This is what is wrong in Montana… They broke more than 1 LAW and were barely slapped on the wrist…. MFG refused to investigate that they even had a coyote aerial permit…..
Two men each illegally shot a gray wolf on private property from a helicopter in the Big Hole Valley near Wisdom in March.
The incident comes at a time when the state is grappling with controversy over wolf management. Gov. Greg Gianforte made national headlines in February by trapping and killing a wolf, and the Legislature has since passed several bills designed to increase the legal killing of the predators in the state, dramatically changing an enforcement system that some wildlife experts had seen as effectively balancing competing interests.
Dalton Thomas Tamcke, 30, and Justin Samuel Peterson, 22, did not possess wolf tags, nor did they have landowner permission to hunt on the property, the Mark Clemow Ranch, on March 3. Hunting wolves from a helicopter is illegal as well.
The two men claimed to be hunting coyotes for control action and that they mistook the wolves for coyotes. They later retrieved the carcasses on a snowmobile.
An aerial hunting of predatory animals permit can be obtained to hunt coyotes from the Montana Department of Livestock.
Based on information from someone in the area, Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks Game Wardens Regan Dean and Kerry Wahl arrived at a garage in the Big Hole where the wolf carcasses were being held two days later, seized the animals, questioned the men and issued citations.
Peterson, from Wisdom, and Tamcke, from Dillon, were charged with the unlawful take of non-game wildlife in need of management, failure to obtain landowner permission for hunting, and violation of commission or department orders or rules, which accounts for shooting the animal from an aircraft.
Peterson and Tamcke declined comment.
The wardens said the defendants were cooperative.
According to disposition reports from the Beaverhead County Justice Court, both men paid their fines: a total of $425 by Tamcke, and $435 by Peterson.
Neither was charged with the restitution cost of a gray wolf, $1,000, or forfeited their hunting privileges.
“We gave them breaks on that in reward for their cooperation,” Wahl said.
Both Wahl and Dean said they routinely use their discretion to determine the extent of violations rather than automatically throwing the book at violators.
The defendants didn’t identify the helicopter pilot or company involved, Wahl said, and the wardens accepted that.
“They just kind of wanted to leave that guy out of it,” Wahl said. “Realistically, whether he knew they were wolves or not, I don’t know. But we just decided to leave it to the guys that shot the wolves and left it at that.”
If the wardens had been told the pilot or company’s name, they likely would have contacted the operation, Wahl said, and possibly charged accountability.
“I just didn’t find any real strong reason to go after the helicopter company or the pilot. Really, it was the shooters’ responsibility for what happened,” he said.
The private hunting of wolves or any game animal by helicopter is illegal in Montana.
“There really needs to be some fair chase — animals have to have at least some ability to escape. And to use aircraft to harvest game animals or even a species in need of management like wolves, it’s not a means of fair chase hunting to use aircraft,” Wahl said.
Wahl reported the defendants said they had the aerial permit to hunt coyotes, and the wardens didn’t pursue proof.
“I have no reason to believe they did not get it. They seemed familiar with that process,” Wahl said.
While the defendants were cooperative after FWP was tipped off, they had other plans for the wolves, Wahl said.
“The big concern I had with this case is there really wasn’t going to be any intention to turn themselves in or let us know what happened. They did say they were just going to get them skinned and not report them. But anytime somebody shoots a wolf, they’re required to be reported and tagged by us. They were not going to do that. They did say that,” Wahl said.
Both Wahl and Dean expressed doubts the wolves had been shot accidentally.
“There is a big difference between a wolf and a coyote in terms of size. A wolf can be two and a half times the size of a coyote, maybe three times the size of a coyote. To me personally, I guess if you’re going to be flying low to shoot coyotes you probably more than likely should be able to tell whether they were wolves or coyotes,” Wahl said.
Dean said Peterson told him a shotgun and buckshot were used to kill the animals. Wahl said that weapon and ammunition are only effective at a distance of around 30 yards.
In the eyes of the law, the intention was irrelevant, Dean said.
“Anytime you shoot something, you’re supposed to know your target and beyond. So it doesn’t matter if they knew it was a wolf or a coyote. They’re still supposed to know what they’re shooting at. That’s not an excuse,” Dean said.
The wolves, an adult male and female, were put into the evidence freezer at the Dillon FWP office. Now that the cases are resolved, Wahl said they may be used for research or education programs.
A bloody equilibrium
Wolves are a charged issue in Montana, to say the least.
It’s been well publicized that Gov. Greg Gianforte received a warning for trapping a wolf on Feb. 15 without first taking the necessary class, and has also signed bills passed by a Republican majority to increase wolf kills in the state.