The process has been long but Ravalli County, on January 18, 2012, issued a draft of their long awaited Predator Policy. Ravalli County Commissioners are seeking public comment on this draft for a period of two weeks. The next public meeting will be held in the Commissioners Conference Room (3rd Floor), 215 S. 4th Street, Hamilton, Montana, Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.
As expected, the progressive environmental community has come out against the policy. They have made claims they weren’t included in the process, which is not accurate. The crafting of the Ravalli County Predator Policy has been a public process throughout.
Ravalli County Predator Policy is fair
I know, from first hand experience, a lot of effort went into crafting this policy. When you dig into the policy, you will see it brings Montana close to the policy Idaho operated under this past year. People attempting to paint the policy as anti-wolf or anti-predator are simply spewing their same old argument that is…simply OLD.
“Policy and management decisions should reflect the weight which county residents give these experiences (hunting). While others may not share these values, the practice of these activities does not deprive anyone else of their enjoyment of public and private lands. While some citizens within Ravalli County highly prize the existence of the Wolf, there is no acceptable argument that this admiration of the wolf which simply values the sighting of this species supersedes or trumps the long heritage of hunting and family based activity within the Bitterroot.”
Sadly, this policy is unlikely to be much more effective than what we had this past year, at least when it comes to wolf management. The positive effects are likely to come from changes to bear and mountain lion management. As we witnessed this hunting season, and as was predicted by many experts, fair chase wolf hunting seasons aren’t going to be an effective enough management tool to positively affect our declining ungulate herds. Unfortunately, more drastic measures aimed at predator population control would meet with opposition so stiff, they would ultimately fail to be implemented.
The meat of the Ravalli County Predator Policy is influenced by triggers in elk populations and population ratios.
“When minimum elk population levels, as established within each district, aren’t maintained by reducing antlerless harvest, and/or when the calf to cow ratio falls below the statewide elk management plan standard of 25 to 100, it shall be the policy of Ravalli County that the following enhanced predator hunting policies be implemented:”
Elk are used as the barometer because they are the only ungulate that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) counts each and every year. Ravalli County currently meets the requirements to trigger the “enhanced predator hunting policies”.
To have a positive effect on elk herds, you need to remove 50-70% of the wolf population each and every year for several years. These numbers have been substantiated by Dr. Charles Kay, Dr. L. David Mech and Dr. Val Geist among others. The 2011 Idaho and Montana hunting seasons are proof fair chase hunting is not capable of meeting the required harvest numbers to have a positive effect on our declining elk herds.
And considering these policies still fall far short of what is needed to restore our failing elk herd, the county will remain in the “enhanced predator hunting policies” for the foreseeable future. This is a positive step in the right direction, though. And I commend the Ravalli County Commissioners along with a number of citizens who put a lot of work and effort into crafting the Ravalli County Predator Policy.
Download the Ravalli County Predator Policy
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