December 9, 2015
To:Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission and
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks
Comment on the Karen Loveless
Recommendations for HD 313
The Montana Sportsmen
Alliance is appreciative of the chance to comment. We subscribe to the North American Model of Wildlife
Conservation as well as the Montana Model.
Science based management decisions are critical.
Our biologist for the area,
Karen Loveless, has done an excellent job on this proposal. She has her facts straight and her
documentation in order. We urge the
Dept. to accept her proposals and correct this wrong in the bull elk segment of
the herd.
Informed sportsmen are
willing to take tough measures even if it means giving up opportunity for
awhile to correct wrongs. Bull elk are
important to all of us. All of us
deserve an equal opportunity to harvest and/or enjoy them. That includes folks that enjoy seeing these
magestic critters season long. Yes, that
means tourists in Yellowstone Park too.
Are we not denying those folks opportunity too?
There are biological
consequences as well. This is a poor
situation for the genetic diversity of this herd and the natural selection that
is supposed to take place. Would a
rancher go out and kill all his biggest and best bulls and leave their
offspring to interbreed? You are hearing
from some uninformed and untrained pseudo-biologists that dispute Karen’s
data. Don’t be fooled, their
interpretation is incorrect. We resent
the personal and professional attacks on our trained biologists and would hope
informed outfitters take responsibility for their actions as sportsmen take
responsibility for ours. Lets correct
these problems and then get back to managing this herd as the iconic herd it
is. Population
dynamics are fluid. Bull numbers are now low and need to be adjusted up through
a restriction in opportunity for a period of time. That will provide a more
diverse age structure over time that will have both ecological and social
benefits for the Northern Range Herd. Limited permits are a preferred course of
action. We think it's important to
acknowledge limited permits will change but not eliminate how outfitters do
business. We suggest that the Dept. define the exit criteria for moving out of
permits.
As hunters we are proud to
live and work in a state where the Fish and Wildlife Commission, when
challenged with responding to a biological issue that can impact hunter
opportunity, has invariably sided with the biological resource. We urge you to
continue in that vein with this proposal .
Montana Sportsmen Alliance
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