The Wilderness Sportsman » Wildlife

Hunters, please stop using lead bullets.

Mike — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:55:15 +0000

Warning: This video shows a paralyzed bald eagle. The eagle ingested lead bullet fragments from a deer carcass. This is a common problem during hunting season. Many of these raptors die. The effects of lead poisoning are the worst possible symptoms you could imagine. It is the stuff of horror novels, but unfortunately it’s real.

This can all be stopped by using steel or copper bullets. Here is one source:

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A historic day for California – The wolf returns

Mike — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:34:20 +0000

This is the kind of news that makes your day. Let’s hope the wolf is heading for the 800,000 acre Marble Mountain/Trinity-Alps wilderness complex.

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Hope, the world famous black bear, has gone missing

Mike — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:16:27 +0000

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Sad news, if true.

My response to Wyoming’s “shoot on sight” policy for wolves

Mike — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 23:46:15 +0000

I’m a big fan of NW Wyoming. It’s beautiful country, and contains Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and various awesome national forests.

But no longer will I spend a dime in any Wyoming business. I’ll do all of my shopping in Montana before heading into Wyoming. I’ll be sure to get my gas from Cooke City, West Yellowstone, and Gardiner. I won’t bother purchasing a Wyoming fishing license anymore, either. I’ll continue to fish Yellowstone and purchase the park license. I always preferred the fishing in Yellowstone to Teton anyway, and preferred the photogrpahy in Teton, so it works out.

Sure, these aren’t going to make anyone change their minds about an insane shoot on sight wolf poicy, but if enough people do it, it will. I’m not going to contribute money towards an extreme populace that likes to kill things just to kill.

Wyoming, you’ve got serious issues. And no, beer and guns aren’t going to fix it. A therapist might, though.

Mountain lion traveled 1500 miles from South Dakota to Connecticut, and was hit by car

Mike — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:39:23 +0000

Amazing story. I’m sure there are others who’ve made it.

WARNING: the link shows the dead cougar on a lab table

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Group works to clean Yellowstone River birds of oil

Mike — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:24:53 +0000

It’s folks like these that make it all worthwhile.

Is the Obama administration anti-environment?

Mike — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:35:03 +0000

All signs point that way. The latest outrage is an email from Joe Biden in which he trashes a simple government website dedicated to the endangered desert tortoise. How brave. Biden and Obama cower and flinch when dealing with big business and the banks, but when they see a helpless desert tortoise they give it a good, swift kick.

Not only are these bad politicians, they’re just bad people.

Check out the story over at Ralph Maughan’s blog:

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Obama has trashed the Endangered Species Act

Mike — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:05:54 +0000

With the upcoming signing of the budget bill, Obama will have approved the biggest attack on the ESA in the history of the program.

What he’s done (with the help of Sen. Jon Tester) is allow for any rogue representative to hold any species they don’t care for hostage during regular bills that pass through congress. This is an unprecedented action that undermines the very nature of the law.

Sure, folks will disagree about how best to manage wolves. But the ultimate decision should come from those who are experts, and that is scientists, not politicans looking to stir up their base or score political points.

There’s already talk that the grizzly bear will be next. And let’s be honest folks – there are 1700 wolves in the Northern Rockies across 330,000 square miles. If you are “frightened” from that kind of wolf density, I don’t think wolves are the problem ,but perhaps a bit of paranoia is.

Who would have thought that the Obama administration and democrats would ultimately neuter the ESA? This move makes Bush II look like Johny Appleseed or Thoreau.

I honestly can’t see Tester winning in 2012, and when he loses, I wonder if Obama and the Dem senators who sacrificed the ESA would feel guilty. Probably not.

And top top it off, many people are now saying he’s failing to protect endangered species:

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If you come to this blog, there’s a pretty good chance conservation and wildlife is very high on your list of voting priorities. So far, Obama really hasn’t given us anything to get excited about, and therefore we have no reason to vote for him in 2012.

Tester rider set to gut ESA and hurt wolves, act now

Mike — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:12:16 +0000

For those not in the know, Seantor Tester and Rep. Mike Simpson have included a rider in the budget bill that would permanently end all endangered species protectioins for wolves in the Northern Rockies. Most disturbing of all is that this new tactic could open the door for congressional repeal of ALL ESA protections for all species. Not good, and infuriating that a “Democract” would be the one to do it. You can read more about this issue at Howling for Justice:

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Capital Switchboard Numbers – give the name of the Senator & you will be transferred to their office. You will then either speak to a staff member, or on the weekend – to voice mail.

When possible ask to speak to each Senator’s environmental aide. This will give you a better chance to get your message across because you will be talking to someone who is familiar with the issue.

CAPITAL SWITCHBOARD

1,866.220.0044
1.877.851.6437
1.800.833.6354
Be polite but express your outrage over the game of chess Congress is playing with wolves’ lives. The delisting language must be stripped out of the final bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Washington DC
522 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3542
Fax: 202-224-7327
Toll Free for Nevadans:
1-866-SEN-REID (736-7343)
INDIVIDUAL LIST OF SENATORS:
Boxer, Barbara – (D – CA)
(202) 224-3553

http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm

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Senator Thomas R. Carper (D-Delaware)
1-202-224-2441

http://carper.senate.gov/contact/

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Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ)
(202) 224-3224

http://lautenberg.senate.gov/contact/index1.cfm

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Cardin, Benjamin L. – (D – MD)
(202) 224-4524

http://cardin.senate.gov/contact/

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Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont)
Phone (202) 224-5141

http://sanders.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

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Gillibrand, Kirsten E. – (D – NY)
(202) 224-4451
Fax (212) 688-7444

http://gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/

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Senator Tom Udall (D-New Mexico)
(202) 224-6621

http://tomudall.senate.gov/?p=contact

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Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)
Phone: (202)224-3753

http://merkley.senate.gov/contact/

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Whitehouse, Sheldon – (D-RI)
(202) 224-2921
Fax 202-228-6362

http://whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/

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PRESIDENT OBAMA – The Whitehouse
Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461
www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Obama admin says “no thanks” to the mist forestfly of Glacier National Park

Mike — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 02:57:11 +0000

Another endangered species gets ignored by the Obama admin. Scary stuff, folks. The mist foresfly, or meltwater Lednian stonefly only lives in glacier-fed steams in Glacier National Park. But like the wolverine, the Obama admin isn’t interested in protecting it.

BTW, the picture you see at the top of this website is Glacier National Park. There are probably a few mist forestflies up in those mountains. Not for long though.

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