HELENA – Coming on the heels of reports that hunters near Townsend allegedly used vehicles to surround elk near public roads on Thanksgiving Day, area outfitter and Republican state Rep. Kelly Flynn said he is considering legislation to increase fines for several hunting violations.
Near the intersection of Sandhill Lane and U.S. Highway 12 a little more than three miles east of Townsend, a herd of 200 to 250 elk made their way onto ground open to public hunting. The elk were highly visible and some of those in pursuit allegedly used vehicles to surround the herd and shot from the road.
“It was another big gathering of elk and another big gathering of people,” said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Warden Sgt. Dave Loewen. “There were definitely some elk shot and a couple wounded.”
A warden was not in the area, and the Broadwater County Sheriff’s Office responded to calls, Loewen said.
Broadwater Country Sheriff Brenda Ludwig confirmed that deputies responded, but said everything gathered at the scene was turned over to local Warden Justin Feddes.
An investigation took place, but did not reveal any more violations and no citations were issued, Feddes said when reached on Wednesday.
The Thanksgiving Day incident came after hunters converged on a herd of 500 elk near White Gulch, north of Townsend, on opening weekend, killing about 30 and wounding several others. Similar reports of vehicles being used to block elk from leaving were reported, and Feddes said wardens issued numerous verbal warnings.
Three trespassing citations were issued near White Gulch during opening weekend.
“This one was a little more orderly, but they did harvest an awful lot of elk along public roads and highways and it was so visible to people,” Flynn said of the Thanksgiving incident. “I don’t think there was near the issue there was in White Gulch, but it was a situation where the elk were compressed and out of their element in the low country.”
Flynn did not witness the hunt firsthand, but had talked to several people who did, he said.
Flynn, who will chair the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee in the next session, added he’s considering introducing legislation to increase fines for several hunting violations with the hope that bigger fines could dissuade some of the unethical behavior.
“Things like shooting from public roads, shooting from vehicles, not wearing hunter orange, they’re really not that difficult to follow and are some of the things we see in these shootouts,” he said. “Maybe we need to try a stronger fine and that will deter some of those people.”
Please Wait…
Contrary to the claims of animal extremist groups and radicals like gadfly, hunters have been and continue to be the primary players in the effort to protect the game which they hunt. Conservation tactics such as carefully regulated hunting, habitat acquisition and species transplants contributed to bring populations back to healthy levels.
The Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act has provided funds for wildlife restoration, which is paid for by hunters. Sponsored by Senator Key Pittman of Nevada and Congressman A. Willis Robertson of Virginia and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Sept. 2, 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act created a 10% excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition. A few years later the tax became 11%.
The tens of millions of dollars generated by Pittman-Robertson each year were mandated to go back into state and local organizations to increase game populations, expand habitat and train hunters. As the money kept piling up, a repeal bill was drawn to relieve sportsmen from the financial burden of the excise tax. However, because dramatic results could be seen nationwide, sportsmen insisted on keeping the tax in place.
“Hunters”, “Sportsmen” ?? Did the hunters just want the meat or did they just like the killing or did they just enjoy being out in the wilderness ? How many Elmer Fudd Nimrods does it take to kill an elk? Are they conservationists? Are they sportsmen? Was it fair chase? Was it stand your ground? Did they do it just so the elk would not have to suffer the winter or starve? Did they do it to spare the elk from “predators”? There must be a sportsmen explanation (rationalization)?
Teton Park hunt: Hunters in Grand Tetons drove herd elk off of no shoot zone onto legal shooting zone and drove them toward waiting hunters, shooting from a road (illegal) firing more than one shot at elk (illegal in the Park), also shooting at a moving herd (illegal). Hunters involved were 30 and 25 shots at least were fired and 8-10 dead elk the result.
http://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/onlookers-dismayed-by-elk-herding-hunters/
“Fair Chase
“If the purpose of hunting is only to kill an
animal, then the process is moot; we contain the
technological ability to kill all animals.”
–Allen Morris Jones
The phrase “fair chase” has a very specific meaning in the hunting world. The Boone and Crockett Club defines it as “the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big-game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals.” This means fair-chase hunters pursue their quarry on foot; hone their skills so they make quick, clean kills; and obey the law.”
This is no different than shooting your neighbors horse, drowning a cat or beating the chickens to death.
Prove me wrong. Then justify it to your God.
http://www.flynnhideaway.com/index.php?id=32
is angry that his pet elk herd that he keeps up in Hidden Hollow for his Dude clients left the hollow up Confederate gulch and came out in the flats where the unwashed peasants could get a crack at one of the king's elk!
The bottom line is no citations were written, so this is anecdotal whining from a disgruntled outfitter who who be able to sell the elk that got harvested by the Montanans....as God intended!