North Fork patrols will stop poachers

Hunters should be satisfied if not downright ecstatic. The first day of the general hunting season, we had nearly an inch of fresh snow on the ground. The usually wrong weather bureau predicts more of the same for the next several days. We shall see.

I didn’t go out hunting the first day, but I did keep a good watch out my front windows in case a careless whitetail buck wandered in. My watching was supported by my chocolate lab, Buddy, who has finally learned to not bark at deer or elk. No easy deer the first day, but we still have several weeks.

Mostly I spent the weekend bemoaning the fact that I will probably not get to ride one of Frank Vitale’s mules until next spring. Originally we had planned to ride to Mount Thompson-Seton on the 13th or 14th to discuss our opposing views on the need or lack of need for a formal wilderness designation for the forest along the Whitefish Divide.

That trip was postponed due to inclement weather, and we then hoped for the 19th or 20th. The weather was even worse. Now we’ll probably wait for spring. It’s a disappointment, but I guess if Congress can take more than 30 years and still not get a wilderness bill passed, we can wait another six to eight months.

Members of the North Fork Patrol met this last week and decided we should include more after-dark patrols during hunting season. This is mostly to reduce poaching, and patrol vehicles will have magnetic signs on the side and have radio contact with other members.

Hunters are reminded that written permission is required to hunt on private property, and if a landowner does not post their property, that does not mean hunting is allowed. It’s the hunter’s responsibility to know where he/she is hunting.

If you shoot an animal on private property without permission — whether it’s posted or not — you may lose your meat, your hunting license for up to three years, and have to pay a cash fine of up to several hundred dollars.

The North Fork Landowners Association and the North Fork Patrol offer rewards of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of poachers as well as any other crime on the North Fork. With nighttime patrols by citizens, game wardens and cooperation with the Border Patrol, spotlighters, poachers and other dipsticks should stay away from the North Fork.

As summer residents prepare to leave, there are a lot of farewell suppers and last-minute visits. We all enjoyed seeing former North Fork landowners Jake and Rita Keltner last week, and gatherings at the Kinsolvings, Meekers, Sullivans, Ogles and Hoilands are always fun. Already Steve Berg is making preparations for the community Thanksgiving feast.