well montana dosent,and the cat nubers are so high the muledeer are gettin wiped out,why shouldnt the government use our tax money towards an effort to control predator numbers and bring the deer back?i cant think of anything else i would like to see my tax money spent on right now,way better than buying avgas so they can fly around our ranch tracking these damn wolves to see whos catlle they will kill next.

Because the same or better outcome could be had without spending your tax dollars. In fact it could generate income that could be used to fund other wildlife programs, such as one to rebuild the deer populations.

Lee

and just how is that going to work here?

Hi Nonya,

I'm not trying to be rude here, but I really don't understand your last question.

How would it work in Montana? Why not like in other states that have working solutions?

Do you not have elected officials in your state?

Do you not have sporting organizations that can conduct research and disseminate information?

Do you not have the ability to create grass-roots groups that will influence legislation and administrative procedure?

Do you not have the ability to attend public comment hearings regarding wildlife and offer testimony?

Or is Montana a socialist dictatorship where whatever law or administrative procedure is presently on the books is the only law or procedure that will ever be?

Lee

our fish and game is run by a bunch of califonian educated biologists that have all the answers,and most of them are to protect predators for "viewing opportunitys",I also have an uncle on the F&G commision who gets shot down EVERY time he proposes higher quotas for cats.DO NOT try to lecture me on the way it SHOULD work,the fact is that here the locals have no chance of suggesting common sense approachs to anything because we dont have a degree in biology and therfore we have no idea what we are trying to do,its a bs political system here where you have to have a degree to be heard seriously.My family has watched the goats and mule deer disappear from our ranchs over the last 12 years and we have tried everything we can,no good!Im sure there are states where it works like you exsplained it but Montana is NOT one of them.

Geesh Nonya,

Take a Quaalude! There was nothing at all in my post that could be viewed as a lecture, why are you so defensive? My comments were suggestions and observations of how things are in other areas of the country. In fact they were direct answers to your questions. I’m sorry my answers don’t fit your view on the subject, but if you can’t handle a dissenting point of view don’t ask the question in the first place.

I flatly do not believe grass-root groups do not have power in Montana, unless they admit defeat before even trying, which is what you seem to be doing. Or would you rather just gripe than actually do something about it? I also flaty reject the idea that your legislative processes are non-existant and incapable of adaption and change. You do not live in a Socialist state; in fact you recently had elections! Wow, what a concept.

I know two property owning, active hunter, wildlife biologists who live in Montana. One lives near Libby the other in Scoby. I’ve chatted with them over the last few days and they paint a picutre of major apathy among the masses in Montana. They agree that bad decisions have been handed down, but they complain that they get little to no support from sporting groups or land-owners whenever efforts to change comes to fore. There is a famous statement that comes from the arena of political science: One receives the governance one deserves. Perhaps there is truth to this in your situation? This is offered as food for thought.

I’ll close by suggesting a review of my former post. Therein is a list of methods that are proven to work in the rest of the country (by no means an exhaustive one) that will work in yours. There seems to be a vaccum of leadership here, many times a grand cause fails because no one will step up to lead. Why not you? Need a degree? Earn one; with distributed education it is rather easy. Need more help? Enlist it. Need funds? Raise them. Need expertise? Connect with other groups that have been successful in other states. They are happy to share their knowledge. Don’t have the time? Sorry everybody has the same amount in a day as you. Or you could just complain … your choice.

they say they dont get any help from the land owners because they think the public should have access to the big ranches and get pissed when ranchers dont allow hunters in an area.My uncle just spent 4 years on the F&G commision and knows exactly how they work,its all political favors and common sense managment has nothing to do with it.Im a 6th generation Montanan and my family participates in all the public meetings of the F&G commision and has for years....you are livin in a dreamworld if you think it works that way here...grow up!!

Wait a minute, NONYA. In the Moose thread you told me your uncle "just finished up an 8 year stay as a F&G commissioner." In your comments here you say he "just spent 4 years on the F&G commission."

So which was it -- eight or four? For someone who so strongly prides himself on having all the facts, it looks like you've having trouble with some of them.

he was on for four years from1992-1996 and then from 2000-2004 im sorry i didnt give you exact details i didnt know you were waiting for me to slip up so you could debunk me like some 2bit lawyer on tv....lol I hope that this will help your investigation and if you have further questions you can contact my lawyer at getalife.com....loloolol by the way if the people of montana had elected another republican governer he would still be on it.

Boy, you really got me with that one, Nonya. I don't know how I'll get through the rest of my day after a slam like that. Well, actually, yes I do. I LOL, and thank the Good Lord that I'm a lot happier than some people I know.

Just trying to figure out where you're coming from, Nonya. I've been voting in Montana for over 20 years, and FWIW, I voted for Brown in '04. So I suppose if it were up to me, your uncle would still be on the job. Somehow that thought makes me a little uneasy at the moment.