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Six Wolves kill 650 pound yearling steer

By PERRY BACKUS

Montana Standard

ENNIS – Jim Nelson nearly had wolves at his doorstep Tuesday morning.

When feeding cattle in a nearby pasture in the Bear Creek area of the Madison Valley, Nelson was surprised to see six gray wolves feeding on a 650-pound yearling steer.

“He was so close that he could have thrown a baseball at them,” said his stepdaughter, Bennie Clark.

Clark said three houses are located within about 200 yards of the kill site.

“The kill was right in the center of all three,” she said.

That marked the fourth confirmed wolf kill in the Madison Valley in less than a week .

“We’re not moneyed people who can just absorb this kind of loss,” said Clark. She and her husband, Gary, owned the yearling that was killed.

“This has a huge impact on us ... we’ve told Ed (Bangs) that we have to live here and want to make this work.

Now we’re begging for help.”

Ennis:

I know the area well. Heck, I even make a special stop at the meat shop where 287 splits off to Virginia City to get the best Buffalo jerky in the world. I've bought ammo at the gun shop there. Outstanding 4th of July celebration in town - real Americana.

However, if one leaves a "meal on hoof" roaming unattended, then they shouldn't be surprised if the meal gets eaten. It happens in the city too. Whether or not they are "moneyed people" doesn't make a lick of difference. And just as manufacturing gets plowed under if they aren't competitive, so must other industries.

The trick is for people to be smarter than the wolves. Difficult in Montana I guess. How about have them get a pack of dogs that can raise a ruckus and then take appropriate action when the wolves are caught in the act. Or is that too much work? Not practical? Or "un-economic"? Or did they just get lazy and "let" an accident happen to them? Remember, nobody owes them a living.

Finally, an old quote about the Romans - "they make a desert and call it peace". That seems to be the prevailing attitude on this forum.