End Poaching, End Trophy Hunting, End Trapping

September 15th, 2023

Today is a grim day. It marks the opening of the general hunting season here in Montana for Bighorn Sheep, Black Bears, Moose, Mountain Goats, and Gray Wolves. KWC is not opposed to sustenance hunting. We are not anti-hunting; we have Elk and Deer hunters within our organization. Unfortunately, many of the animals previously mentioned, even the prey animals, will be hunted for trophies, shits and giggles, or pure hatred.

Wolves are a particular victim of so-called hunters motivated by malice. The Wolf and its relatives, such as the Coyote and Fox, have been demonized by human narratives for a long time. Even further back than the colonial period, think of folk fables like Little Red Riding Hood, the traditional Norse stories of Fenrir, and the countless tales of the trickster Coyote and the sly Fox. We have vilified wild canids for generations and continue to do so now. Only today, these tall tales are often fabricated by large landowners who fear the natural processes of the environment and livestock ranchers who refuse to accept any kind of business risk.

Human society must accept that we are animals and part of the ecological systems around us, whether we want to believe it or not. The practice of raising prey animals as a food source will naturally attract predators; that is a fact of life. However, there are ways to mitigate the loss of livestock and capital, especially with the availability of information on predator prevention. Methods can be as simple as maintaining and improving fencing, monitoring perimeters and herds with cameras or radar systems, providing safer or more supervised areas for young animals, and even owning dogs would be effective deterrents.

These are not new recommendations, and I did not come up with any new ideas. Countless individuals and organizations are working with and providing information for landowners and politicians to improve these conditions for harmonious living. However, it seems the politicians and bureaucrats in charge of wildlife management would rather give in to fear and hate than cooperation and coexistence.

Around 600 Gray Wolves are being targeted for slaughter in Montana this winter. Some wolves will be killed from the theoretically protected packs residing in Yellowstone National Park. Unsurprisingly, many people who massacre our nation’s wildlife will implement unethical and illegal hunting methods while displaying barbarous disrespect toward the animals. This attitude is not limited to wolves. In the hunting hot spots, it is common to see all kinds of animals lay as rotting carcasses, missing only heads and pelts.

The opening of rifle hunting season will often bring needless trapping, snaring, and baiting. Many of these “hunters” implement this lazier and cowardly method of setting cruel and indiscriminate traps. Trapping is incredibly inefficient and rampant in Montana.

“The trapping of predators and nongame wildlife is legal year-round, no license required for residents, and is without regulation or reporting necessary.”

• Trap Free Montana

There are no trap check requirements except for traps expressly set for Wolves, or Bobcats in Lynx protection zones, both of which are 48 hours. The amount of non-regulation with trapping is disgusting and incredibly irresponsible. But the state of Montana is not alone in this level of absurdity.

Born Free USA assembled a comprehensive and detailed report in 2021 on trapping regulations across the United States, giving each state a rank and score. The primary outcome is that there are barely any regulations to be found. Only California and Hawaii scored above 50/100, and almost half of the states scored just 25/100 or under. The worst offending states included but by all means not limited to Texas, Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Montana, Mississippi, Virginia, Oregon, North Carolina, Nevada, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Idaho. Check the website here for more information.

Trapping doesn’t just harm the big bad wolf, the curious bobcat, or the territorial bear. While humans get hurt by unmarked traps occasionally, the more common tragedy is for family pets, which will be maimed if they are lucky. Domestic dogs are often killed by these cruel mechanisms, sometimes spending days in harsh winter conditions before dying of exposure. If the pets are found quickly, the veterinarians might only have to amputate a leg. This is the brutal reality of trapping; it has an actual cost for wild and domestic animals.

Suffering takes on many forms; we often see it daily. But wild animals face a world full of challenges that humans can barely perceive, let alone understand. The opening day of the hunting season for so many unique and critical species reminds me of all of this tragedy. While it can be bleak, it also motivates me for our upcoming missions; our teams will be in the field protecting Keystone Species from the uncontrolled violence enacted by poachers and hunters using illegal methods. Stay tuned for action opportunities and ways to support our efforts.

Until next time,

Gunnar Nemeth