Bear in Montana with hounds????

[REB]

Scott, One other angel to look at is we already have a right to hunt law here in montana.

[sheimer]

Rick, I don't know exactly what you are refering to. Please explain some more.

Thanks,
Scott

[sheimer]

Does anyone know how to get a copy of the black bear EIS completed in 1994 online? In my conversation with the biologist he mentioned that baiting and hound use were looked at during the study and were eliminated as management tools. I wanted to read it and find out why they were not used. Thanks for the help.

Scott

[REB]

Scott,
I may be wrong, but I thought that there was a law giving us the right to hunt here in Montana. Exactly how the law is worded, I'm not sure. I thought that if we looked it up, it might give us another aspect on being able to hunt with hounds, or help keep the anti-hunters at bay. Just a thought.
Thanks, Rick

[hoyter]

I live in Bozeman and hunt lions as well as bears in Maine. I would be all for trying to legalize hunting bears with hounds here in Montana. I have a degree in Wildlife Biology and I happen to manage a sheep farm where Black Bears are one of our key predators. The first step is definitely finding out exactly why there is no chase season on bears now. One reason is that there are Grizzlies for sure, but there are also Grizzlies in Idaho and Wyoming and chasing Black bears is legal there. The Grizzlies here in Montana are in very well defined areas and it would be simple to limit the areas to zones outside of Grizzly range. If you are going to get serious about moving forward with this let me know.

[Doogie]

[sheimer]

thanks for the info.....I'll be sure to pass that along to my Rep as soon as I see him.

scott

[Rookie]

I picked up a copy of the EIS today I think if you call the Helena office they will mail you a copy. We will need to shoot holes in the study which isn't going to be easy. If you have ever dealt with FWP they don't like to be wrong. I think the lawyer who offered assistance would help. It's going to be a up hill battel with out the department backing the legislative action.

[dhostetler]

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Financially or otherwise. I have a Idaho hound permit again this year and I usually spend an ungodly amount of money on gas going over there to hunt, so contributing money or whatever to help might save money in the long run if we get this through.

One point to make on grizzlies, we have a growing (endangered) lynx population in our area that doesn't seem to be adversly affected by running lions and bobcats in the same area.

[larry]

don't forget about the leverage that the stockgrowers assoc. has on predator management.

[jbc67]

On the website of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, I found a message forum through which one can contact the Association. The website is located at the following address: http://www.mtbeef.org/index.cfm?show=16&mid=3
I sent the following message along with my contact information . . .

Dear Montana Stockgrowers Association:

I am a law student at Gonzaga University and will soon be graduating and returning to Billings, Montana. I am also a houndsman that loves nothing more than saddling up my quarter horses and leading my hounds on the pursuit of mountain lions, bobcats, and black bears. I am writing this letter to draw your attention to a current movement to expand the rights of hound hunters in the state of Montana. Specifically, a movement to permit houndsmen to pursue and hunt black bears with hounds.
In recent years, houndsmen have been allowed to pursue mountain lions, bobcats, and other predators, but the pursuit of black bears has been prohibited based simply on a one-time decision by the Montana Fish and Wildlife--a decision that stood contrary to scientific studies conducted by other western states. However, multiple politicians now appear ready to re-address this issue, including Governor Sweitzer and several state representatives. Many of these politicians, as well as employees of the Montana Fish and Wildlife, have voiced their support for the expansion and use of hounds in managing bear populations.
As you are well aware, the black bear can be a menace to sheep and other livestock, and allowing houndsmen to responsibly pursue and hunt black bears will increase the bears' fear of humans and reduce livestock-black bear incidents. The houndsmen of Montana want to ensure that black bears are managed responsibly, and history has proven that hound hunting and pursuit is the most effective management tool for controlling black bear populations.
We would like the support of the Montana Stockgrowers Association in our quest to increase hound hunters' rights. We believe that a cooperation between houndsmen in Montana and the Montana Stockgrowers Association will benefit both our interests.
Please respond and let us know how you can help to further this cause. The hunting rights and priveleges of houndsmen are being threatened all over the West, resulting in the mis-management and overpopulation of predators. Thank you for your support and your interest in this matter.

Sincerely,

[larry]

good email That true about Schweitzer?

[jbc67]

Yes. It is true that Sweitzer "appears ready to address this issue." Although I haven't seen a direct response from Sweitzer regarding "bear hunting with hounds", if you look at his positions and background on the mt.gov website, and if you rely on what Babcat and some of the other forum members have posted regarding their personal knowledge of Sweitzer, it is safe to say that he at least "appears" ready to discuss the issue, and you could also conclude that it is likely that he would support us. I think it was Babcat who said he would send him a letter or something--then, once we hear directly from Sweitzer saying that he supports this cause, we can safely say that we actually have his support--until we receive such direct confirmation, though, we'd better leave it vague by saying that it "appears that he would be willing to address the issue," based on his statements to constituents and past statements to other houndsmen.

[Blue Rose]

Great letter to stock growers the person that you need to talk to is Erol Rice. He is the Director and he would be able to steer you in the right direction. Also I have a friend that is on the Montana Bowhunters Association Board and they have alot of pull with the FWP. My friend is also a hound Hunter and there quite a few in there group. He is very involved in the regulation making process with FWP. He also knows the board members very well. So let me know if I could help in any way.

[sheimer]

Guys - I spoke with my local rep again last night and he is willing to possibly present this idea as a management plan for bears to the board of the FWP. He asked if I would be willing to testify about this at a hearing with them and I gladly accepted (I can't sit and bitch if I'm not willing to help). He also asked if there were any of you that would be willing to testify as well. Please PM me if you are willing and able.

Thanks,

Scott

PS. he is also willing to pursue the reimbursement for hounds as well.