New Bill has Elk in Crosshairs Brucellosis

Lawmakers took their first crack at the newest chapter in Montana’s long battle with brucellosis Tuesday: Elk.

A bill sponsored by Sen. Keith Bales, R-Otter, would add to the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ duties the task of preventing disease transmission between livestock and wildlife. While those diseases include everything from tuberculosis to ungulate fever, there was no question at the bill’s afternoon hearing that brucellosis gave rise to the bill.

• Two cattle in Montana tested positive for brucellosis last year. The disease causes cows to abort. While Yellowstone bison have been the focus of brucellosis control, elk are thought to be the source of the most recent cases. “If this bill had been in place five or 10 years ago…we might not be in the situation we are,” Bales said of his bill. While Chris Smith of FWP said he does not necessarily agree with that statement, he spoke in favor of the bill as one that would allow his agency to continue its work on controlling brucellosis and other diseases.
  
  “They’re not livestock problems. They’re not wildlife problems. They’re disease problems,” he told the Senate Fish and Game Committee. Since the spring outbreak of brucellosis, FWP has killed two elk thought to be carrying the virus and has been working with landowners to control herds that threaten more cases of the disease, Smith said. Ag groups also came out for the bill.“A lot of ranchers are being overrun by elk, and they are fearful of a brucellosis outbreak,” said Ariel Overstreet of the Montana Cattlewomen’s Association. Jay Bodner, natural resources director for the Montana Stockgrowers Association, said he would like to see the bill move FWP toward practices like “strategic hazing,” something Smith said is not now in FWP’s disease control playbook.
  
  Opponents of the bill said they were concerned the wording of the bill could force FWP to devote a disproportionate amount of resources toward disease-control.v“This could set a precedent for managing wildlife for one particular reason,” said Ben Lamb of the Montana Wildlife federation.
  
  The bill, which carries a cost of $300,000 per year, was also the recipient of Budget Director Dave Ewer’s disapproval via form letter, which is being sent out to many hearings involving bills that cost money. Bales maintained Senate Bill 213’s importance.“The disease was spread to livestock from elk. Since the Department of Livestock has not authority over elk at this time, they cannot prevent that,” he said. “This will help. This will add the final key to trying to control disease.”
  
  While we at SportsmensAccess.com we agree that:
• There is a problem with elk carry brucellosis
• FWP is the agency that needs to deal with elk with this disease
• FWP would need additional funds from somewhere other it's normal operating budget to deal with managing this disease

We don't agree:

• That the elk should be shot by FWP officials. Why not have sportsmen on the game damage control list take these elk. Lower cost and less manpower spent by FWP.
• The point of view that ranchers "are being overrun by elk"

The two cows that we taken were shot on public land. Not on ranch lands. What do we do about these elk?

As we know large herds of elk gather on some private grounds with no access allowed. This is one of the tough issues that will need to be addressed. What do we do with large herds of elk that gather on private land where no hunting is allowed? Will FWP officials be able to "haze" elk of these properties? We stradle a fine line between private property rights and controlling a disease. No easy answer on this one.

Proposed Bill Looks to Change Hunters Ed Requirments

A Missoula lawmaker thinks Montana can bolster youth hunting by easing hunter education requirements in the state.

House Bill 382 would allow first-timers to go out with an experienced hunter instead of attending a hunter education course, which is now required for anyone born after 1984. The hunters would have to take a safety course within five years, but Rep. Robin Hamilton, D-Missoula, said his bill would allow parents and grandparents to more easily get youngsters in the family interested in field sports.The bill was heard Tuesday in the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee.

Supporters of the bill echoed Hamilton’s assertion that the bill would get more youngsters into hunting and the outdoors.But many others n including many hunter education instructors n are opposed to the plan, in part because it would allow kids of any age to participate in the program and removes hunter education requirements.
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“There’s no age determination,” said George Golie of the Montana Wildlife Federation. “Does that mean a 7-year-old can have a .30-06 out there hunting?”“This bill guts the mandatory hunter education requirements,” said Ron Moody, a hunter education instructor from Lewistown.

Hamilton and other supporters attempted to calm fears that the program would make hunting less safe.“Modern hunters are so different and consciences of safety. The data doesn't bear out those fears,” Hamilton said.

A bill resembling HB382 has passed in 27 states, Gray said.“The mentored hunter, as a block, is the safest group of hunters,” Gray said. “We’ve had no incidents that involved an apprentice hunter.”

Underpinning the bill is a decline in hunters nationwide, a decline that’s largely to blame on fewer young people getting into the sport.According to the Families Afield Coalition n a group that is promoting legislation like Hamilton’s nationwide.

Montana has a 56 percent “replacement rate” for hunters. That means for every hunter taking up the sport, about two hunters are hanging their rifles up. Steve Gray of Families Afield said in other states, the mentoring programs they’ve helped create have worked. Nationwide, 208,000 people have gotten hunting permits under the programs, Gray said. He could not say how many of those hunters would have otherwise entered the sport by other means, but said he is confident it is helping to reverse declining numbers. “This is a proactive approach to ensure hunting well into the future,” he said. Opponents challenged that hunter education requirements are impeding young people’s interest in hunting. They pointed to changes in social norms and private property concerns. “Let’s get to the heart of the problem, which is access,” said Golie. The committee did not take immediate action on the bill.

We at SportsmensAccess.com disagree with Golie's point of view. New and young hunter numbers are declining not because of lack of access but because of video games, cell phones, ipods, and kids that aren't being recruited into the sport. There is solid data showing this from a study at the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Update to the Stream Access Law from Jan 22nd

The only surviving bridge-access bill won the support of its most vocal critic in a House vote Monday, but several Southwest Montana lawmakers made up the extreme minority voting against the bill.

House Bill 190, sponsored by Rep. Kendall Van Dyk, was approved 95-5 in the House and will presumably be sent to the Senate after a final vote by representatives.

The bill seeks to put into law a Madison County judge’s ruling that people can access Montana rivers from most county bridges and puts into place a state enforcer to ensure that access.

The Montana Cattlemen’s Association, The Montana Farm Bureau, Trout Unlimited and many other groups are supporting the bill. Critics, however, say HB190 eliminates local control of bridges and could compromise private property rights.

The bill has proven to be one of the highest profile of the session thus far. One lobbyist even formed a lighthearted betting pool on what Monday’s House vote would be. HB190 makes the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks responsible for resolving conflicts. The Montana Association of Counties supports the bill as is.

Three of the five representatives who voted against the bill hail from Southwest Montana, home of the most popular fishing destinations in the state. Reps. Scott Sales and Gordon Vance, both Bozeman Republicans, joined Joel Boniek, R-Livingston in opposing the bill. Reps. Scott Mendenhall, a Clancy Republican and Lee Randall, R-Broadus, also opposed the bill. Sales, the House minority leader, said after the vote that Montana already has “tremendous access” and that this bill could enhance it “at the cost of property rights.” However, he may change his vote during the third reading of the bill, he said.Vance and Boniek both said they opposed the bill because they prefer counties oversee bridge access.

Fishing in FEB Burrrrr

Ok it was sunny when we started but as we all know does it change fast! Out on the Lower Madison on Super Bowl Sunday. Saw two other guys dumb as me to be out there fishing. No fish only one bite and froze my As%$#@(* off. Did I tell you I only had a vest on. "Forgot my jacket.

Sorry about the audio...Oh did I forget to say it was windy!

Billings Woman Gives 615 Acres to BLM

A Billings woman requesting anonymity has bought 615 acres south of Bridger and donated the property to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. With the gift, access to a popular area called Weatherman Draw is under government control.

The previous owner of the land had allowed people to cross it so they could reach Weatherman Draw, and had listed the property for sale at $185,000. Some access advocates worried a buyer would put the land off limits to the public.Weatherman Draw is know for sandstone cliffs featuring historic pictographs and petroglyphs.

The land was bought from Rodney Crosby of Crowley, Wyo. Jim Sparks, manager of the BLM’s Billings Area Field Office, described the benefactor as a person of modest means. Sparks said a buy-sell agreement was signed in May, and details for the BLM’s acquisition of the land were worked out in the ensuing months. The deal closed Dec. 30, he said.

Weatherman Draw, also called Valley of the Shields, holds special significance for several American Indian tribes. Some of their members have gathered there for prayer. In years past, talk of possible oil and gas drilling raised concern about the future of Weatherman Draw. In 2002, Anschutz Exploration Corp. transferred its mineral leases to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.The BLM has designated the place an area of critical environmental concern, a designation that also will apply to the land just acquired, Sparks said.

Coyotes will do anything to get a meal

A local taximdermist near Daphne, Alabama thought it'd be funny to put this yote on the back of his truck. Apparently he gets asked to pull over all the time so his "dog" can get back in the truck! Too funny. Gotta love where this pic was taken huh!

Mountain Goat Transplanted to the Front

State wildlife officials, with help from Safari Club International (SCI), recently moved 15 mountain goats to the Rocky Mountain Front.

The move was the second and final year to release mountain goats on Ear Mountain Wildlife Management Area. Last year Fish, Wildlife and Parks released 10 goats in the same area.
"We wanted to augment the population there," says Brent Lonner, Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife biologist. "The country is good goat habitat and the population, which was low, needed a boost."

This year’s animals came from the Crazy Mountains, in central Montana, where the population is over objective. Last year’s transplant came from Round Butte east of the Highwoods.

The Great Falls chapter of SCI helped defray costs both years, contributing $8,500 last year and $10,000 this year, says Brad Lencioni, chapter president. THANK YOU SCI!!!

"One of our goals for the last several years was to get goats transplanted," Lencioni says. "With contributions from our members and local businesses we were able to help." The local SCI chapter is eight years old and has about 155 members, Lencioni says, adding the club has also bought equipment for Eagle Mount, which assists the disabled; contributed to FWP’s hunter education program, and funded three $1,000 scholarships. "We fight for hunters’ rights first," Lencioni says.

This year’s goats came in two groups: seven on January 10 and eight on January 15. The animals consisted of 12 female nannies, two male billies and one male kid. The animals were moved to mountain goat hunting district 442, where one license was available last year.

Mountain goat hunting in Montana is by permit only.

A Montana Trio 3 bucks over 200 B&C

There were some great bucks and bulls brought into the show at the Billings, Metra this past weekend. Here are a trio of bucks that scored over 200 B&C points.

The first place buck in the youth division was taken this year by a young lady in Rosebud County. It scored 201 5/8 and was taken by a rifle.

The next buck is a buck that scored 209 and won 1st place in the non-typical, rifle division. It was taken in Rosebud County also but was taken in 1995.

This next buck took 1st place in the archery division for non-typical mule deer. It scores 206 4/8 and was taken in 2002 in Carbon County.

A great trio of bucks!

Castaway Buck

Last week when I was at the Great Rockies Sports Show in Billings, I was demonstrating our website and showed someone our blog. I have some unusal photos on the blog and was talking about a set of photos I had not put on the site yet. It was these pics that show this buck floating down a river. One of the guys observing said, "I took the pictures of that buck floating down the Yellowstone River near Miles City". Small world huh!


Nice buck I hope he made it out of the river.

Bridge Access Bill Moves Forward

The Bridge Access Bill sponsored by Rep. Kendall Van Dyk, D-Billings cleared its first hurdle Tuesday afternoon January 21st.This bill guarantees that sportsmen can walk from public bridges to float or fish state waters

The House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee passed House Bill 190 by a 16-2 bipartisan margin. The two dissenters were Reps. Ken Peterson, R-Billings, and Joel Boniek, R-Emigrant. If you live in Emigrant or Billings you may want to give these guys a call and find out why they voted the way they did!

After the last bill that clarified stream and river access died in the 2007 Legislature, a group of ranchers, farmers, conservationists, and anglers began working on what became HB190.

The bill clarifies:

• Landowners have the right to attach fences to county bridges.


• The public cannot sue a landowner if someone gets hurt crossing a fence to access public waters.


• Landowners cannot build fences deliberately to keep out the public
  
  
  The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks will pay for any fence modifications that need to be made to accommodate the public and FWP will broker any dispute that arises between a landowner and a citizen.
  
  Mark Aagenes, conservation director for Montana Trout Unlimited, said Tuesday’s vote showed how far all parties have come in the debate about bridge access.
  
  “We have a good bill that sportsmen and women, landowners, Democrats and Republicans seem to like,” he said Tuesday.
  
  The entire House could take up HB190 later this week or early next week.