Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Wolf Hunting Begins Across Northern Rockies

Tony Saunders stalked his prey for 35 miles by snowmobile through western Wyoming's Hoback Basin, finally reaching a clearing where he took out a 1270 caliber rifle and shot the wolf twice from 30 yards away. Gray wolves in the Northern Rockies have been taken off the endangered species list and are being hunted freely for the first time since they were placed on that list three decades ago. Nowhere is that hunting easier than Wyoming. Most of the state with the exception of the Yellowstone National Park area has been designated a "predator zone", where wolves can be shot at will. Saunders had lost two horses to wolves and blames the canines for depleting local big game herds. I know how hard it is for people to understand how devastating they can be but they are.

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