Rancher ends public hunting in protest of wolf policies

A Big Hole Valley rancher has pulled his property out of a popular public hunting program in protest of Montana's wolf management policies. Fred Hirschy said Thursday he's fed up with Montana allowing too many wolves to roam and wants the predators numbers dramatically brought down. And he blasted the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks for what he said is a normally lackluster response when his cattle have been attacked. "When I call them, they don't do what I ask them to do anyway," he said. "We want more people on the ground and we want the people on the ground that can shoot some wolves." He said after years of inaction by FWP following repeated attacks on his cattle, he saw no other option but to pull out of the block management program, which pays landowners to allow public hunting on their land. Hunters will lose access to 45,000 acres of Hirschy and his family ranches property west of Wisdom. Portions of the ranch have been enrolled in the program since 1996 and the cancellation of the contract will cost the Hirschys $12,000 this year...read more