Page 47 - Wyoming's Grizzly Harvest - The Story the State Wants to Bury with the Bears

Wyoming’s Grizzly Harvest In April 2013, a witness with photographic evidence and familiarity with Ellsbury was among those present after WGFD had baited a trap with human garbage, and then justified it by saying that the grizzly they caught was going to be killed and so the lure didn’t matter. Also speaking on the condition of anonymity, a former WGFD employee with years of field experience alleged that some grizzlies that were considered “problem bears” by the Department, would never reappear from hibernation, as the signal from their radio collars gave away their locations. The source was unwavering, and so shoot, shovel, and shut-up may not be restricted to a suspected rogue outfitter in Park County; one, it should be said, who is known to both WGFD and the US Forest Service, but is yet to be prosecuted. How many other violations exist? The answer to that lies in just how “transparent” the Wyoming Game and Fish Department would be with an independent investigator – not that Governor Mead is likely to find cause to subject his own appointees to scrutiny, so close to his delisting victory. “If you’re going to be a successful hunter you just break all those rules anyway,” WGFD Large Carnivore Conflict Coordinator Brian DeBolt told Wyoming Public Radio on September 24, two days after Ellsbury pled guilty. DeBolt 47