Bill on cow elk harvest does not favor sportsmen

Senate Bill 245 is supposedly a bill to enable Fish, Wildlife & Parks to control elk numbers when their numbers become larger than the objective population numbers determined by the FWP for that area. This bill supposedly “allows” FWP to harvest cow elk after the regular season to adjust those numbers downward if needed. 

What Senate Bill 245 actually does is save the bulls for the landowners and the outfitters. 

The public can only harvest cows in order to lower the total numbers to the population objectives. In other words, public hunters are to come in and clean up the mess paying an additional license fee. In addition, landowners get 20 percent of the excess cows for friends and relatives free. This is a scam.  FWP already has authority to conduct special seasons to control wildlife numbers and they can do so as needed. 

Listening to the recording of the hearing was alarming. This bill, supposedly only to enable FWP to manage elk, was supported by an array of interesting people, the Farm Bureau, a Wilkes brother’s representative and incredibly, The Elk Foundation supported HB245. 

Even more incredible was the Director of FWP, Jeff Hagener, testifying that “We have worked with the sponsor (Senator Doug Kary) on the wording of this bill and are satisfied with it as written. The department supports the bill as it represents one more option to potentially help elk population management.” 

At a time when FWP is desperately in need of increased funding for the department, thus needing sportsmen’s support, it is unbelievable that Hagener and the FWP Commission would design and support a bill that is a slap in the face of sportsmen. 

If sportsmen stand by and let this bill pass it will become another step toward taking wildlife away from the public. If enough such steps are allowed, hunters will eventually have to “poach from the King’s table” as in old England.  It is sad that those who are able to exploit the public usually do. 

—Harold Johns, Butte