Wolf Debate Heats Up Following Federal Judge Ruling

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A recent ruling by Federal Judge Allan B. Johnson, Cheyenne, WY has once again reheated the debate amongst hunters, environmentalists, politicians and USFWS officials on managing wolves. Some feel because the recent ruling contradicts an earlier ruling by Fed Judge Donald Molloy, Missoula, MT the argument will now go to the U.S. Supreme Court. To my way of thinking the debate and thus the solution are not likely to end anytime soon. Click on the link below to read the article posted in Jackson Hole News and Guide.
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=6716

On a different track it seems hardly a day in big game season goes by I don't hear a tale that downright sickens me, such I am ashamed to admit being  a hunter. Elk slaughters; wounded elk left to suffer while the the slob shooters (I refuse to call the slob bastards hunters) sit their sorry asses in a bar bragging; a jerk wounds and loses two bull elk in archery season then shoots a third opening day rifle season, all legal of course but c'mon; two guys bragging how they shot so many roosters opening week they had to give most of them away to stay within the possession limit...poachers shooting you name it, cutting off the antlers leaving the rest to rot or worse leaving the whole damn thing for the ravens, eagles and coyotes...and on and on ad naseum big time. The one below appeared in today's Montana Standard and all I got to say is too bad the elk can't shoot back for here is one gang doesn't deserve anything less....And good on you Nick for putting it out there, maybe just maybe it'll hit home with someone, though I for one am not holding my breath...

PS the pretty pic is to help ease the pain of all this ugliness.

http://www.mtstandard.com/lifestyles/recreation/article_f72ab9ce-f835-11df-aca2-001cc4c03286.html

Weird Weather and Wolf Issue Heats Up

My first thought when I looked at this photo taken in the upper Big Hole well into June was these three sandhills could hardly believe how much snow...like c'mon it is June right? Anyway according to the local forecast the confused birds might just be in for a bit of deja vue all over again, as Yogi might put it. Actually it snowed some over at Sula night before last and the forecast this weekend is for unseasonably cool and SNOW in the high country...like c'mon it is mid AUGUST right?

The wolf debate is heating up big time. The consensus seems to be hang the bastard Judge Molloy....I could not agree more. Yesterday's paper was pretty much all comments from various mad as hell politicians...they probably ain't really...but sounds good....and you know might get 'em a few votes come re-election time. FWP and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation as well as several anti-wolf hunter groups (can't blame 'em hell the wolves are killin' what hunters hunt for cripes sake) put in their heated two-cents also...good on them right?

Anyway the beat continues, the Big Hole went over 700 cfs yesterday, sort of hard to believe but I for one will take it any day...over and out...gotta go row the boat you know...

Fishing Report, Wolves Once Again Ruled Endangered and Other Gems of Interest

Big Hole River Brown

Clark Canyon Reservoir Rainbow

Overall the past seven days fishing has been good; though one day the Big Hole sucked was more than made up for with excellent fishing earlier on the Beaverhead and later, yesterday for example, on the Big Hole. The day Tom caught this hefty rainbow the reservoir was slow but later in the afternoon we floated High Bridge to Henneberry and lost track how many hook-ups.

At times the dry fly action was pretty good but over the long haul it was down and dirty bobber and nymph stuff. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is how the Big Hole is still cranking...over 600 at Maiden Rock the entire period. Yesterday Terry and me rowed our hard boats from Troutfitters to Dewey smacking only a couple rocks and dragging the boat only once the whole way...for sure unheard of for near mid-August. 

On another track the other day good ol' bunny hugger federal Judge Malloy once again cowed-down to his whacko Missoula cum California buds and declared the gray wolf once again an endangered species despite reams of evidence to the contrary. Love 'em, hate 'em or straddle the fence wolves, like every other animal species on the planet...including yes indeedy man his ownself...need a sound management program based on "science" not politics and certainly not founded on the over the edge whims of a bunch of city kids who know far less than squat what the hell goes on in the outside world. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks of course will appeal the ruling...good luck on that one, eh?...meantime, maybe forever, wolves will go on munching down livestock, creating bloody mayhem, or worse wiping out altogether big game populations such as has already occured to the moose in the upper Big Hole...where by the way a few short years ago biologists felt comfortable issuing 25 or more permits annually and now...guess what just two and the local biologist in charge feels even that low number may be too many but...well you know we can't just shut down the season all together...and the beat goes on. 

On another yet far lighter track here's a few enlightening and entertaining quotes from the whacky guitar man his ownself...that would of course be the one and only T. Nugent:

“If you want to save a species, simply decide to eat it. Then it will be managed – like chickens, like turkeys, like deer, like Canadian geese.”

“Look what venison does to a goofy guitar player from Detroit? I’m going to be 54 this year and if I had any more energy I’d scare you. ‘

“Mankind: A quality of life upgrade is available to each and every one of you. It should give you a quality of life upgrade, which means no drugs, no alcohol, no fast food – unless, of course, it’s a mallard.”

“There are hundreds of millions of gun owners in this country, and not one of them will have an accident today. The only misuse of guns comes in environments where there are drugs, alcohol, bad parents, and undisciplined children. Period.”

“Vegetarians are cool. All I eat are vegetarians – except for the occasional mountain lion steak.”

“I don’t partake in assembly-line convenience. I don’t say that killing things is bad while I hire people to kill things for me.”

“If you want your body to be healthier, get off the salmonella, e-coli, mad cow, assembly-line toxic hell train! God I love that statement. What did I just say?”

Eloguently spoken my man, couldn't have said it better myself.

So there you have it folks...until next time.

Esox Lucious: Not Every Angler's Cup of Tea

Photo Courtesy Montana Pike Masters

Esox Lucious, translates to Water Wolf and for good reasons; not the least of which like their land locked cousins (not really) pike rank numero uno among freshwater piscatorial predators...killing machine is not overstating it.

For reasons escape me pike are most commonly labeled northern pike or great northern pike or in many circles simply northerns. Are there southern pike? And why great northern? Are there lesser northern pike? Northerns is also a misnomer since pike are found all across the U.S. many south of the Mason Dixon Line. But regardless what you choose to call him, mention his name in most any angling circle and don't be surprised to find yourself embroiled in a lengthy conversation; mention the hated word amongst trout lovers and you will find yourself in one damn long and likely heated debate. 

In Montana pike are native only to the Saskatchewan River drainage. Elsewhere he is an alien, for the most part an illegal one at that. According to Jim Vashro, Northwest Montana's chief fisheries biologist the problem with pike isn't so much the fish itself but the bucket biologists who apparently won't rest until every sort of gamefish is well established in every body of water.

Having said that Vashro goes on to say he's not against having a healthy pike fishery and he doesn't believe pike will wipe out trout since their primary victims are forage fish he just doesn't want to see them take over everywhere. Not all trout fishers of course agree and the beat as they say goes on....

I just returned from Seeley Lake one of a string of lakes on the Clearwater River. For many years now the pike population there has been steadily increasing. Yes, trout remain a big part of the local picture but most locals will tell you the fishery is nothing like before pike came on the scene.

Back in the day I chased pike all over eastern Canada in the best pike waters we rarely found large populations of native brook trout but we did find brook trout and most of them were larger on average than where pike were absent. I'm told the reason the average Labrador brook trout is measured in pounds is simply because of the heavy pike predation....the dumb and weak perish and only the strong survive...sounds good anyway. 

That said, bucket biologists are not only criminals they're downright dumb...

Gray Wolves Continue to Make Headlines

Gale shot these wolves recently and I'll bet a lot of ranchers out there would have preferred she'd used a rifle instead of a camera. It seems in 2009 in Montana wolves killed a record number livestock--cattle, sheep, horses. To the tune of 365 animals, one per day or enough to break the Compensation Fund bank. The largest single kill was of course the 148 sheep Dillon ranchers Rebish and Konen lost in August. I don't know the final payout for that slaughter but from all the many rumors floating about town whatever wasn't near enough. From what I hear the Fund pays ranchers "fair market price" which in this case would be around $300 per. Nowhere near the actual value of the rams lost given R&K has been working for 75 years to improve the genetics of the herd. Which, by the way, now produces some of the world's highest quality wool.

Meanwhile ranchers and ADC agents have killed about 300 wolves thought to be preying on and/or harrassing livestock. Added to the 72 reported killed by hunters in Montana's initial wolf season. Or put another way just about one wolf for every livestock kill. Is it enough? Well I can tell you finding a rancher or a hunter for that matter thinks so would be a difficult hunt indeed. About 1650 wolves are thought to roam the region--Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Only Wyoming doesn't yet have a hunting season thanks to the prevailing good ol' boy redneck thinking which essentially continues to flip the bird at the Feds. Who of course are more than happy to return in kind.

Wolves are impacting hunting ops here in Beaverhead County as well. At least one rancher withdrew thousands of acres from the Block Management Program in protest to what he called "inept wolf management, MTFWP isn't managing wolves they're playing politics and cow-towing to enviro whackos who for the most part just don't get it."
I'd say he has a point. To his credit despite continued cattle losses he has not and said,"I will not" ask for compensation. I just want wolves managed like just about every other wild critter out there." Amen.