Montana Launches Hunting Ethics Campaign Following Conflicts Last Season

[Vollmer]

Photo courtesy of Buffalo Outdoor Center/Flickr




After two highly publicized conflicts involving elk, hunters, and landowners last fall in Montana, the state’s Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Citizen Advisory Committee (FWP) has organized a campaign—replete with a website, a Facebook page, and a forthcoming 30-second public-service announcements—to promote hunting ethics.
The Flathead Beacon reports that the committee hopes the campaign, called Hunt Right, will encouraging hunters to act responsibly and ethically in the field to reduce future conflicts. With $5,000 in seed money from FWP and another $5,000 from grants and donations, the movement launched a website and plans to ramp up its message via radio, print, billboards, and online ads before the September archery season gets underway.
Last season, two incidents left a sour taste in the mouths of hunters, outfitters, and landowners. In October, hunters shot into a herd of 500 elk moving among public and private land—including some hunters who shot from vehicles or phoned other hunters when the elk were “cornered.” A month later, on Thanksgiving morning, a group of hunters used vehicles to herd and shoot elk.
Mike England, a member of the citizen’s advisory committee, said every hunting situation is complex, and that’s why the Hunt Right campaign isn’t aimed at any specific group of hunters. “We decided that everybody needs to know what the right thing is,” he said.

 

[Deerwatcher]

Sounds like something ND should do! That's about how 80% of hunters around here hunt/kill.

 

[2400]

WOW, that absolutely sucks. We had some guys doing that here (AZ) and they got fined and a couple lost their rights for life. We have an agreement with 30 some state so these guys won't be able to hunt in those states either. WTFO?

I'm an AZ Hunter Ed instructor and I spend over an hour out of the 32 on ethics and "doing the right thing". It's amazing the stories I hear about family members or friends hunting from vehicles the road or "close" to the season. Sometime there are just no words for that kind of shit.

 

[Riggen&Jiggen]

Not condoning or agreeing with the actions of the hunters but to me it is funny how big of fuss is raised when so called hunters/idiots do such things but when outfitters and landowners illegally post or scare wildlife back on their land to limit the success of DIY hunters little if nothing is said or done about it.

I say let the good ole boys get their fair share of the elk before the wolves do. (sarcasm, kinda)

 

[PrairieGhost]

Not condoning or agreeing with the actions of the hunters but to me it is funny how big of fuss is raised when so called hunters/idiots do such things but when outfitters and landowners illegally post or scare wildlife back on their land to limit the success of DIY hunters little if nothing is said or done about it.

I say let the good ole boys get their fair share of the elk before the wolves do. (sarcasm, kinda)

Run into that twice myself. In Colorado we set up camp three days before season to scout. A half dozen guys set up camp 100 yards from us and built a tent out of clear plastic. They were pouring water on the stove and sitting in there naked drinking whiskey and playing cards. The next day they were on horseback shooting at rocks and stumps up on North Rider Mountain where we were going to hunt. At that time moving camp was an all day event. We thought maybe the elk will settle down before season starts. They guys were gone next morning. Odd thing is there were old tires hanging on the fence every 500 to 800 yards. They all had two or three bottles of hard liquor in the tire. Can't figure that one out.
In Montana I had a helicopter working over and over the couple of sections I was bow hunting. The cattle were out so I don't know what he was doing. A local that afternoon said the guy had lost his license and it must be his kid flying it now. Two white suburbans kept coming out of the private land and watching people.