Griz gone wild

As northwest Montana griz frantically fatten up for winter, they're getting into a fair share of trouble.

While traveling through Columbia Falls last weekend en route to a float on the Middle Fork Flathead River, we passed a bear cage being transported the other way, out of the mountains. Might have just released that bear in the South Fork.

Griz claim elk

Grizzlies have moved in on elk left on the ground overnight by hunters, resulting in closures in some areas of southwest Montana. One hunter was mauled by a bear last week, but in that case the hunter accidentally startled a sow with cubs.

Bluetongue hits deer, pronghorn

Bluetongue disease is killing pronghorn in southeastern Montana, and may be the cause of whitetail deaths as well.

Good news for private-land access

A recent survey by the Montana Wildlife Federation demonstrates the willingness of private landowners to allow access for hunting and fishing. It's up to us to exercise this privilege with respect for the landowners. That means keep your vehicles on roads, pack out your trash, hunt ethically, and simply, treat the place as if it were your own. No, treat it better than if it were your own.

Ecology of fire

The Bitterroot National Forest has established a new auto tour of the infamous Lick Creek site. A series of historical photos taken at Lick Creek indicates that forests in the area may have been more open during the pre-European settlement era than they are today. Logging and fire suppression are considered the prime culprits, and restorative thinning projects followed by a regime of controlled burns is the cure.

The Lick Creek example has been used across the west by those advocating restoration forestry. Unfortunately, the photos don't tell the whole story. The original photos, taken in 1909, apparently show the forest after a logging project. So maybe the presettlement forest wasn't as open as we believe.

By the way, we are supporters of restoration forestry here at www.mthookandbullet.com. But we also think restoration advocates sometimes stretch the truth about how open presettlement forests really were. For instance, in Arizona restoration advocates sometimes make their point with dubious claims such as pioneers being able to ride their wagons from New Mexico to Flagstaff as the pine forests of the Arizona highlands were so open. They also sometimes exaggerate the ecological harm of stand replacement fires. Yeah, some areas get burnt to a crisp. But its rarely an across-the-forest catastrophe. Even the Rodeo-Chediski Fire in Arizona in 2002, which burned 462,614 acres and was the largest in that state's history, left a mosaic of conditions on the ground following the blaze. And mosaics, not continuous stands of old yellow-barked ponderosas, leads to biodiversity.

By the way, we think restoration opponents are just as likely to exaggerate the ill-effects of thinning projects. We'll take that point up some other time.

Fishery threatened by development

State officials admit they don't have the resources to measure the cumulative impact of growth on the fishery at Georgetown Lake. As development crowds the shoreline of this popular southwest Montana fishing hole, more septic systems leak into the lake. The nutrients from the wastewater fuel algae blooms, which choke off oxygen and kill fish.

Fish aren't the only wildlife threatened by lakeside development. The Montana Standard also takes a look at the history of the area, both before and after Georgetown Lake was created.

Front Range opens up

Some fire-related closures on the Rocky Mountain Front have been lifted as the fire season winds down.

Hunting Huns

Outdoor writer Ben O. Williams shares some thoughts on hunting Huns in Montana.

Griz killed in Bitterroot

A bear hunter mistakenly killed a griz on the Idaho side of the Bitterroot range during Labor Day weekend.

Biologists are reporting more confirmations of griz using this country where they have been considered extirpated for decades.

Bull trout blues

Lake trout are in the process of destroying another Montana bull trout fishery, this time in Swan Lake.

Baucus vows mine fight

Montana Sen. Max Baucus has promised British Petroleum Co. a “a massive and unpleasant fight from Montana” if it pursues plans for coalbed methane development in the Canadian Flathead north of Glacier National Park.

Bears on the move

Griz on the Rocky Mountain Front are fattening up before winter, and are on the move. Bird and archery hunters in the region should be extra cautious. The bears have entered into the pre-hibernation phase called hyperphagia, where they eat as much as three times their normal intake.

Bird hunting here

The upland bird and archery big game seasons are upon us. My interest lies more toward the bird hunting side of things, and I took me setter Jack out to Ninepipes Wildlife Refuge last week on an early season tuneup. We were primarily scouting for the pheasant opener, with faint hopes of scaring up covey or two of Huns while we were out. The Huns were a no show, but Jack put plenty of pheasants in the air.

Here's the link to Montana FWP's bird hunting planner.

Fires slow, for now

Cooler weather and rain calmed fires in western Montana this week, allowing skies to clear. That made breathing easier after a few weeks of smoke-filled air.

But things may heat up again by the end of the week.

Poker Joe access fight going to court

Landowners near the Poker Joe access site on the Bitterroot River south of Florence are again threatening to block the road. Fish, Wildlife and Parks promises to take the landowners to court to defend public use of this right-of-way.

Landowners complain that they've been subjected to a recent round of vandalism. That stinks and we hope those responsible are caught and pay for their crime. But the answer to the problem isn't taking something — in this case the right to use a public right-of-way — that doesn't belong to the landowners. When the government does something like that it's called a "takings" by the property-rights crowd. It's no different when private interests take something that belongs to all citizens.

In this case, FWP is simply protecting the public property rights of all Montanans.

More mine opposition

It seems Lake County Democrats are no big fans of BP's plans to explore for coal in the Canadian Flathead. It's time for south-of-the-border GOP leaders to follow the lead of Lake County Dems. The Flathead River system is too precious to leave its future in the hands of big oil.

Good news, bad news

Cooler weather has eased the strain on some Montana rivers, while Fish, Wildlife and Parks is increasing restrictions on others.

Sign of success

Buying a wolf tag won't be on my fall shopping list anytime soon, but the fact that state officials are planning for wolf hunts in Montana in 2008 is nothing short of miraculous. When I first move to Montana in 1992 there were only a handle of wolves (mostly expat Canadians) roaming the state. Reintroduction was barely a decade ago. And now its fair to say the species is recovered in the state.

It will take diligence to keep it that way, but letting hunters kill a few wolves won't make a difference. And it will probably help on the PR front. Remember friends of the wolf, hunting was always part of the bargain when the program was sold to the public.

Montana TU pans Flathead mine

Montana Trout Unlimited adds its voice to the mounting opposition to a Canadian coal mine in the headwaters of the Flathead River. Runoff from the mine could be disastrous to this pristine watershed.

Studies have shown that trout in the Flathead system from as far as Flathead Lake migrate upstream to Canada to spawn in tributaries of the North Fork Flathead River.

Politically incorrect

We applaud Bayern Brewery's commitment to trout conservation, but we're also glad Big Sky Brewery has put the Trout Slayer brand back on the shelves. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Catch-and-release is our standard practice, but there's nothing wrong with slaying a trout destined for the frying pan from time to time.

Note to Big Sky: Now put it in cans so we can pack some along while we float.