I come here to see wolves and grizzly bears.

What's transpired for the Gray Wolves of MT (& other predators) since Gov. Gianforte was elected & passed heinous legislation is tragic & cruel bounties, traps, snares. We must restore 1/1 quotas & buffer zones around the park, full stop. During lock down last fall we read about the first 3 female Wolves from the Junction Butte pack killed just outside of the park, we called, wrote letters to Int. Secretary Haaland repeatedly as the numbers of deaths climbed. We sent letters to commissioners but they kept units 313 & 316 open for hunting until their quota was reached ultimately killing 85 Gray Wolves (3 more than their quota).....I still can't accept that this has happened after 25 years of a tropic cascade of benefits to YNP just by the presence of Wolves. I went to school in WY & on weekends I'd drive up to YNP, to Red Lodge then to north entrance to Lamar Valley for the Wolves. I've been to YNP a bunch of times. The Yellowstone Wolves can't survive another hunting season like 2021.

We can’t understand how the people of Montana don’t realize that the wolves are worth more alive than they are dead. Thousands upon thousands of people come each and every year to witness these majestic animals.

Stop killing the animals that make YNP the destination that it is. People come from every state and from all over the world to see wolves. The current legislation permits setting of baits, carcasses or other attractants to lure them out of the park, at which time they're immediately shot. This is madness. The State of ID, MT and WY must implement a 10 mile hunting and trapping free buffer around YNP - otherwise, the park will be silent! We also need to advocate for ethical and regulated hunting laws for wolves. Currently, these 3 states have no restrictions on wolf hunts. They can be killed using any means possible. So called hunters attack dens and kill newborn pups. I'm a hunter but I don't support this type of madness. Most hunters are not barbaric like some of these wolf hunter. Even in MT there is a large hunter's group that has taken out billboards calling for an end to the madness.

We feel very strongly that animals in the park, including wolves, bears, etc. must have protection from being shot for so called sport when they step foot outside the boundaries of the park. The States of ID, MT and WY need to implement a 10 mile no hunting or trapping buffer zone around the perimeter of the park. Currently, these states permit baiting of wolves with carcasses or other attractants immediately outside park boundaries. This is unethical and destroys the image of the majority of good people in these states. The primary attraction of YNP is it's wildlife and we travel from out of state to enjoy it, not to kill it!

Wolf hunting and trapping has kept me from spending money in the area of north of Yellowstone NP. That is a loss of approximately $10,000 per year that businesses are losing out on. In addition, I am not bringing clients to the park who spend an average of $2,000 a week for fuel, lodging and meals. STOP THE WOLF HUNT and I will again support the region.

KAREN BROWN <brown_kk@yahoo.com>
To:
Karen Brown

Mon, Mar 21 at 1:51 PM

I have been coming to Yellowstone regularly over the last 15 years. In some years twice per year. I bring friends and family almost every time to show them the amazing park and it’s Greater Ecosystem. I come for the wildlife and the scenery. At the top of my list is predators.
I am appalled by the killing of wolves in such large numbers. It is an absolute failure of the local states to protect and treasure their wildlife. The methods are heinous and harken back to the eradication perpetrated in the late 1800s. As a US Citizen I am disgusted by Montana’s treatment of the Yellowstone Ecosystem .

When I visit I spend money on everything supplies to souvenirs to cars and gas and accommodations. You can bet that I will be asking every one I consider visiting about their stand on predators. And you can bet I am going to fight for the relisting of the wolf. Those animals belong on landscape.

I took my family to visit Yellowstone National Park for the first time in October of 2021. Our first entry into the park was via Yellowstone Wolf Tracker private coach. I specifically organized our entire family trip around the goal of being able to safely and ethically view wolves in the wild. It was a magical experience, one that filled our hearts and lit a fire in us (as future full-time residents of Livingston MT) to do everything we can to protect not just the park but the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem as a whole. We support ethical hunting and restrictions based on fair chase guidelines + fact-based scientific research. The current hunting legislation, particularly for areas adjacent to YNP, is simply appalling and must be reformed or else Montana stands to lose far more than wolves.

My in-laws built a house in the Paradise Valley in the early 1990s. My wife and I visit yearly to hike, fish and observe the wildlife. One of our favorite memories is seeing and hearing wolves in the Park while cross country skiing on Blacktail Plateau. Science needs to dictate how wildlife should be managed in areas where human and wildlife interactions occur. If populations need to be reduced, it should be by humane means. Leg snares are not humane and are contradictory to the concept of ethical hunting.

I have visited the park regularly since the early 70's. While lots of elk were pretty, it was not very dynamic. The wolf reintroduction was a game changer. To see an ecosystem restored to a more complete state has been one of the more fascinating events of my lifetime. Sadly and abruptly, the anti-wolf pogrom instituted by this Gianforte administration has changed that. No longer can we view wolves "doing their thing" within 300 yards. I am a hunter, but to view animals that aren't hunted has been a gift. I fear we've seen the best of it.

I have visited Yellowstone National Park 24 times from Scotland since 2009. My primary reason for visiting is to see the park wolves and I've been lucky enough to follow several packs in the Northern Range over the years - Druids, Lamar Canyons, Junction Butte, Blacktail, Mollies etc. It has greatly saddened my to follow what has been happening in Region 3 and specifically the 2 WMUs bordering Yellowstone. Wolves, who spend the majority of their lives living and hunting in the park have been lured over the invisible border and shot destroying pack dynamics and stability. Packs I have followed and wolves I pay to visit and view have been hit hard. This indiscriminate hunt has no basis in science. While I'll never understand hunting wolves I appreciate that it will happen. Consideration should be given to reinstating the quotas previously in place in the WMUs bordering YNP. I will continue to support businesses in Gardiner who stand to be impacted by the loss of park wolves.

We have been to YNP several times over the years and have seen wolves about half the time we are there. There has not been a single time we have seen wolves where one was not killed. We have pictures of them, but find out afterwards they had been shot. Not exactly the best way to keep memories of the trip.