By EVE BYRON Independent Record
Along with tentatively setting the 2012-13 wolf hunting season, Montana’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission will go over a wide range of topics at its meeting in Helena Thursday.
During the day-long meeting, set to begin at 8:30 a.m. at the FWP Montana Wild Center near Spring Meadow Lake, the commission will discuss archery harvest prescriptions for antlerless elk in the Missouri Breaks; a couple of timber harvests; acquiring the mineral rights for the Spotted Dog Wildlife Management Area; fall upland game bird quotas; and a fishing access site acquisition.
Discussion of the upcoming wolf season, which could include trapping this year, is expected to draw the most public comment, according to FWP officials. Ken McDonald, wildlife bureau chief, estimates it will take about an hour to do his presentation.
Groups on a variety of sides of the wolf management debate are calling on members to attend the meeting, according to emails that are circulating. Those groups include that anti-trapping group Footloose; the pro-wolf Sierra Club; and the anti-wolf Lobo Watch.
The initial plan calls for liberalizing the wolf hunting season in order to reduce the population from about 650 known wolves down to about 425, which is being called the “short-term” objective. FWP tried to do that last year and set a quota of 220 wolves, but only 165 were taken by hunters, and the known population actually increased.
This year, the FWP will consider allowing trapping of wolves, as well as letting hunters and trappers take up to three wolves and use electronic calls — all proposals that need legislative changes prior to implementation.
Also, other than in two hunting districts around Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, the wolf management units won’t have specific quotas; having a statewide season is expected to lower the population in areas where most wolves roam. Closures in specific wolf management units could be implemented at any time if FWP believes harvest levels to be excessive in any area.
The wolf archery season would run from the beginning of the regular archery season Sept. 1 until Oct. 14, and the general rifle season would include wolf hunting from Oct. 15 until Feb. 28. The trapping season would be Dec. 15 to Feb. 28. Mandatory reporting is required within 24 hours of harvest.
The public can comment on the proposal at Thursday’s meeting or in writing to FWP through June 18; the specific email address for comments hasn’t been released.
This will be the third wolf hunting season and the first time in recent history they could be trapped in Montana.
Elk archery in the Missouri Breaks
The controversy over elk archery hunting in the Missouri Breaks also may draw the interest of a few people. The FWP Commission in February increased either sex elk archery permit levels, but due to ongoing concerns about the herd being over popular objectives, also committed to set antlerless quotas every year for the next six years.
The plan is to start small and follow with incrementally larger steps to gradually lower the Missouri Breaks elk population. By focusing on antlerless elk, the hope is that hunters will remove the breeding population.
The commission will take comment at the meeting; the public also can submit written comments until June 18. A final decision is expected at the commission’s July 12 meeting.
Timber harvest
In additional FWP action, the commission is expected to take final action on the removal of dead and dying trees on the Mount Haggin WMA in order to lessen the hazards posed by falling trees along five miles of roads and eight miles of trails. In the West Kootenai WMA, most of the area is heavily forested with dense stands of Douglas fir, and a 2011 management plan identified removing some trees from about 240 acres to lessen the risk of large wildfires.
Fishing access site
The FWP Commission also is being asked to endorse acquisition of a fishing access site on the Upper Big Spring Creek south of Lewistown. The creek is too small for float fishing, but too large for extensive wading. FWP has been looking into ways to enhance public access, and has an opportunity to purchase a former private fish hatchery.
The raceway from the private hatchery is contaminated with PCBs from the Big Spring Creek Hatchery; the department plans to remove the contaminated material and fill in the raceway if the property is purchased.
If the commission endorses the proposal, FWP will go out for public scoping and develop an environmental assessment.
Spotted Dog WMA mineral rights
The commission also is being asked to endorse the purchase of mineral rights on the 28,000-acre Spotted Dog WMA, which FWP acquired last year. While FWP got the seller’s mineral rights with the purchase, a previous owner retains a 50 percent mineral interested on about half of the WMA. That owner has agreed to sell the mineral rights, which would remove the potential for private mineral exploration and development in important elk wintering grounds.
If endorsed by the commission, FWP will complete an analysis that includes opportunity for the public to comment.
For more information on Thursday’s FWP Commission meeting and a complete agenda, go online to fwp.mt.gov and follow the links on the right-hand side of the page to the commission’s agenda and meeting information.