| BFC Buffalo Field Campaign
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| Voices
from the Community |
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Two
bison killed on Horse Butte
by Carol Hoffmann, West Yellowstone News, 01/26/07
A bull bison was killed on private property on Horse Butte Tuesday
morning by a hunter holding a Montana bison tag.
The incident was caught on videotape by members of the Buffalo
Field Campaign (BFC) who regularly patrol the Horse Butte area.
According to Stephany Seay, BFC spokeswoman, three shots were
fired at one of three bull bison while they were on land that
belongs to the Munz brothers, an Idaho ranching family.
The three animals are thought to be the only bison that have
left the Park this winter via the western boundary.
The bull in question next jumped a fence onto Hebgen Lake Estates
property, where it is illegal to hunt or trespass, and where
it was shot at again. Homeowners have posted numerous "no
hunting" and "buffalo safe zone" signs in the
neighborhood.
"The hunter shot the bull less than 150 yards from two
nearby residences," Seay said, "The footage clearly
documented that the hunter had taken illegal actions."
Mel Frost, spokeswoman for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife
and Parks, indicated that the individual was initially cited
by FWP for hunting without landowner permission, the bison was
confiscated and the matter is still under investigation.
Ed Millspaugh, President of the Hebgen Lake Estates Homeowners
Association, told a News reporter that he was home at the time
of the incident.
"I watched him fire and saw the buffalo jump the fence,"
Millspaugh explained. "The hunter fired again and the animal
fell. The hunter walked off and the buffalo rose to its feet
two more times before it died two hours later.
"This happened in the morning, shots were fired toward
houses and kids might have been going to the bus for school.
It's a dangerous situation that must be addressed," Millspaugh
said, "I trust the FWP to prosecute this hunter within
the rights of the law."
Regarding the manner in which the buffalo allegedly suffered
and died, Mel Frost of FWP informed the News that since this
is an ongoing investigation she couldn't comment at this time.
One day later, on Wednesday morning, a second bull buffalo was
killed, legally, on the power-line trail on Horse Butte, by
a Montana bison tag holder. Reportedly it was one of the original
three fired upon the day before.
And then there was one. |
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