A GRIM GLIMPSE INTO COLORADO ’ S FUTURE
PETITIONING FOR SOUND POPULATION MANAGEMENT
Hunting black bears and bobcats with hounds has a long tradition in Michigan ' s Upper Peninsula and other states , but increasing wolf populations now put hounds and their handlers in danger .
A GRIM GLIMPSE INTO COLORADO ’ S FUTURE
When I visited Michigan ' s Upper Peninsula in July , the dog work is what really interested me . As a Colorado houndsman , I pursue wild cats , but it is illegal to run bears with dogs , so this was something I was excited to try . On top of that , Colorado passed Proposition 114 that mandates reintroduction of wolves by the end of 2023 , so I was very interested in determining how my running practices will change with this new wolf reality . The answers were hardly encouraging . The only semi-safe way to dump the box on a bear in July is to thoroughly search the area of a track and get on it fast , before it can wander into a wolf-occupied area , dogs in tow .
Even when we found a hot track , upon investigating the area it was deemed too dangerous ; right over the bear track was a wolf track just as fresh . “ We didn ’ t have high hopes ,” Stephani Bennett explained . “ This happens more often than not here now .”
Sooner than I am ready , I will have the same stresses that come with being a houndsman in wolf country .
PETITIONING FOR SOUND POPULATION MANAGEMENT
The Sportsmen ’ s Alliance has fought to delist wolves in the Western Great Lakes for nearly 20 years . This summer we filed a pair of petitions with the U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS ) that would satisfy court rulings and return wolf management to the states .
One petition recognizes and delists the Western Great Lakes Distinct Population Segment ( WGL DPS ) of wolves within Michigan , Minnesota , and Wisconsin ( and areas of adjoining states ). The other petition requests USFWS to exercise specific management options on remnant wolf populations existing outside of the WGL DPS and the Northern Rocky Mountain DPS created by Congress in 2011 , as well as creating a new West Coast Wolves DPS . The petitions , taken together , create a pathway for appropriate management and responsible delisting nationwide .
We were joined in the petitions by the Michigan Bear Hunters Association , Upper Peninsula Bear Houndsmen Association and Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association .
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