of the Interior wanted.

Very eye openning. - Toby Bridges, LOBO WATCH

From: Ken Guy
To: senator@tester.senate.gov; max@baucus.senate.gov; tom.schultz@mail.house.gov
Subject: Endangered Species Act
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:06:58 -0600

This letter is in response to the State Legislators in Helena who are considering the nullification of the Federal Rare and Endangered Species Act. I believe it should be nullified and these comments are intended to help them decide to nullify the thing. I thought you might be interested.-----------Ken
________________________________________

From: guys2006
To: krayton@kraytonkerns.org
Subject: Endangered Species Act
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:56:47 -0600

Legislators: These comments refer to the Federal Endangered Species Act. I would like these comments read and included.

I am a retired Federal Forest Service employee. I was the one to establish a Grizzly Bear Coordinator position and a Wolf Coordinator position in the Regional Office of the U.S. Forest. (We knew not what we did.) Following this the Feds with the environmentalists passed the Rare and Endangered Species Act. Following that we stopped management activities anywhere near the wolfs and the bears so as not to disturb them. Following that the Forest Service went downhill, closing off more and more land for the rare and endangered, and the forests are now essentially closed and hardly a stick of timber is being cut and sold. Now the economy and thousands of jobs are gone, both federal F.S. jobs and private industry jobs. They can't return until the infrastructure is returned, that is, the mills and the loggers etc. I believe this to be the objective of the Act and the intended outcome. It used to be the those wanting the forests' to be closed would do local things like pouring sand in the gear boxes of the heavy logging equipment on evenings and weekends, pound spikes in the trees to break band saws, chain themselves across the roads to stop logging trucks and so on. This was all after the Bitterroot Scandal where there was a citizen uprising against clear cutting in the early years of the 1960's. The F.S. stopped the practice except for some small acreage locations. I called those trespassers at the time radical environmentalists. They did lots of other damages too, such as shoot out the windmill gear boxes on grazing allotments, drain water from cattle water tanks and troughs, then post no trespassing signs on govt. property in an attempt to keep others off Government property and so forth.

You see, there are National Forests that were set aside for "use", and then National Parks set aside for "recreation".. They would like to see all the "use" activity stopped. The Rare and Endangered Species Act along with the National Environmental Policy Act and a group of similar Acts were joined in to finish off and "Kill" the Forest Service. The Forest Service is now gone....oh, there is still a clerk in there to answer the phone. The new efforts seem to be to set aside large areas to create more wilderness.

The Environmentalists have made ghost towns throughout the Pacific north " west. We at one time cut 2.2 MM board feet of timber per year and provided KV funds to schools, and to communities in Montana . We operated the F.S. like a business and provided over two billion dollars per year to the General Fund. So I ask you, is that what you want now, no jobs, no thriving economy, bug killed trees and a red forest, and a dead Agency.

But then it's going on all over the country here and elsewhere. This is the Treasure State . But our treasure is locked up by the environmentalists and can't be used. All in the name of environmentalism....coal, oil and gas, the use of water, forage, wild life, recreation, mining, and you name it, it ain't being used.....look at California, the counties of Bakersfield and Fresno, the breadbasket of the U.S. for vegetable crops, and they can't use water for irrigation any longer. I have seen the country and it's all brown grass where once there were vegetables as far as the eye could see. So I ask you, Is that what you want? Is that representing us the people. We have to decide.

Do we want the Snail Darter little fish and the Kangaroo Rat to rule,....the Polar Bear supposedly disturbed, as by their own studies to show that we are killing the planet. Do you believe their data any longer? I believe there are about 70% of us out here that think the planet is being killed but not by the average citizen. Stop the wolves etc. and stop the Rare and Endangered Species Act. I'll be 80 soon and I have never seen it so bad. You folks did it to us along with the other legislators. Now we expect that you may want to correct past practices. The original environmentalists were the foresters.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Ken Guy

This Goes Hand-In-Hand With The Following Post...

State's Right To Control Wolves

2011-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

When it comes to claiming that each and every state should have the right to control or "manage" wolves that are now destroyng wildlife populations and making a very negative dent into livestock driven economies, both Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer and Idaho Governor C.L. Butch Otter seem to have absolutely no problem spouting off and taking issue with the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But whenever it comes time to stand tall in defiance of Endangered Species Protection of gray wolves...neither seems to be be man enough to back up what they say. In short, their mouths tend to write checks that their asses can't cash.

Both of these governors, under pressure from the citizens of their states, have written letters to the Secretary of the Interior proclaiming that, despite federal protection of wolves, these states would no longer manage wolves according to federal court-ordered mandates. Likewise, these two governors have boasted that their state wildlife officials would not investigate the deaths of Big Brother's wolves, and would not prosecute anyone for killing wolves.

"Sending" those letters to the Secretary of the Interior is about as far as these two braggadocios have taken those threats of defiance. The residents of these two states are sick and tired of wolves, and feel that time for action has come and past. On the other hand, the legislatures of these two states are now considering bills which would pretty much do what these two meaningless braggarts boasted. And the biggest opposition to "taking charge of the wolf issue" in Idaho and Montana now seems to be coming from the governors of the two states.

In a classic example of political grandstanding this past week, Schweitzer stood in front of the Capitol building in Helena, brandishing a large "VETO" branding iron for big bills...a medium sized "VETO" branding iron for medium sized bills...then pulled a small sized "VETO" iron out of his pocket for smaller bills. And during comments at the start of the state's 62nd Legislative Session, this governor claimed he would not sign any bills challenging the federal government. And, that's a real shame, since the MT Senate just passed a bill known as the "Montana Wolf Control Act" that has some real bite to it.

The text of that bill can be seen at the following link -
http://destroyersofwildlife.blogspot.com/

Perhaps the citizens of this state need to start putting pressure back on this backpedaling braggart.

Next door in Idaho, a similar bill, which has been dubbed the "Idaho Wolf Emergency Declaration" is to be introduced this week (on April 6). Among other slight difference, the approach of this legislation is to give the governor the power to declare a state of emergency in any county where wolf populations are a threat to ranching, are destroying wildlife populations, are seriously impacting county economies, or present a clear and present danger (physical, health, psycological) to humans.

As originally drafted, this was a much more comprehensive bill, filled with claims such as... "that wolf recovery efforts in Idaho discontinue immediately and wolves be removed by whatever means necessary." And it directly challenged the U.S. Government, with wording such as "The United States has not dealt with the State of Idaho in good faith concerning the reintroduction of gray wolves in Idaho..." The original draft even included a clause which would have called for placing a $500 bounty on each wolf killed.

All of that has been changed...but the legislation does call for the removal of wolves which are creating a seriously negative impact on Idaho's traditional way of life. But, since it does challenge federal authority to manage wolves, many feel that Governor Otter simply won't man up to his earlier boastfulness.

Again...putting pressure on these two governors could make a difference. In fact, a rally to support the Idaho legislation is now being organized. Anyone wishing to be seen or heard is asked to be at the State Capitol building in Boise at 11 a.m. on April 6th. And they are asked to call the Governor's office at 208 334-2100, and urge him to support this legislation.

You can also go on-line at http://gov.idaho.gov/ourgov/contact.html and send him a form letter requesting the same.

Montanan's wanting to express their support of the "Montana Wolf Control Act" can call Governor Schweitzer's office at 406 444-3111. Or, drop him an e-mail to insist that he sign this legislation, which the Senators that represent the citizens of this state have already passed. His e-mail address is governorSchweitzer@mt.gov.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

NOTE: This coming week there will also be a wolf protest rally in conjunction with wolf management legislation needed now in Oregon. Following is a press release from "Wolf Free Oregon"...which is sponsoring this event. Go Get 'Em Guys...And Gals!

WOLF FREE OREGON

Taxpayers Taking Charge of the Canadian Grey Wolf Problems

Editorial News/Press Release
April 3, 2011

Clearing the Waters of the Wolf Wars

On Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at High Noon on the West steps of the Oregon State Capitol, Wolf Free Oregon, Mothers Against Wolves, Blue Mt. Archers and Save Oregon Elk will hold a protest rally for the removal of the Canadian Grey Wolf from Oregon, carrying this message loud and clean will be “Bullhorns and Mothers,” a group of ten mothers armed with bullhorns who ask “Can You Hear Us Now!” They will be supported by their cheering section of two chartered bus loads of passionate taxpayers from Eastern Oregon and sportsmen from Western Oregon. The Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Project has been plagued with ongoing accusation of relying on manipulated science to dump a non-indigenous wolf into the region; outright lies to camouflage the devastation wolves would deal other wildlife population and the livestock industry.

The wolf issue has become an environmental version of the television game show “Deal or No Deal.” A short press conference will be held at 12 noon on the West steps prior to the start of the protest.

Missouri 104-Pound Coyote Turns Out To Be A Wolf After All!

2011-03-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Remember the "104-pound" coyote that was supposedly shot in Missouri this past November? Well, as Paul Harvey would say... "Here's the rest of the story!"

Coyote Or Wolf?

The string of sightings began Nov. 13 with the shooting of what appeared to be an unusually large coyote in Carroll County. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) sought DNA tests to clarify the animal’s identity. Scientists sometimes can determine where an animal came from by comparing its DNA with DNA samples from animals of the same species from different areas.

The first round of testing compared DNA from the 104-pound canine to that of western timber wolves. The tests showed a poor match with western wolves but did confirm the presence of coyote DNA. However, further testing linked the animal to timber wolves.

“Coyotes seldom get bigger than 30 pounds in Missouri,” said MDC Resource Scientist Jeff Beringer. “A coyote weighing more than 100 pounds just didn’t seem credible. Wolves are known to interbreed with domestic dogs and coyotes, so we had further testing done to look for evidence of that, and we found it.”

The second round of DNA tests compared the Carroll County canine’s DNA with samples from timber wolves from the Great Lake states of Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan. This time, the tests found a close match. Wolves from that area are known to have coyote DNA in their genes. This accounts for the match with coyote DNA in the initial tests.

“Lots of people were skeptical when we announced results from the first round of testing,” said Beringer. “We were too. But when you are trying to unravel a biological puzzle like this one, you take things one step at a time and go where the science leads you. This animal appeared to be very different from the western wolf samples it was compared with, but when we compared it with wolf DNA from the Great Lake states we found a match.”

When asked how a Great Lakes wolf got to Missouri, Beringer noted that wolves from northern states have turned up in Missouri before. The most recent case occurred in 2001. It involved an 80-pound timber wolf killed by a landowner in Grundy County. The man mistook the wolf for a coyote, but discovered his mistake when he found the animal wore a radio collar and an ear tag linking it to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, more than 600 miles away. He notified MDC, which was able to confirm its origin with Michigan officials.

Concerned Ranchers Voice Their Opinion In Regard To Pending Wolf Legislation In Oregon

2011-03-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

March 27th, 2011

Dear House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources;

On April 5, 2011 you will address HB3013 which speaks to wolf depredation compensation and cost-sharing programs for purposes of compensating persons who suffer loss or injury due to wolf depredation and providing financial assistance to persons who implement livestock management techniques or nonlethal wolf control techniques designed to discourage wolf depredation of livestock.

We would like this bill killed.. no need for funds or expenses for compensation if wolves are properly controlled by the people of the state.
Vote No on HB3013 and HB3560.

HB3562 A citizen of this state should have the right to protect their property and that person should be entitled to protect themselves and others from the wolf.

HB3563 Goes without saying.. We should be allowed to take gray wolves or any kind of wolf in certain situations without cause and without permit from State Fish and Wildlife Commission.

National Wolf Delisting Sponsors

There are 60 cosponsors from 31 states in favor of De-listing the wolf

Co-Sponsors of H.R. 509 and S. 249

1. Rep Alexander, Rodney [R-LA-5]
2. Rep Latta, Robert [R-OH-5]
3. Senator Barrasso, John [R-WY]
4. Rep Altmire, Jason [D-PA-4]
5. Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY]
6. Senator Crapo, Mike [R-ID]
7. Rep Bachmann, Michele [R-MN-6]
8. Rep Matheson, Jim [D-UT-2]
9. Senator Enzi, Mike [R-WY]
10. Rep Benishek, Dan [R-MI-1]
11. Rep McClintock, Tom [R-CA-4]
12. Senator Hatch, Orrin [R-UT]
13. Rep Berg, Rick [R-ND]
14. Rep McMorris Rodgers,[R-WA-5]
15. Senator Inhofe, James [R-OK]
16. Rep Bishop, Rob [R-UT-1]
17. Rep Miller, Candice S. [R-MI-10]
18. Senator Kyl, Jon [R-AZ]
19. Rep Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN-7]
20. Rep Miller, Jeff [R-FL-1]
21. Senator Lee, Mike [R-UT]
22. Rep Bonner, Jo [R-AL-1]
23. Rep Noem, Kristi L. [R-SD]
24. Senator McCain, John [R-AZ]
25. Rep Boren, Dan [D-OK-2]
26. Rep Nunes, Devin [R-CA-21]
27. Senator Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
28. Rep Boswell, Leonard L. [D-IA-3]
29. Rep Paulsen, Erik [R-MN-3]
30. Senator Murkowski, Lisa [I-AK]
31. Rep Broun, Paul C. [R-GA-10]
32. Rep Pearce, Stevan [R-NM-2]
33. Senator Risch, James [R-ID]
34. Rep Cardoza, Dennis A.[D-CA-18]
35. Rep Peterson, Collin C. [D-MN-7]
36. Rep Chaffetz, Jason [R-UT-3]
37. Rep Petri, Thomas E. [R-WI-6]
38. Rep Coffman, Mike [R-CO-6]
39. Rep Quayle, Benjamin [R-AZ-3]
40. Rep Conaway, K. Michael [R-TX-11]
41. Rep Rehberg, Denny [R-MT]
42. Rep Cravaack, Chip [R-MN-8]
43. Rep Rogers, Mike J. [R-MI-8]
44. Rep Emerson, Jo Ann [R-MO-8]
45. Rep Ross, Mike [D-AR-4]
46. Rep Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-1]
47. Rep Ryan, Paul [R-WI-1]
48. Rep Guthrie, Brett [R-KY-2]
49. Rep Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5]
50. Rep Heller, Dean [R-NV-2]
51. Rep Simpson, Michael K. [R-ID-2]
52. Rep Herger, Wally [R-CA-2]
53. Rep Terry, Lee [R-NE-2]
54. Rep Huelskamp, Tim [R-KS-1]
55. Rep Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-5]
56. Rep Kline, John [R-MN-2]
57. Rep Walden, Greg [R-OR-2]
58. Rep Labrador, Raul R. [R-ID-1]
59. Rep Young, Don [R-AK]
60. Rep Lamborn, Doug [R-CO-5]

The Canadian Gray Wolf was introduced into Western States in 1994 and achieved recovery objectives in 2002. Wolves are also abundant in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Wolves are here to stay. With a population growth rate of 24%, wolf overpopulation is now doing significant damage to wildlife populations throughout the West and Midwest.

Immediate congressional action is needed to permanently delist wolves and allow for much needed state wildlife management. Ongoing anti-management litigation must be ended to return wolf numbers to agreed upon levels to avoid irreversible damage to big game herds. Sportsmen have invested millions to restore big game abundance. As the original conservationists, working together we can continue to achieve the political and management solutions needed to save big game herds in crisis.

Worldwide wolf abundance-wolves are NOT endangered

Alaska has 11,000
Europe and Asia has 60,000 to 100,000 wolves (estimated)
Canada has 50,000 wolves

Anything less than stringent control of wolf numbers, 24/7/365, is a compromise. First, we have to get the fool notion that “wolves are big game” out of the mind of state wildlife managers.

The numbers of wolves that Montana and Idaho are dealing with have been very costly to the state and the state's people. The wolf is out of control and elk herds in some areas will never recover to the levels they once were. Moose have disappeared in areas they once were. Yellowstone Park has been decimated. This is not sensationalism, this is Reality.

In closing we ask that you look to Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and other states that are presently dealing with the problem with out of control predators. The wolf isn’t the problem, the problem is the density of wolf numbers. What are the numbers our state is going to live with? Who gets to decide?

Sincerely

Mike and Cathy Kaech
Roseburg, OR

Hundreds Expected To Turn Out For Wolf-Judge Protest Rally At Missoula U.S. District Court Building

2011-03-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

Residents of the Northern Rockies have just about had their fill of wolves. Actually, what they've mostly grown tired of is how wolves are now making a seriously negative impact on other wildlife populations - namely the elk, deer and moose populations that have made Montana, Idaho and Wyoming famous, and which are now disappearing rapidly in many areas. Rural residents have also become weary of fighting to keep wolves away from their livestock, and worrying about the safety of their children.

Many of those who live close to the land are equally disturbed at how a handful of self-proclaimed "environmental" groups continue to fight the wolf management hunts needed to control wolf numbers at a level where big game herds can still flourish, plus allow ranchers to profitably raise cattle and sheep. Likewise, tax-paying citizens are now realizing that these same groups or organizations have financially benefited from the billions of federal dollars they've received through the Equal Access to Justice Act, for the grossly padded legal expenditures for which these "non-profit" organizations are reimbursed. And many Northern Rockies residents are now growing extremely suspicious of the one federal judge these groups continually get to hear their cases, and wonder just what the incentives are for this judge to always decide in their favor.

That anger...that frustration...that distrust will surely be openly displayed on March 24, 2011 as a large crowd of sportsmen, rural land owners, ranchers, and those who have seen their logging careers ended by these same "green" organizations, and the very same Judge Donald Molloy, gather in protest of efforts to once again thwart any control of ever growing wolf numbers, and to stop ever escalating wolf devastation. The issue has reached and surpassed the boil-over point, and hundreds are expected to join in the protest - and there will more than likely be quite the array of protest signs - some targeting wolves, some taking environmental groups to task, and some questioning the motive of the judge inside.

LOBO WATCH has been hearing from groups up and down the western side of Montana...and from across Idaho...and even from Wyoming who fully intend to be standing in front of and alongside the Russell Smith U.S. District Court building on that day. The rally will take place at the corner of East Broadway and North Pattee streets in Missoula, as Judge Molloy once again listens to the wishes of groups like the Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Humane Society of the United States, who are opposed to any control of wolf numbers, and especially reducing the wolf populations to an acceptable level. The hearing on March 24 is an attempt by these groups to have the definition changed for the "experimental" and "non-essential" classification of the non-native and non-endangered Canadian wolves that many feel the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wrongly transplanted into the wildlife rich Northern Rockies. Or to eliminate that classification altogether.

After listening to the arguments of these groups last June, Molloy placed gray wolves back on the Endangered Species List, which cancelled out management hunts that were scheduled for Montana and Idaho. Molloy based that decision on the fact the USFWS did not accept Wyoming's wolf management plan, and he ruled it was wrong to permit hunts in adjacent states. However, another federal judge in Cheyenne, WY decided that USFWS had been wrong to reject Wyoming's plan. Still, the management hunts in Montana and Idaho remained cancelled - and that will be one part of the issue that draws many angry sportsmen to this protest rally. Some will be protesting for individual state right to manage wolf numbers, others will be calling for the complete resignation or impeachment of Judge Molloy.

This rally is being co-organized by a number of sportsman and land owner based organizations. LOBO WATCH has become the lead organizer. Anyone wanting to participate should contact Toby Bridges at lobowatch@yahoo.com. Right now, plans are for protesters to be at the courthouse starting at 12 noon, since the actual hearing begins at 1:30 p.m., and there needs to be a crowd around the courthouse when key players and the media begin to show. Molloy's court session will likely end around 4 p.m., and some protesters need to be still be on hand. Any time or date changes will be posted on the LOBO WATCH website, at www.lobowatch.org or www.lobowatch.com .

Wolf Cult Exposed...

2011-03-15T09:47:00.001-07:00

Wolf Warrior Bruce Hemming Does An Excellent Job Of Exposing Members Of The Wolf Cult For What They Really Are - NUT JOBS! Go To The Following Destroyers Of Wildlife Link...

Destroyers of Wildlife

Plans Being Made For March 24th Wolf Protest Rally At Missoula Federal Courthouse

2011-03-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

Yep...that man in the above photo is most definitely the man of the decade...year...season...month...week...day...hour...minute...and every ticking second when it comes to lame decision making about wolves...wolf science...wolf facts...and more than anything else, wolf management. It is none other than U.S. District Court (Missoula, MT) judge Donald Molloy. This man, single-handedly is responsible for more wildlife deaths than any other human on the face of the Earth - and all he has had to do is repeatedly decide in favor of equally lame environmental organizations like the Humane Society of the United States...Western Watersheds Project...the Sierra Club...and especially the crown jewels of the anti-hunting, pro-wolf efforts - the Destroyers of Wildlife (a.k.a. Defenders of Wildlife) and the Center for Biological Disaster (a.k.a. Center for Biological Diversity). When it comes to blocking any efforts to control wolf numbers in the Northern Rockies, and to reverse the waste wolves continue to lay on other wildlife populations, Donald Molloy is the judge these groups want to hear "their" arguments on why this country needs more wolves. And to hell with the losses of elk, deer, moose, other wildlife, and to domestic livestock and pets.

So, why does this supposedly "fair and impartial" federal judge bend over backwards to kiss the asses of these organizations? Well, it could be that he is far from being fair and impartial. More and more residents of the Northern Rockies suspect that Molloy is, in one way or another, reaping some of the rewards these groups haul in through scamming the Equal Access to Justice Act each and every time the wolf issue goes to court (Molloy's court for the most part) - and we're talking a lot of money. In all, Dozens of very questionable environmental groups have hauled in more than $5-BILLION of YOUR MONEY since the start of the 21st Century. Many feel the amount is more like $7- to $8-BILLION, but finding the exact amount is about as hopeless as learning exactly where these "environmental" and "wildlife conservation" groups spend that money. We know for sure that it is not spent on any kind of hands on environmental or conservation projects or programs.

Much of that money has surely been spent to buy influential political friends...and favorable decisions.

Have you had enough of this bullshit? Then make yourself one extremely pointed protest sign and join the crowd that is sure to gather outside of the U.S. District Court building in Missoula, Montana on March 24th. On that day, Donald Molloy will once again strengthen his ties with his old environmental chums as he listens to their arguments why the definitions of the terminology "non-essential" or "experimental" included in the Northern Rockies wolf Recovery Project and the USFWS's 1994 Environmental Impact Statement should be redefined or eliminated. Either way, it will make it more impossible to ever control wolf numbers in this country - just as his ol' pro-wolf buds want it.

Come and protest AGAINST ever expanding wolf populations...or FOR tighter control of wolf numbers. Me, I'll be there carrying a sign that calls for the resignation by or impeachment of one extremely soiled federal judge.

PLEASE JUST BE THERE...WE NEED TO COMPLETLY SURROUND THAT COURTHOUSE. WE NEED TO ROAR SO LOUDLY THAT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY HEARS OUR MESSAGES...WHETHER FOR STRICTER WOLF CONTROL OR TO FORCE A JUDGE INTO FULL RETIREMENT. - Toby Bridges, LOBO WATCH

To Keep Up On Hearing Times And Possible Changes, Go To The Following Website Pages...

LOBO WATCH

DESTROYERS OF WILDLIFE

Be Sure To Visit Our Sister Blog - Destroyers of Wildlife

2011-02-26T07:47:00.000-08:00

Destroyers of Wildlife

Wolves in Oregon

2011-02-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

By Senator Doug Whitsett (Klamath Falls, District 28), Feb. 18, 2011

Russian news media is reporting the extreme end-game that results from the introduction and failure to control timber wolves. They report that a Siberian town of 1,400 people has been terrorized for the past three weeks by a pack of 400 wolves. Residents are describing the siege as an “animal apocalypse”. In the Verkhoyansk region, “everyone who can hold a rifle is mobilized to fight wolves”.

Starting February 18, 2011, authorities in Slettas, Norway are currently providing free transportation for school children who live more than 800 yards from their bus stop in order to protect them from wolves. Their representative in Parliament said “it has gone too far when we have to drive children to school for fear they will meet a wolf pack on the road”.

An experimental population of Canadian Gray Wolves was introduced into Montana’s Yellowstone Park in 1995. They were subsequently listed as endangered species, functionally preventing their unrestricted reproduction and migration.

During the past 15 years, they have reproduced and migrated to populate Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and parts of Utah with several thousand of these vicious, imported predators. In those states they have decimated the elk, deer and moose populations as well as causing extensive mortality and other related losses to their livestock industry.

Most recently the Canadian Gray Wolves have migrated into northeastern Oregon.

Last Tuesday an Enterprise cattle rancher found two of his cows that had been killed by wolves in the most cruel way imaginable. The wolves had dragged the heavily pregnant cows down by their hamstrings without inflicting a killing bite wound. These sadistic creatures had then proceeded to eat the still living cows from behind, ripping their live calves from their reproductive tract, and partially consuming the still living fetuses. Wildlife Services, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Services and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have all confirmed that the cows and their calves were killed by wolves.

The interaction with wolves began in Oregon starting back in March of 2010. Agencies have confirmed at least 11 cattle kills in Oregon. Another 23 calves and 9 cows are missing and presumed lost to predation. It is difficult to document livestock killed by wolves on rangeland because these cattle are often not seen by their owners for weeks at a time. If the remains are found the evidence required to confirm a wolf kill is usually long gone.

It is even more difficult to quantify the losses sustained from herds being hazed by wolves. That constant fear of being attacked causes loss of gain, failed reproduction, and selective exclusion from grazing areas.

Both state and federal law prevents livestock owners from using lethal methods to protect their livestock. It is hard to imagine the frustration and rage experienced by a livestock owner when they know that their livestock is being cruelly attacked but they are prevented from protecting those animals by draconian federal and state laws.

Neither state nor federal governments reimburse the livestock owners for their losses. Privately funded reimbursement programs have proven inadequate and unreliable. Some of these private programs appear to purposely mislead both the public and the livestock owners as to their scope and benefits.

After fifteen years of virtual unchecked wolf predation, Democratic Montana governor Brian Schweitzer has finally had enough.

Last week the governor sent a letter to Interior department Secretary Ken Salazar expressing his frustration at the lack of any federal results that recognize Montana’s rights and responsibilities to manage its wildlife and to protect its domestic livestock. The Governor informed the Secretary that livestock producers who harass or kill wolves attacking their livestock will not be prosecuted by Montana, and in fact, will be directed not to investigate or cite anyone protecting livestock. He further informed the Secretary that in the most adversely affected Bitterroot Valley he has instructed his agencies to cull these wolves by whole-pack removal to enable elk herds to survive and recover.

I have introduced two bills in the current Legislature to address the predation problem in Oregon.

SB 583 prohibits Oregon State Fish and Wildlife commission from listing gray wolves on the list of Oregon threatened or endangered species. This will prevent Oregon from having more restrictive regulations concerning control of wolves than the federal regulations in the event that wolves are again removed from the federal endangered species list.

SB 584 requires that a specific percentage of money received from issuance of hunting licenses tags and permits be paid to the counties where the licenses, tags and permits were issued to be used for predator control. Funding for predator control has been systematically reduced at the national, state and county level for at least the past decade. We cannot expect to control predation on our wildlife and domestic animals without funding the effort. This bill would establish a dedicated stream of state funding to address the issue.

Predation by coyotes and cougars has been an escalating problem on our wildlife and domestic animals for at least two decades. The migration of wolves into Oregon is rapidly intensifying that crisis.

I believe that the time to take action is now before we are forced to take up arms to protect our communities and our children.

Both SB 583 and SB 584 were assigned to the Senate committee on the environment and natural resources. Neither bill has yet been scheduled for a hearing.

Please remember, if we do not stand up for rural Oregon no one will.

Cut Funding For Wolf Project - Save Taxpayer Dollars!

2011-02-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

Now, here's an opportunity to let Congress know how they can save millions of dollars annually...cut all funding for the wolf recovery projects in the Northern Rockies and Upper Midwest.

Just go to the following link...and scroll down to where you can make your own budget cut suggestions. If they get enough saying to cut funding for USFWS wolf enforcement...management...damage control...and for all wolf management to be turned over to state wildlife agencies, who knows...it may sink in.

Made me feel good to get it off my chest. Don't forget to mention CUTTING OUT the hundreds of millions annually doled out to the environmental organizations through the Equal Access to Justice Act.

http://www.majorityleader.gov/YouCut/

Be sure to get this out to your club members, associates, family, friends and fellow sportsmen...and encourage them to do the same.

Toby Bridges,
LOBO WATCH

Montana Governor Schweitzer Says "Shoot Wolves!"

2011-02-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have not seen the letter Governor Brian Schweitzer sent to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar yesterday, I've included it here.
In essence, what Montana's governor has told the federal government is...we've had enough, and now we're going to take care of the wolf problem. His comments on yesterday's evening news (Missoula television stations) were that the "endangered" status of wolves north in Interstate 90 no longer holds water, and that livestock producers can shoot and kill wolves that are threatening or harassing livestock...and that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game enforcement officers will not arrest them, nor investigate them for killing wolves.

Schweitzer also commented that entire packs of wolves will now be removed from where they are causing excessive losses to elk and other big game herds - namely the Bitterroot Valley.

Sportsmen and ranchers have already voiced strong support of Schweitzer's defiance of federal protection for the wolves of the Northern Rockies. That protection under the Endangered Species Act, has prevented much needed wolf population control, resulting in a far greater wolf population in this region than originally outlined as a "recovered population" in both the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Plan and the Environmental Impact Statement filed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1994, the year before the first Canadian gray wolves were released into the Greater Yellowstone Area ecosystem. Those "official" documents established the goal as 100 wolves with 10 breeding pairs in each state (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming). The USFWS acknowledges at least 1,700 wolves in the recovery area today. However, all science based on typical wolf reproduction indicates that there are more like 4,000+ in the region - likewise, the high degree of big game losses and escalating livestock depredation also support that the wolf population is far greater than acknowledged by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Pro-wolf advocates are already screaming that Schweitzer's actions are illegal. And they certainly do go against the rulings of U.S. District Court judge Donald Molloy, who has repeatedly decided in favor of environmental groups that have kept the wolf issue tied up in court. And it has been that legal foot dragging that has resulted in serious wildlife and livestock losses. Montana residents have been letting their Governor know exactly how displeased they are about how little has been done to resolve this problem. Those ever growing complaints have pressured Governor Brian Schweitzer to take a stand and claim the state's rights to protect its people, its resources and its economy.

Where this all goes from here is sure to get very interesting. Back in Washington D.C., much is being done at the Congressional level to have the gray wolf removed from the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Don Peay, founder of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, and Ryan Benson, national director of Big Game Forever, reported to LOBO WATCH this morning (2-17-11) that tremendous progress has been made. The passage of a House Resolution (H.R. 509) and a Senate Bill (S. 249), which would remove federal protection of wolves and return that management back to the individual states, would certainly support Governor Schweitzer's "new wolf management plan" to eliminate a large number of wolves in Montana. But, what if that Congressional legislation doesn't pass...will his new plan still be carried out?

Those who are being negatively impacted by wolves, which they claim are neither native or endangered, are more than ready for that plan to go into action, before another spring calving and fawning season is lost to the wolves.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

(406) 542-9751

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February 16, 2011

The Honorable Ken Salazar
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20240

Dear Secretary Salazar:

I write to you today regarding wolf management in Montana.

While almost everyone acknowledges that the Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf population is fully recovered, as the Governor of Montana I am profoundly frustrated by the lack of any actual results that recognize Montana’s rights and responsibilities to manage its wildlife. Montana has for years done everything that has been asked: adopting a model wolf management plan; enacting enabling legislation; and adopting the necessary implementing rules. Our exemplary efforts have been ignored. I cannot continue to ignore the crying need for workable wolf management while Montana waits, and waits, and waits. Therefore, I am now going to take additional necessary steps to protect the interests of Montana’s livestock producers and hunters to the extent that I can within my authorities as governor.

First, for Montana’s northwest endangered wolves (north of Interstate 90), any livestock producers who kill or harass a wolf attacking their livestock will not be prosecuted by Montana game wardens. Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) wardens will be directed to exercise their prosecutorial discretion by not investigating or citing anyone protecting their livestock.

Further, I am directing FWP to respond to any livestock depredation by removing whole packs that kill livestock, wherever this may occur.

Still further, to protect the elk herds in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley that have been most adversely affected by wolf predation, I am directing FWP, to the extent allowed by the Endangered Species Act, to cull these wolves by whole-pack removal to enable elk herds to recover.

At this point, I can do nothing less and still maintain my commitment as Governor to uphold the rights of our citizens to protect their property and to continue to enjoy Montana’s cherished wildlife heritage and traditions.

Sincerely,

Brian Schweitzer
Governor

What Is The Incentive?

2011-02-13T06:26:00.000-08:00

The manner in which wolf issues (and hundreds of other "environmental" concerns) have repeatedly been taken to court kind of reminds me of an old ethical joke (which I won't repeat here). It goes something like this..."How many environmental groups does it take to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior in order to stop wolf control hunts in this country?"

Well, the punch line to that one isn't really very funny at all..."13!"

Anyway, every time the wolf issue heads back to U.S. District Court here in Missoula, MT, where I live, it is always the same ol' "Baker's Dozen" of such groups that line up to get their names listed as "Plaintiffs". Among them are groups like the Defenders of Wildlife...the Sierra Club...the Center for Biological Diversity...and the Humane Society of the United States. And rest assured, they don't do it for the love of wolves...or any other wildlife. These folks have done such a great job of learning how to scam our justice system, that from this time forward the number "13" is very likely to become known as the "Environmentalist's Dozen".

How do they scam the system?

Being "Not For Profit" organizations, they are allowed to file for the reimbursement of all legal fees and expenses whenever they do take an issue to court - through an antiquated Act known as the Equal Access to Justice Act. Originally, this Act was not intended for reimbursing not-for- profit organizations, but rather for the small business owner who simply could not afford to finance expensive litigation. However, since most of today's scam-minded so-called "environmental" organizations are headed by a management team of lawyers (who have found an easier way to make millions) the door was open, and they jumped through it. And on top of the millions each tends to collect annually through these efforts, every one of these organizations continue to beg the American public for still more millions...hundreds of millions...every year. And their pleas make it sound as if they could not continue their drive to "save wildlife" unless each and every one of their followers sends them $50...$100...$1,000 or more.

It is probably one of the greatest rackets of all time...and our federal government is using your tax dollars to perpetuate the crime.

So, how much money are we talking about? The sad thing is...no one really knows. There is absolutely no way that anyone can find the actual amount of money paid to environmental organizations. But, rest assured, over just the past decade the amount has topped $5,000,000,000 - that's $5-BILLION! During one 6-year period, from 2002 through 2007, environmental groups filed more than 1,500 cases (mostly against the Department of the Interior/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and carted away some $4.7-BILLION in "reimbursements".

Now you should understand why so many of these groups want their name listed as a "plaintiff" any and every time the wolf issue heads to court. And more often than not that means into "Donald Molloy's Court" here in Missoula. FOR $OME REA$ON HE HA$ ALWAY$ MANAGED TO $IDE WITH WHATEVER THEY ARE A$KING OR $EEKING.

These groups have certainly found themselves one very sympathetic U.S. District Court judge who tends to totally ignore all of the real criminal activities involved with the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Project to dig out some tiny technicality to prevent managing a burgeoning wolf population, as he leans very much in favor of the environmentalists' agenda of seeing wolves roam this country from coast to coast by the tens of thousands. And his decisions in their favor means one very lucrative payday for those folks.

More and more, residents of the Northern Rockies are suspiciously asking why Molloy swings in favor of all the lies surrounding the Wolf Recovery Project, while refusing to address things like...Where did the funding for the project really come from?...Or, why can't the "required" USFWS forms (Form 3-177) be found to document the sub-species, the origin and the true number of wolves wrangled across the Canada-U.S. border?...Or, documentation of the real cost of bringing those wolves illegally into this country?

Keep in mind, we are talking about a lot of money. So much money that it just might scare the hell out of us to learn who has financially benefited from those ill-gotten gains. - Toby Bridges, LOBO WATCH

A New LOBO WATCH Start

2010-12-06T11:24:00.000-08:00

Note: Many of you are already aware that the LOBO WATCH (.com) website can no longer be reached. Due to pressure from environmental groups, Homestead website services disabled the site - very likely in violation of the First Amendment. Using a new independent website building program, LOBO WATCH will be back in force by early to mid January. Until then, I will post the monthly (or bi-monthly) LOBO WATCH Editorial Releases here on Wolf Hunt Update.

December 4, 2010

How Many More Wolves Can This Old Land Stand?

By Toby Bridges, LOBO WATCH

No, this isn't a missing line from the lyrics to "Mercy, Mercy Me", the very popular environmental conscious song made famous by Marvin Gaye during the early 1970s. But it has become a question more and more residents of the U.S. are now asking themselves, particularly those who live very close to the land - especially lands where an ever growing wolf population now prowls.

A December 2, 2010 news report from Reuters opened with the following sentence... "The Obama administration is seeking to lift Endangered Species Act protection from two of the most iconic symbols of the American west, the grey wolf and grizzly bear, in moves likely to spark fierce resistance from environmentalists."

The fact is, wolves tend to wear out their welcome in short order wherever they become established. Maybe that is due to the dramatic losses of other wildlife, the depredation of livestock, the deaths of pets, and the threat wolves now present human residents along the Northern Rockies and in the Upper Midwest. Of course, those environmental groups who are sure to fight losing "endangered" status for wolves, and grizzly bears, are always quick to claim that none of this is true - that the levels of wildlife and livestock devastation, and the dangers wolves pose pets and humans are greatly exaggerated. Perhaps...perhaps not...but ever mounting evidence continues to stack up against them...and against wolves.

A major part of the problem we have with wolves in the Northern Rockies, and probably to some degree in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is that no one has a clue to how many wolves are really out there. And that means, until state wildlife agencies get a more accurate handle on the true number of wolves, they are simply trying to manage in the dark.

The Reuters news report went on to point out that there are now about 1,700 wolves in northwestern Wyoming...western Montana...and the northernmost two-thirds of Idaho, claiming that is... "about 1,000 more than the federal recovery goal for the species."

In reality, it's more like six times the "recovered population" as outlined in the so-called Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Plan, and in the 414-page Environmental Impact Statement filed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1994 - prior to the release of the first Canadian wolves into the Greater Yellowstone Area in 1995 and 1996. The wolf scientists who put those documents together called for a minimum of 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs in each of the three states. And this was the number of wolves sold to American citizens as a recovered population. So, what happened? Wasn't wolf management, as outlined in those two documents, to be turned over to state wildlife agencies once the goals were reached? Well, what happened was that a coalition of those environmentalist groups Reuters mentioned figured out how to turn the wolf issue into a bona fide cash cow - ripe for the milking.

As "not for profit" organizations, these groups, including the Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity, can file for reimbursement of all legal expenses when taking wolf or grizzly bear issues, or anything related to them, to court. And they are profiting millions of dollars each and every time they take these or any other environmental issues, or wildlife agencies, to court. And these folks spend a lot of time in court these days. Their favorite court has become the U.S. District Court in Missoula, MT - where they have found themselves their very own "Mercy, Mercy Me" judge - Donald Molloy. This federal judge spends all of his time searching for the smallest technicality to keep wolf management, or wolf control, from taking place - while overlooking or ignoring a long list of activities associated with the Wolf Recovery Project that have stepped across the legal line quite a few times since this fact and truth plagued experiment began.

So, how many wolves are there in the Continental U.S.? And what kind of cost can be associated with having that many wolves?

The "1,700" number that is all too frequently referred to by the press, and especially state and federal wildlife agencies, is no more than a minimum estimation of the number of wolves in the Northern Rockies. It's a guess at best, and the sportsmen and ranchers who are seeing and feeling the widespread damage done by wolves feel it is not even a good guess. A growing number of those who spend thousands of hours a year in the outdoors, whether to hunt, fish, hike, camp, or to tend cattle, say there are more like 3,000 to 4,000 wolves in the region, and that the real number could even top that.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks likes to throw out the number of "525" as the official wolf population in this state, qualifying the number by saying it is their "at least" population number. However, when working on a proposed harvest quota for the 2010 wolf management hunt, which Judge Molloy pulled the plug on this past August, MT FWP officials claimed that their proposed quota of 186 wolves would represent a 13-percent decrease in the state's wolf population. Simple calculations show that this agency fully realized that there were closer to 1,400 wolves in Montana - not the 525 they too frequently tout. Idaho sportsmen have harshly criticized the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for seriously downplaying the number of wolves there as well.

The USFWS Environmental Impact Statement for this transplant of non-endangered and non-native wolves from north-central Alberta, Canada projected that the average wolf would kill and consume 12 big game animals (elk, moose, deer) annually. It's now believed that each and every wolf kills 20 to 30 wild ungulates each and every year for sustenance. We also now realize that these same wolves kill for fun, referred to as "sport" or "surplus" killing. Their favorite target is the young of the year - the calves and fawns.

Coupled with the predation of adult cow elk/moose and doe deer, the 90-percent losses of calves and fawns mean that there is not a new generation coming on to replace animals that die of old age - if they make it to old age. Prior to wolves being dumped into the Northern Rockies, elk herds here averaged around 4 years of age. Now, due to the loss of calf recruitment, these herds now average 8 to 9 years of age - and the herds are dwindling quickly. Many herds in the region are barely 20- to 30-percent of what they were before those wolves were released into the region. The same thing is now happening with the deer and moose populations in the Upper Midwest.

As wildlife populations are depleted, wolves have shifted livestock depredation into a higher gear - making it tougher for ranchers to operate profitably. And the direct loss of livestock is not the only factor affecting their bottom line. Due to stress wolves place on cattle, beef producers are reporting significantly lighter per head weights. One rancher, near Hall, MT found that feeder calves he grazed where wolves frequented the pastures weighed in at an average of 97 pounds lighter than calves he raised where there were not any wolves - and at one major sale that loss cost him more than $13,000. Another loss is that where wolves do pressure cattle, there is a significantly greater rate of pregnant cows aborting calf fetuses, as well as the added cost of stepped up surveillance, constant monitoring of the herds, and fence repair.

Wolves have also moved in closer to ranches and towns, following big game seeking some security by getting closer to humans. In some areas, the wolves have become so habituated they're now coming right into city limits, often eating garbage. And that is a sure sign that big game populations are really taking a beating, and are below where the numbers can support such a large population of major predators. Many residents feel that, as wolves become more and more comfortable around people, it is only a matter of time before a wolf attacks and kills a child playing out in the yard, or walking home from school. Due to wolf presence, many parents already no longer allow their children to enjoy the outdoors without an armed adult with them.

There is sure to be a landslide of legislation aimed at getting wolves removed from the protection of the Endangered Species Act, and the management of those wolves taken from the federal government and handed back to the states. H.R. 6028 is a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives aimed at doing just that, and S.B. 3919 is a Senate Bill with the same purpose.

The gray wolf is far from being endangered, especially in the Northern Rockies, where the subspecies of wolf released by the USFWS can be found by the tens of thousands running across its native range in Canada. And without any management or control, wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan are now moving south - and are now beginning to negatively affect wildlife populations and rural lifestyles more and more across these states. A few wolves have also shown up in northern Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Nebraska. Did they walk there on their own? Many feel they may have hitched a ride with overzealous environmentalists looking to speed up the spread of wolves in the Lower 48 states.

Right now, by official USFWS and state wildlife agency counts, there are between 6,000 and 7,000 wolves in the lower U.S. - unofficially the count could be as high as 10,000 or more. Still, that's not enough to satisfy the anti-hunting environmental organizations. Earlier this year, the Center for Biological Diversity boasted that their goal was to see tens of thousands of wolves - from coast to coast. And that brings up the question once more...How many wolves can this old land stand?

Or, better yet, how many wolves will Americans tolerate? The growing sentiment is that we already have far too many - and our wildlife and outdoor lifestyles are already feeling their bite.