Via The Outdoor Wire:

Montana Officials Decry Federal Court Decision on Gray Wolves

Montana wildlife officials decried today’s federal court decision that placed the recovered Rocky Mountain gray wolf back on to the federal list of threatened and endangered species…

“If we understand the ruling correctly, Judge Molloy is telling the federal government that because Wyoming still doesn’t have adequate regulatory mechanisms to manage wolves, you can’t delist the wolf in Montana and Idaho.” Maurier said. “We simply can’t manage wildlife successfully in that environment. We must have the ability to manage wildlife, to do our job, to seek a balance among predator and prey. As a practical matter, as wildlife managers, we need the authority to respond to the challenges wolves present every day.”

This means, obviously, no wolf hunting season in Montana.

Via the NRA-ILA:

On June 11, the top law enforcement officials of nearly half the states signed a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, expressing their opposition to reinstatement of the federal ban on semi-automatic firearms.

“We share the Obama Administration’s commitment to reducing illegal drugs and violent crime within the United States. We also share your deep concern about drug cartel violence in Mexico. However, we do not believe that restricting law-abiding Americans’ access to certain semi-automatic firearms will resolve any of these problems,” the letter said.

The letter notes congressional opposition to bringing back the ban, and calls for increasing enforcement of existing laws.

We encourage NRA members to let these state officials know we appreciate them standing up to the incessant clamor for gun control that is currently coming from anti-gun groups and their media allies.

The 23 state Attorneys General, in alphabetical order, by state, are:
(more…)

Claims of lead in grizzlies questionable

Letter from the NSSF to the Billings Gazzette:

Readers of the Nov. 13 article “Study shows elevated lead levels in grizzlies” should question the report it is based on and the motives of the researcher. The “study” was conducted by Tom Rogers, a University of Montana graduate student who has close ties to an organization, the Peregrine Fund, that aggressively advocates the banning of lead bullets for hunting. Two of the researchers who are mentioned in the article as associates of Rogers are members of the Peregrine Fund, and one of them, Derek Craighead, is on the board of directors.

Some claims in the report bear more scrutiny. No scientific determination has been made as to what an “elevated blood level” of lead is for grizzly bears. Rogers used the level for humans. He claimed that “In humans, 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter is currently considered an elevated blood level …”

According to the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control, the recommended threshold for an adult is 25 mpd; the 10 mpd level is for a child.

Most of the hunters and outdoor shooters that I know are actually very conscientious stewards of the environment. If the lead issue could be proven to be bad, I would guess that many hunters would play along. But the methods being used are questionable in a lot of cases.

What would the Peregrine Fund think of a lead study conducted by the NRA?

I don’t know the answer to this question. I do know that people have been using lead shot for centuries with very little in the way of evidence of anything wrong.

The story the letter is responding to is here.

Alphecca notes that the Montana rules are a bit confusing.