The Best News all Month! Wolves are delisted!

Big Game Forever
Dedicated to common sense conservation
For Immediate Release: April 15, 2011

President Obama has just signed H.R. 1473 the Budget Resolution, continuing government operations until September 30. A provision within that act will have wide ranging effects on the control of the Grey Wolf populations within some western states. The act requires that in the states of Montana and Idaho the Wolf be removed from the Endanger Species Act (ESA) and returned to individual state management. Language was also included which allows Wyoming to move toward delisting.

Sen. Orrin Hatch expressed, “I couldn’t be more pleased with the inclusion of wolf-delisting language in the budget bill that passed this week. The return of wolf management in northern Utah to state wildlife managers is a very important step in the right direction. This wouldn’t have happened without the resolute efforts of Big Game Forever and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife. I remain committed to doing everything that I can to ensure that the states, not the federal government, have the responsibility for managing wolves. ”

The sportsmen of America are grateful for the leadership of Leader Reid, Senator Tester, Senator Baucus, Senator Hatch, Senator Barrasso, Senator Enzi, Senator Risch, Senator Crapo, Senator McCain and Senator Kyl, Congressman Rehberg, Congresswoman Lummis, Congressman Matheson, Congressman Bishop, Congressman Ross, Congressman Chaffetz, Congressman Simpson and the over 60 total cosponsors who played a role in building the consensus of a need for Congressional action to delist no longer endangered wolf populations.

“We are encouraged that Congress has acknowledged the need to delist no longer endangered wolf populations. It is unfortunate that multiple administrative delisting decisions and ultimately Congressional action were required to obtain a partial delisting of a species that has been recovered for years. We applaud the beginning of the return of management of wolves to state wildlife managers who manage and protect hundreds of game and nongame species so capably,” said Ryan Benson of Big Game Forever.

U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis explained the importance of including language preserving Judge Alan Johnson’s November 2010 ruling. “Upholding Judge Johnson’s ruling is crucial to advancing negotiations on a common sense wolf management plan. This language removes obstacles that would have otherwise hindered discussions on the status of the fully recovered gray wolf in Wyoming. Returning management of the gray wolf to the State of Wyoming is the ultimate goal. Much work remains, but with this provision intact, I am confident we are closer than ever to realizing a full delisting. I look forward to that happy day.”

Don Peay, founder of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, said, “With the need to trim billions from the federal budgets, this was first step to return management of wolves to all states and end redundant federal expenditures for a job states can do better. More importantly, with high unemployment rates and losses of jobs, abundant big game herds are an American Treasure, a renewable resource, and with proper management can sustain tens of millions of dollars in annual economic activity, tens of thousands of jobs, and the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Americans to put food on the table.”

Big Game Forever and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife are grateful for the selfless and dedicated efforts of countless conservation minded sportsmen of America. The responsible livestock producer organizations, the conservation groups and many other organizations who have added their voice to this important effort have helped tremendously to educate for the need to protect healthy wildlife populations and America’s livestock industry.

We appreciate all your efforts Don, Ryan and Big Game Forever, keep it up. – Hunters Against PETA

Hunters Against PETA

More great news on the Wolf Battle

House and Senate pass bill today with wolf delisting language

Folks,

Congressional action to delist wolf populations in Idaho and Montana appears to be moving quickly toward passage. The House of Representatives voted today in support of the Continuing Resolution by a margin of 260-167. The Senate also has voted to pass the Continuing Resolution. We are awaiting confirmation of the actual vote tally in the Senate. The bill continues to include wolf delisting language for a portion of the Northern Rockies.

The President will need to sign the bill into law by midnight tomorrow April 15, 2011 to avoid a shut down of the government. It is expected the President will sign the bill into law.

As many are aware, the wolf language in the bill codifies the April 2009 delisting rule which focuses on the approved wolf management plans for Idaho and Montana. Despite language that would delist portions of Oregon and Washington and a nominal portion of Northern Utah in the delisted zone, the focus on approved management plans in the 2009 rule make clear that the states where management authority will be returned are Idaho and Montana.

Passage of this bill will demonstrate that Congressional delisting is not only possible, but also necessary for states to be able to manage and protect wildlife populations, including wolves, within their borders. We are hopeful the passage of a wolf delisting bill for a few states will be followed by a broader delisting bill which would include additional states in the West and Midwest. While passage of this bill is significant step in the right direction, it clearly does not solve the issue. We continue to support the right of all states to manage wolves and other wildlife within their borders without federal intervention.

The environmental and animal rights community have been working hard to derail the legislation. Feel free to take a minute and call or email your Congressional delegation to let them know your feelings on the pending wolf delisting language in the Continuing Resolution.

Ryan Benson

http://biggameforever.org/

ryandbenson@msn.com

Hunters Against PETA

Recent Wolf News from Big Game Forever

Folks,

It appears that a wolf delisting bill will very likely pass this week in Congress. The wolf delisting language is included in the continuing resolution to keep the government funded. We expect that this bill will pass by the end of this week. The language will be a victory primarily for Idaho and Montana, though portions of Utah, Oregon and Washington are also included in the delisting. Important language was also added yesterday to preserve Wyoming’s court victory in support of important aspects of its wolf management plan.

This bill stops short of returning full state management authority back to these states, including Idaho and Montana. So USFWS remains in a supervisory role. If USFWS does not interfere and allows the states do their job, a wide variety of wolf management activities can be resumed by these states. We are hopeful this would be a step in the right direction for some of these states. This action does very clearly show that Congressional action is not only possible, but also necessary to delist no longer endangered wolf populations.

We could name a long list of names of members of Congress who have worked so diligently to delist wolf populations. Specifically, thanks go out to Senator Hatch and Lee of Utah, Senators Barrasso and Enzi of Wyoming, Senators Crapo and Risch of Idaho, Senators Kyl and McCain of Arizona, Senators Tester and Baucus of Montana, Congressman Rehberg of Montana, Congresswoman Lummis of Wyoming, Congressman Simpson of Idaho, Congressmen Matheson, Bishop and Chaffetz of Utah. We have not always agreed with some of these members, but all played an important role in getting wolves delisted.

Thanks also go to many sportsmen and conservation organizations that have lent their efforts and donations to Big Game Forever and to the wolf delisting efforts. Most importantly, this victory belongs to thousands and thousands of sportsmen from all 50 states who have truly gotten in the fight to protect the future of hunting through Big Game Forever. This week we will win an important victory in Congress that many experts said couldn’t be won. You can’t win a fight, if you are not willing to fight. So thank you to all those who have worked so diligently to make this happen. Your phone calls, emails and ongoing efforts were constantly a major conversation among members of Congress and legislative staff. This was truly a game changer in this fight for the future of wildlife in America.

While this has been an extremely difficult victory, it is hard to celebrate too much when we know that this bill does not delist most Western and Midwestern states. To our friends in Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, California, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and many other states: We share your frustration that you were not included in this delisting. While it was not our decision to go with a two state bill, the actions of a few made this a self-fulfilling conclusion. We also worked very hard to make sure the bill did not destroy Wyoming’s court victory in support of the right of states to make important wildlife management decisions. So while we celebrate the fact that Congress has now recognized that they must act to delist wolves. We know this is not good enough to fix the challenges of unmanaged wolves across the country.

We call on all sportsmen and all members of Congress to increase their effort and resolve to finish the fight. Thousands of emails are going to members of Congress to try to slow wolf delisting for the rest of the country. Let’s counter this effort with thousands of emails asking members of Congress to finish the fight. There are some who will use this two-state provision to try to kill the momentum on additional Congressional actions. We cannot let this happen. It is time to delist wolves in all states. Wildlife populations in the Midwest and West have suffered terribly. It is clear that Congress is willing act to address the problems of unmanaged wolves for some states. It is time for members of Congress to engage in the battle to delist wolves in your state and restore the primacy of states to manage their own wildlife.

Help us finish the fight. Ask all of your friends to join the effort at Big Game Forever to engage in this important fight for the future of hunting and wildlife in America. Signing the petition is fast, it’s easy and it’s free. Make a donation to help fund the ongoing efforts.

Let’s finish what we started.
–
Ryan Benson

National Director, Big Game Forever

Please take a minute and ask your friends to sign the petition at http://biggameforever.org/

Thanks for all of your efforts Ryan, Don and everyone at Big Game Forever, you’re much appreciated. – Hunters Against PETA

Hunters Against PETA

Godaddy founder gets heat from PETA for killing a problem elephant

If you haven’t heard already the CEO and founder of Godaddy, Bob Parsons was recently slammed by PETA. Many other animal rights groups have also joined in the attack against Bob for having hunted and killed a problem elephant in Zimbabwe. They’re angry because he killed it then posted the video online.

We at Hunters Against PETA first want to say “Great job Bob”. There’s a lot of problem elephants in Africa that cause farmers a lot of damage to their crops each year and some deaths resulting from them as well.

Secondly, PETA and other animal rights groups will forever continue to attack our values, our lifestyle and our passion. It’s up to us to stand up and fight back against groups like these. And never apologize or justify our way of life.

It’s great to see that Bob didn’t apologize for helping these people out and for doing something he loves to do.

PETA said they’re going to stop using Godaddy’s services. We’re going to continue to use their services and always recommend them.

You have our support Bob. – Hunters Against PETA

The Defenders of Their Own Agenda call Sportsmen “anti-wildlife”

“Help Stop the Wolf Assault”. This is what reads on the home page of the Defenders of Wildlife’s website. It should read “Help Stop our Elk, Deer and Moose Assault and Slaughter”. This quote was also taken directly from their website – “Our wildlife needs your voice. Please write your senators today and oppose this extreme anti-wildlife agenda”.

Anti-wildlife? Do they not know and understand that no one and I mean no one cares more and does more to sustain the wildlife in America than hunters and sportsmen. Half of species thriving and living in America today wouldn’t even be living here today if it weren’t for sportsmen and their efforts.

The Defenders of Their Own Agenda, I mean the Defenders of Wildlife need to read their history and find out who truly protects and cares most about America’s wildlife.

How many elk, deer, moose, cattle and livestock have been needlessly killed, half eaten or not eaten at all and left to rot by wolves since they’ve been reintroduced back into the Rockies? (Where they don’t belong now). More than I want to know about.

Rest assured we at Hunters Against PETA will put up our best fight against groups like these who are trying every single day to take away our hunting rights. As long as they’re fighting us we’ll be fighting them.

Hunters Against PETA

APNewsBreak: “Montana won’t wait to kill wolves”

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press © 2011 The Associated Press

“BILLINGS, Mont. — Defying federal authority over gray wolves, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Wednesday encouraged ranchers to kill wolves that prey on their livestock — even in areas where that is not currently allowed — and said the state will start shooting packs that hurt elk herds.

Schweitzer told The Associated Press he no longer would wait for federal officials to resolve the tangle of lawsuits over wolves, which has kept the animals on the endangered species list for a decade since recovery goals were first met.

“We will take action in Montana on our own,” he said. “We’ve had it with Washington, D.C., with Congress just yipping about it, with (the Department of) Interior just vacillating about it.”

State wildlife agents and ranchers already kill wolves regularly across much of the Northern Rockies, where 1,700 of the animals roam parts of five states. Rules against killing wolves have been relaxed significantly by federal officials over the past decade but hunting remains prohibited.

Livestock owners in southern Montana and Idaho have authority to defend their property by shooting wolves that attack their cattle, sheep or other domestic animals. And federal agents regularly kill problem wolves, with more than 1,000 shot over the past decade.

But Schweitzer is moving to expand those killings beyond what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has so far allowed, including to parts of Montana where ranchers are not allowed to shoot the predators.

Fish and Wildlife spokesman Chris Tollefson said the agency was working with Montana and other states in the region to address their concerns over the wolf population.

“We’ve been in negotiations with Montana and the other states for some time, and we’re committed to continuing that and trying to find a solution that works for everybody,” he said.

In a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar provided by Schweitzer’s office, the Democratic governor said state game wardens will be directed to stop investigating wolf shootings north of Interstate 90, the part of the state with the strictest protections for the animals.

That follows a similar show of defiance from Idaho’s Republican governor, C.L. “Butch” Otter.

Otter said in the fall that Idaho Fish and Game agents would no longer participate in wolf management efforts, including shooting investigations. The move forced federal officials to step in to enforce restrictions on killing the animals.

Federal enforcement of laws against killing protected wolves also would be expected in Montana.

But critics of federal wolf policies appeared emboldened by the governor’s Wednesday statements. Robert Fanning, who heads a group that advocates protecting elk herds around Yellowstone National Park from wolves, sent out an e-mail urging Montana residents to “lock and load and saddle up while there is still snow on the ground.”

In the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula, Schweitzer directed Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to begin removing wolf packs blamed for driving down elk populations.

The state has a pending petition before the Fish and Wildlife Service to remove a dozen wolves in the Bitterroot. A decision on that petition is pending, according to federal officials.

But Schweitzer indicated Wednesday he was not going to wait, and would leave it to state wildlife agents to decide when to kill the wolves. He was less adamant in the letter to Salazar, which said the Bitterroot packs would be killed “to the extent allowed by the Endangered Species Act.”

Department of Interior spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said the agency agreed there was an “urgent need” to turn over wolf management to states that have acceptable management plans for the animals.

“But the governor’s letter is not the answer,” she added.

Federal wildlife officials have tried twice in the last four years to lift endangered protections for wolves and turn over management to the states. Both attempts were reversed in federal court.

A provision in a budget bill pending before Congress would revoke endangered species status for wolves in Montana and Idaho. Other measures introduced by lawmakers would lift federal protections across the lower 48 states.

Despite the bitter public divide on the issue, attacks on livestock by other, unprotected predators such as coyotes far exceed damage from wolves, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics. But the lack of state control over wolves because of their endangered status has frustrated both livestock owners and elk hunters, who complain that their hands are tied by federal protections.

“This is a real-life problem in Montana — and we plan to start solving the problem,” Schweitzer said.”

http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com

Email from our friends Big Game Forever

Concerned over the growing momentum behind the American Wildlife and Livestock Protection Act, H.R. 509 and S.249, the environmental community and their champions in Congress have gone on the offensive.

Senator Boxer (D) California and Senator Cardin (D) Maryland have chosen divisive political rhetoric over responsible wildlife management by suggesting the bill sets “a dangerous precedent that undermines the Endangered Species Act and threatens the continued existence of the Gray Wolf across this country.” Sportsmen are being accused of “hysterical anti-wolf hatred” for simply asking the federal government to fulfill longstanding commitments and the promises of the ESA.

Senator Boxer and Cardin, you still don’t get it. Trust the American People, trust local people, not Washington DC Bureaucrats. You can trust the people, the sportsmen, the ranchers, and the state wildlife professionals who have fixed the federal government failures over the last fifty years. Wolves, and all wildlife will be in better hands being managed by the states, than mismanaged by the people who have put our country fifteen trillion dollars in debt and kept our country at ten percent unemployment.

The stage has been set. Anti hunting groups now claim to have sent tens of thousands of emails to members of Congress to slow down this important legislation. It is time for the 65,000,000 American Sportsmen to stand up to the environmental bullies, to protect our rights and to protect America’s wildlife.

Please take 30 seconds and email all of your elected officials using our automated system at http://capwiz.com/biggameforever/home/ Simply click on “Take Action” and with some basic information the system will automatically email your representatives in Congress. Take a few minutes and get the word out to your friends.

Ryan Benson and Don Peay
Founders Big Game Forever
http://biggameforever.org

We support Big Game Forever 100% and urge all sportsmen to take action and contact your elected officials ASAP, together we can win this war. – Hunters Against PETA

http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com

Wolves Must Be Stopped and Here’s Your Chance

The Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho For Wildlife, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Idaho Outfitters and Guides and a host of other groups are working together on a public policy event on wolves in Idaho on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at Boise State University in the Jordan Ballroom at 7:00 pm. Our featured presenter will be Mr. Jim Beers. See his bio below.

We are writing to request your help and support in three possible areas:

1. Help market – promote the event to your members, friends and other like-minded groups

2. Be an event sponsor – so far we have a $200 and two $500 sponsors

our event budget is about $3500

3. Donate an item for fund raising auction – outdoor item, gift certificate, adventure trip, etc.

If you can help in any way please let me know asap. We are just 3 weeks away from this important event and need people to help market and help sponsor the event. We have promises of $1200 so far and the event cost will be about $3500. We also need items for the silent auction.

Sponsor donations of any amount may be mailed to Idaho Freedom Foundation, PO Box 2801, Boise, ID 83701. Put wolves in memo.

You can go to this site to RSVP or for more information http://www.facebook.co/event.php?eid=148285101894174

The Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho For Wildlife, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Idaho Outfitters and Guides and a host of other groups are working together on a public policy event on wolves in Idaho on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at Boise State University in the Jordan Ballroom at 7:00 pm. Our featured presenter will be Mr. Jim Beers. See his bio below.We are writing to request your help and support in three possible areas:

1. Help market – promote the event to your members, friends and other like-minded groups

2. Be an event sponsor – so far we have a $200 and two $500 sponsors our event budget is about $3500

3. Donate an item for fund raising auction – outdoor item, gift certificate, adventure trip, etc. If you can help in any way please let me know asap. We are just 3 weeks away from this important event and need people to help market and help sponsor the event. We have promises of $1200 so far and the event cost will be about $3500. We also need items for the silent auction. Sponsor donations of any amount may be mailed to Idaho Freedom Foundation, PO Box 2801, Boise, ID 83701. Put wolves in memo. You can go to this site to RSVP or for more information: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148285101894174

We encourage all sportsmen to help out and do their part to help out these groups and help save our wildlife from being wiped out by wolves. – Hunters Against PETA

http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com

“Horse roundup near Pickens, (Reno, NV) sanctuary criticized” (by animal rights groups)

RENO, Nev. — Animal rights activists are lashing out at plans to remove about 2,000 wild horses from the range near two northeastern Nevada ranches that the wife of oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens purchased to serve as a mustang sanctuary.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management planned to begin rounding up the horses Sunday near philanthropist Madeleine Pickens‘ ranches, which are in the 1.3 million-acre Antelope Complex near the Utah line, roughly 70 miles southeast of Elko.

Pickens’ Saving America’s Mustangs, the Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other groups urged the BLM to postpone the roundup, saying it makes more sense financially to leave the animals on the range in Pickens’ sanctuary instead of shipping them to the Midwest.

“Why disturb them and move them to another state?” Pickens asked. “It’s a slap in the face to every taxpayer in this country. I don’t think the BLM has come to grip with the fact that America is out of money.”

The BLM offers horses gathered from the range for adoption to the public. Those too old or considered unadoptable are sent to long-term holding facilities in the Midwest, where they can live for decades.

Spokesman Tom Gorey in Washington, D.C., said Pickens’ plan to send those horses to her sanctuary is not a practical alternative at this time, and the agency was waiting for more details from her to determine whether it would be feasible.

The BLM has a mandate under federal law to remove some horses to sustain the health of herds, rangelands and wildlife, Gorey said.

Horse herds can double in size about every four years, he added, and the BLM has determined the Antelope complex can handle 427 to 788 of the animals.

“There’s nothing new in their arguments. They oppose gathers, period,” Gorey said of the activists. “They say there’s no need and let the population explode. Their laissez-faire management philosophy would result in cataclysm on the range, both to the range itself and the animals that depend on it.”

Pickens last year purchased the 14,000-acre Spruce Ranch and adjoining 4,000-acre Warm Creek Ranch to serve as a sanctuary that would keep mustangs on the range instead of in government-funded holding facilities.

The Elko County ranches, which she has renamed the Mustang Monument preserve, come with grazing rights on about 564,000 acres of public land.

Activists are calling for a reallocation of grazing rights in the Antelope complex, saying the BLM annually authorizes the equivalent of more than 2,000 privately-owned cattle and nearly 7,000 privately-owned sheep to graze in it.

“The bias favoring welfare livestock is shocking,” said Ginger Kathrens, director of the horse advocacy group Cloud Foundation based in Colorado. “It is time to re-slice this pie and give wild horses their fair share of our public rangelands.”

BLM spokeswoman Heather Emmons said some of those with permits in the Antelope complex have been forced to scale back or cease grazing in allotments because of scarce forage caused by an overpopulation of horses.

The federal agency has a multiple-use mandate for public lands, she said, and has authorized about 2,400 cattle and 10,500 sheep annually in the complex.

“I wouldn’t say we’re catering to anyone, but we’re trying to follow the law and do what the land can sustain out there,” Emmons said. “We’re way over with horses out there. We want to get in there and manage them correctly with the right numbers.”

Activists also contend that winter roundups — involving helicopters that drive horses to corrals — expose the animals to the risk of respiratory illness. They noted more than 100 horses died in a roundup north of Reno last winter.

BLM spokeswoman JoLynn Worley said mustangs are easier to gather in the winter because they move from mountains to valleys and stand out better with snow on the ground.

Some 33,700 wild horses roam freely in 10 Western states, about half in Nevada. The BLM set a target level of 26,600 horses and burros in the wild, and removed 10,637 of the animals from the range in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

Of the $63.9 million designated for the BLM’s wild horse and burro program in the last fiscal year, holding costs totaled about $37 million.

More than 40,000 horses are in government-funded holding facilities, Gorey said.

http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com

Please Help Sportsmen Out in Michigan

In September, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Forest Service’s regulations required that it consider banning hunting with firearms on lands designated as “semi-primitive” within the Huron-Manistee National Forest.

The Court feels that the noise associated with gun hunting could harm the quality of the recreational experience of hikers, backpackers, and cross country skiers. Additionally, the Court ruled that the Forest Service had to consider closing these areas if other public hunting land was available for gun hunting nearby.

As a result of the court ruling, the Forest Service began a formal review to determine if it should move forward with a gun hunting ban on these areas. Currently, the Service is considering two options:

1. a “No-Action” alternative which would allow hunting to continue without change; and
2. a “Modified Closure” alternative that would implement either a complete or partial ban on hunting with guns in the semi-primitive areas.

Take Action! Sportsmen should submit comments to the Forest Service supporting the “No-Action” alternative that would continue to allow hunting with firearms on areas designated as semi-primitive. Sportsmen can mail comments to:

Lee Evison, Forest Planner, Huron-Manistee National Forests
1755 S. Mitchell Street
Cadillac, MI 49601

Sportsmen can also fax comments to Lee Evison at (231) 775-5551 or email comments to comments-eastern – huronmanistee@fs.fed.us.

Please include your name and address with your comments. Emailed comments must include “Forest Plan SEIS” as the subject line of the email.

All comments must be received by February 11, 2011.

We urge everyone who reads this to please take a few minutes and submit your comments and opinions opposing this idea by voting that they take option #1 “NO ACTION”. – Hunters Against PETA

http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com