Our readers speak

By The Montana Standard Staff - 12/02/2008

Inconsiderate hunters threaten to spoil sport for all This letter is to the hunters from Butte that shot a deer near our house on Friday afternoon. You said repeatedly that you thought it was public land and how sorry you were. Did you have a map? We don't like orange, but because of people who don't seem to care, we have it.

As we told you, the last poachers left the gut pile and a bunch of empty Bud-Light cans. Nobody was turned in and you were simply asked to take your deer and go. This time the gut pile was left with your rubber gloves.

When you told your son to take the shot, what traditions were you passing on to him? We wouldn't shoot a deer near your house without asking. A little bit of courtesy goes a long way, and with a little respect, more lands would stay open to hunters who care.

J & P Walker P.O. Box 218 Twin Bridges Wolf lovers should pick up the tab for their ‘pets' First the tree huggers wiped out the logging industry — now our forests lay deep with dead trees welcoming the next giant forest fire.

Then the "bring the wolf back" crowd transplanted Canadian gray wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

A plan to hunt wolves was stopped by enviro Judge Molloy — seems the Wyoming wolves aren't sharing their genes with Idaho and Montana wolves.

When livestock began to be killed by the wolves, Defenders of Wildlife and Greater Yellowstone Coalition made restitution to local ranchers. Being as these people were the ones who pushed the introductions of the wolves and also sued to stop the planned hunt, it is only fitting that they pay for the damage caused by their creations.

They should be made to pay for every domestic animal — including llamas — that wolves kill, but no. Along comes our state government, eager to spend the taxpayers' money, so we now have a fund run by the Montana Department of Livestock, which shells out the taxpayers' money — $30,000 this year. And now that our two wolf-loving outfits are almost broke, the taxpayers will pay more.

Along with this new drain on the taxpayers, we also must pay the salaries of all these wolf-specialist jobs that were created in Fish, Wildlife and Parks (plus vehicles and expenses).

If these outfits can no longer pay for the destruction they brought down on ranchers like Gary Giem, they should not be allowed to stop the wolf hunts.

No one has the right to put a fox in their neighbor's hen house and then expect not to be sued for all the damage the fox does.

The wolf is a pure killing machine — the hunt, the chase and the kill is its only purpose in life. It replaces the coyote in its area — at least the coyote is a scavenger.

Let Fish, Wildlife and Parks agent Carolyn Sime and her "millions who want to see the wolf restored" pay for their "pets," not the taxpayers.

Bill Hanley P.O. Box 252 Twin Bridges