Bringing back the bison: Group pushes reintroduction to Montana public lands

A Montana conservationist, hunter, author and promoter of hunter ethics, Posewitz has lent his voice to the National Wildlife Federation's push to have bison restored to the 1.1-million-acre Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Montana. "What better place, what better species and what better time?" he said. Posewitz's belief is rooted in the history of American sportsmen and their participation in the restoration of other game animals to the nation and to the CMR landscape, such as bighorn sheep and elk. As Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks embarks on a three-year study of the possibility of returning wild bison to the state, the National Wildlife Federation is already pushing for the CMR to be the place. "I've been hunting all of my life, and I can't imagine there would be anything cooler than hunting a bison in the Missouri Breaks," said Kit Fischer of the NWF. "I think this is something that every hunter in Montana has a moral responsibility to support." NWF's push shouldn't be confused with the current Fish, Wildlife and Parks study of possibly placing disease-free Yellowstone bison on two state wildlife management areas (WMAs) and two reservations. Those are separate actions...more