Demand Montana Governor Gianforte Veto Draconian Wolf Killing Bills

Gray wolf, similar in color to the one Gianforte poached. Photo: Shanthanu-Bhardwaj, Wild Earth Guardians.

Future of Montana wolves in hands of governor who violated state hunting regs when he trapped and shot a collared wolf near Yellowstone National Park in February

Montana has always been my home, the place where I was born and raised and where my family still lives. Whether you were lucky enough to be born in Montana like me—or discovered Montana later—Montana’s wildness and wildlife leave many awestruck and inspired.

Unfortunately, some Montana politicians want the state to take giant leaps backward when it comes to state “management” of gray wolves. We urgently need your voice!

Four draconian wolf killing bills are incredibly close to becoming law in Montana. The bills would allow trappers to snare wolves, extend the wolf trapping season, place a bounty on wolves, allow every individual with a wolf hunting or trapping license to kill an unlimited number of wolves, allow the use of bait while hunting or trapping wolves, and permit the hunting of wolves at night on private land with the use of artificial lights or night vision scopes.

As if these appalling bills were not bad enough, they would be signed into law by Montana’s Governor Greg Gianforte—who violated the state’s existing regulations when he trapped and shot a collared wolf near Yellowstone National Park in February, according to documents obtained by the Mountain West News Bureau.

According to the Bureau, “Gov. Gianforte killed the adult black wolf known as ‘1155’ roughly ten miles north of the park’s boundary in Park County. He trapped it on a private ranch owned by Robert E. Smith, director of the conservative Sinclair Broadcasting Group, who contributed thousands of dollars to Gianforte’s 2017 congressional campaign. Gianforte violated Montana regulations by harvesting the wolf without first completing a state-mandated wolf trapping certification course. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks issued the governor a written warning, and he promised to take the three-hour online course March 24.”

Whether you’re a Montana resident or a Montana visitor who values wolves in the wild, sign this petition demanding that Governor Gianforte veto these backward and disgraceful bills.

WildEarth Guardians members and supporters have consistently stood with us to defend wolves. You’ve taken action, you’ve spread the word, and you’ve supported our Wolf Defense Fund.

Now we urgently need you to speak up to stop Montana from decimating wolf populations with cruel and unethical wolf killing bills that harken back to an era when people sought to exterminate wolves altogether, and nearly succeeded.

P.S. Are you on Twitter? After you take action, make an even bigger impact by tweeting at Governor Gianforte and the Montana Office of Tourism.

Sarah McMillan is WildEarth Guardians‘ Conservation Director. She writes from Missoula.