| BFC Buffalo Field Campaign
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| Voices
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Helena
man can keep illegally killed bison
Island Park News - 01/30/06
A Helena hunter who shot a bison on private land north of West
Yellowstone last week was fined for hunting without landowner
permission but allowed to keep the animal he killed.
Eric Thunstrom had a Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and
Parks (MFWP) tag to shoot a bison, but he made his kill on private
property, where hunting is prohibited. The Buffalo Field Campaign
(BFC), a bison advocacy group based near Hebgen Lake north of
West Yellowstone, documented the January 23 kill with a video
camera.
BFC‚s video recording of the shoot should embarrass any
hunter since it took the man four shots to bring the bison down.
A good hunter, according to hunting ethics lists compiled by
many hunting groups and wildlife agencies, should kill an animal
with one clean shot ˜ or not take the shot at all. MFWP
also promotes clean kills in its One Shot Hunter Program.
The video is on line at http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/media/video/bisonvideos06/07.html
Sam Sheppard, MFWP warden captain, said his department recommended
that Gallatin County Justice Court Judge Gordon Smith not allow
Thunstrom to keep the meat, which MFWP had seized. „All
we can do is make recommendations. It‚s up to the judge
to impose the sentence,‰ Sheppard said.
According to the BFC‚s news release on the incident, Thunstrom
shot the bull less than 150 yards from two residences. He attempted
to access one of three bull bison from the Munz property, adjacent
to Yellowstone Village and Estates. Thunstrom said he had
received permission the night before to shoot a buffalo on the
Munz property. Three shots were fired while the bulls and the
hunter were on the Munz property. The fourth shot was fired
after the bull had entered Cook's Meadow, where it is illegal
to hunt or trespass.
According to the BFC‚s release, „Residents of the
West Yellowstone housing area have spoken with numerous hunters,
informing them that hunting is strictly prohibited in their
community. Residents have posted numerous Œno hunting‚
and Œbuffalo safe zone‚ signs throughout the neighborhood.
"We've made it well-known that it's illegal to shoot bison
in this neighborhood," said Ed Millspaugh, President of
the Yellowstone Estates Homeowners Association. "I
want this hunter prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
Fewer than three bison are outside Yellowstone's western boundary,
wintering within a West Yellowstone housing area where they
are welcome by residents. During the most recently completed
phase of the West Yellowstone bison hunt, which ended January
16, the lack of bison in Montana resulted in 24 out of 25 hunters
being unable to fill their tags.
"Hunters are being had by the state," said BFC's Stephany
Seay. "Montana has issued permits to kill wild animals
that aren't even here. The hunting community should direct
its frustration toward Governor Schweitzer and FWP, and demand
year-round habitat for wild bison in Montana."
Wild bison are native to Montana yet ecologically extinct everywhere
outside of Yellowstone National Park. Montana provides
no year-round habitat for bison. Bison management currently
falls under authority of the Montana Department of Livestock,
who, with state and federal assistance, manages them as a nuisance
animal. Once hunting season ends, wild bison will be subjected
to harassment, capture, slaughter or quarantine.
There is never a time when wild bison are allowed in the state
without being molested.
Buffalo Field Campaign opposes Montana's bison hunt. BFC
maintains that habitat should come prior to a hunt and calls
on the state of Montana to provide year-round habitat for wild
bison and allow bison to restore a viable population on public
lands in Montana.
American Bison once spanned the continent, numbering between
30 and 50 million. The Yellowstone bison are America's only
continuously wild, genetically unique herd, numbering fewer
than 4,000 animals, less than .01 percent of the bison's former
population.
1,871 bison have been killed since 2000 under the Interagency
Bison Management Plan. Last winter Federal and State agencies
killed or authorized the killing of more than 1,010 bison. So
far this winter two bison were captured and sent to slaughter
by Montana Department of Livestock agents and hunters have killed
27.
Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) is the only group working in the
field, every day, to stop the slaughter of the wild Yellowstone
buffalo. Volunteers defend the buffalo and their native
habitat and advocate for their lasting protection.
For more information, go to <http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/>www.buffalofieldcampaign.org
Montana's Hunter Code
As a participant in the One Shot Hunter program, I pledge to
adhere to a hunter code. As a One Shot Hunter, I pledge to:
Show respect for wildlife by developing the necessary skills
to make a kill as certain and quick as possible, sight-in my
firearm and practice shooting, retrieve and properly handle
all game, track wounded game, and utilize as much of the animal
as possible.
Hunt in a way that reflects favorably on me as a hunter and
will bring no dishonor to the hunter, the hunted, or the environment
.
Use vehicles only on established roads and trails, practice
low-impact camping and travel, and pack out my trash.
Know and obey all hunting laws and regulations, and report
any illegal activities immediately. 1-800-TIP-MONT (847-6668).
Follow the rules of safe firearm handling at all times:
Always point the muzzle of your gun in a safe direction.
Always treat every gun as if it were loaded.
Always be sure of your target and beyond.
Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
Respect other hunters and the interests of non-hunters and
landowners.
Always get permission first to hunt on private land, and alert
landowners or land managers about any problems I encounter on
their property.
Take pride in being a safe, responsible, and ethical hunter
and insist that my hunting partners do the same.
Learn about the habits and habitats of wildlife.
This code was developed based on original information developed
by the Izaak Walton League of America, the Boone & Crockett
Club, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. |
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