Howling For Wolves’ Post

Wildlife Killing Contest participants aren't shy about admitting their primary motivation is financial gain, discrediting their claimed goal of wildlife "management". What's worse? Contestants of killing contests also flagrantly admit they are willing to skirt the law in order to continue killing for cash.   In January, 50 hunters congregated in New York's Mohawk Valley for one of the last wildlife killing contests to take place following lawmakers' passage of a ban on these events later this year. Rewards were offered for the largest male and female coyote carcasses, with a $400 payout.   Brian Gray, president of the Mohawk Valley Coon and Cat Club, expressed that events like the one organized by his hunting club sustain its membership. Despite the impending ban, Gray admitted plans to continue hosting contests, relying on word-of-mouth promotion to avoid state enforcement. If challenged, he intends to rebrand the event as a "photography contest," awarding prizes for the best photos of deceased coyotes rather than for the carcasses themselves. "Some of our members have invested in high-end scopes for their rifles, which they won't get to use elsewhere," Gray explained.   Gray also attributed the killings of domestic animals in Mohawk Valley to coyotes. However, he noted that despite numerous hunting contests resulting in the deaths of many coyotes, there has been no decrease in conflict.   Renee Seacor, Project Coyote's Carnivore Conservation Director, emphasized in a recent publication by Stateline that "Public attitudes towards wildlife management are evolving." These contests are increasingly opposed by the broad public who view wildlife as part of their social community.   In states with bans, it's crucial for people to remain vigilant and report any violations of the law. There is much work to be done to protect coyotes and other wild lives from this type of persecution. Project Coyote is committed to continuing our efforts to promote coexistence over killing. 📷 David Taberner, #CaptureCoexistence Contributor | @decent_nature_photography

Florida voters will be voting on Amendment 2 in November 2024, which misleadingly will create a "right to hunt" within the Constitution. While appearing harmless, this amendment will hinder wildlife protection progress by prioritizing hunting, trapping, and fishing as the primary wildlife management methods by vague “traditional methods.” Our coalition mission is to raise awareness about the dangers of Amendment 2, encouraging FL voters to vote no to 2. A Solution Without a Problem: Hunting is already protected, with no threats to rights. If it changes nothing, why introduce the amendment? Because Amendment 2 could boost hunters' influence. This is unnecessary because FL legislators prioritize hunters already, as shown by Florida's "Taking of Bears" HB87, which favored hunters over wildlife management. Costing Taxpayers Millions: Amendment 2 could create expensive legal battles over hunting restrictions, Misleading Vague Language: When drafting "Right to Hunt" language, the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation urged state legislators to use the phrase "traditional methods" when referring to trapping, baiting, and hounding to hide its true intent from a public that no longer supports such practices. Policy Reform Blockage: Amendment 2 wants hunting and fishing to be how we “manage” wildlife and favors hunting as the top form of population control. Hunting & Fishing elevated to be equal to free speech: If passed, the right to hunt and fish will be elevated to a status akin to free speech in the Florida Constitution despite being unnecessary. Wildlife Threat: The planet has lost 69% of its wildlife over the past 50 years. We need to think about how to keep the animals around, not kill them.

There is NO SUCH THING as a problem bear, only problem people. I've spent my life living and working with large predators. It's been my job to live with them in the wild for months on end and film them for some of the world's largest wildlife documentaries. I know the privileges and responsibilities of cohabitating with wildlife, and I intimately know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of when an encounter goes wrong. So I can tell you from decades of experience that it is NEVER the bear's fault. I've had a grizzly charge in the dead of night and a polar bear predatory charge on sea ice. In all cases, the bear was right. The grizzly was spooked by my actions, and the polar bear saw me as potential food. They were doing what bears do and I was the intruder. Even though I was armed, I always found a way to leave the situation in a way that protected both myself and the bear. Living in Canmore, deep in grizzly territory, I carry bear spray every day while jogging or biking. Coexisting with predators is our responsibility here. Poor human behaviour—like not removing fruit trees, feeding bears, and development encroaching on wildlife corridors—leads to unnecessary and tragic bear deaths. The Government of Alberta, instead of mandating bear-safe training for park visitors or improving community bear-guard infrastructure, has chosen to side with a ruthless fringe group of hunters. They’ve greenlit the killing of a species already in decline and are forcing the development of Three Sisters Mountain Village, encroaching on the last remaining critical wildlife corridors in the Bow Valley. Our town voted against this, but the provincial government overruled us. The Government of Alberta shows blatant disregard for conservation and the will of the majority of people in bear country. Their new law doesn't make us safer; it sanctions the slaughter of a threatened species already suffering from poor development practices. This is a disgraceful betrayal of both our wildlife and our communities. Shame on them. #Alberta #Conservation #grizzlybear CBC

A survey conducted by Responsive Management, in partnership with the SOUTHEASTERN ASSOCIATION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES (SEAFWA), found that 86 percent of gun owners and recreational target marksmen and women who don’t hunt support the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program. That’s an incredible level of support for non-hunters to support a tax that’s been investing over $25 billion in wildlife conservation since 1937, when adjusted for inflation. The notion of a “conservationist” needs an update. It started with hunters dedicated to ensuring that abundant wildlife and public land access was available to future generations of hunters. Today, that’s not confined to men and women with blaze orange caps and camouflage waders. Today’s conservationists proudly include those at indoor ranges, sporting clays courses and next-door neighbors who own a firearm for self-defense. It’s a moniker we’re proud to share. https://lnkd.in/dt7wSBbe #conservation #research #wildlifeconservation

A survey conducted by Responsive Management, in partnership with the SOUTHEASTERN ASSOCIATION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES (SEAFWA), found that 86 percent of gun owners and recreational target marksmen and women who don’t hunt support the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program. That’s an incredible level of support for non-hunters to support a tax that’s been investing over $25 billion in wildlife conservation since 1937, when adjusted for inflation. The notion of a “conservationist” needs an update. It started with hunters dedicated to ensuring that abundant wildlife and public land access was available to future generations of hunters. Today, that’s not confined to men and women with blaze orange caps and camouflage waders. Today’s conservationists proudly include those at indoor ranges, sporting clays courses and next-door neighbors who own a firearm for self-defense. It’s a moniker we’re proud to share. https://lnkd.in/dt7wSBbe #conservation #research #wildlifeconservation

A survey conducted by Responsive Management, in partnership with the SOUTHEASTERN ASSOCIATION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES (SEAFWA), found that 86 percent of gun owners and recreational target marksmen and women who don’t hunt support the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program. That’s an incredible level of support for non-hunters to support a tax that’s been investing over $25 billion in wildlife conservation since 1937, when adjusted for inflation. The notion of a “conservationist” needs an update. It started with hunters dedicated to ensuring that abundant wildlife and public land access was available to future generations of hunters. Today, that’s not confined to men and women with blaze orange caps and camouflage waders. Today’s conservationists proudly include those at indoor ranges, sporting clays courses and next-door neighbors who own a firearm for self-defense. It’s a moniker we’re proud to share. https://lnkd.in/dt7wSBbe #conservation #research #wildlifeconservation

A week later, hunters and anglers are still celebrating the BLM’s decision to deny the permit for the Ambler Road in Alaska’s Brooks Range! The agency’s decision maintains America’s most wild and remote hunting and fishing grounds. The proposed Ambler Road prompted strong resistance from the hunting and fishing community. In 2023, more than 40 Alaska-based businesses, leading outdoor brands, and conservation organizations launched Hunters & Anglers for the Brooks Range. The collective—which includes guides, outfitters, and transporters who operate in the Brooks Range—urged the Bureau of Land Management to deny the permit for the private industrial corridor. To date, the coalition has delivered over 14,000 individual letters to the agency opposing the Ambler Road. Yet development interests have wasted no time attacking the BLM’s decision. Ambler Road proponents have reportedly included an amendment in the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act that would rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s decision and force the Department of Interior to permit the Ambler Road. This effort will be met with strong resistance as conservation-minded hunters and anglers defend the BLM’s decision. Learn how you can speak up for the Brooks Range at huntfishbrooksrange.com. https://bit.ly/3W0mbJM

With many states in the continental US seeing a rise in bear population and bears pushing into human-dominated areas, SCIs Maria Davidson takes us through responsible wildlife management approaches and why they matter. “Bear hunting is not merely a sport but a crucial component of wildlife management and responsible conservation.” #wildlifemanagement #wildlifeconservation #freedomtohunt #protectinghuntersrights https://lnkd.in/gemTCp8n

A survey conducted by Responsive Management, in partnership with the SOUTHEASTERN ASSOCIATION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES (SEAFWA), found that 86 percent of gun owners and recreational target marksmen and women who don’t hunt support the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program. That’s an incredible level of support for non-hunters to support a tax that’s been investing over $25 billion in wildlife conservation since 1937, when adjusted for inflation. The notion of a “conservationist” needs an update. It started with hunters dedicated to ensuring that abundant wildlife and public land access was available to future generations of hunters. Today, that’s not confined to men and women with blaze orange caps and camouflage waders. Today’s conservationists proudly include those at indoor ranges, sporting clays courses and next-door neighbors who own a firearm for self-defense. It’s a moniker we’re proud to share. https://lnkd.in/dt7wSBbe #conservation #research #wildlifeconservation

-“Today’s decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to finalize a 20-year administrative mineral withdrawal for approximately 220,000 acres of the Thompson Divide along Colorado’s Western Slope was met with praise by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.” -“BHA has advocated both for the Colorado Outdoor Recreation & Economy (CORE) Act, which would implement a permanent withdrawal of the region, and has supported the initiation of the 20-year administrative withdrawal in October 2022.” -“‘For more than a decade, hunters and anglers in Colorado have sought to conserve the remarkable fish and wildlife habitat within the Thompson Divide, a region that encompasses 34,000 acres of critical migratory corridors for elk and the headwaters for 1,550 miles of streams home to native trout. We share our appreciation with the Department of Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture for their action to protect a total of more than 200,000 acres of public lands for the next twenty years,’ said David Lien, Co-Chair of the Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. ‘Only Congress can permanently protect this valuable landscape, and we continue to urge the passage of Sen. Bennet and Rep. Neguse’s CORE Act to do just that.’” -Thomas Plank. “Thompson Divide Mineral Withdrawal Benefits Public Lands, Waters, Wildlife.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/3/24. https://lnkd.in/eiF2tGFG