At last, the Wilks Brothers got what they wanted but money couldn’t buy: the guaranteed opportunity to hunt trophy elk on their ranch.
In a hastily arranged Zoom meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, September 24th - to accommodate the personal international travel of Commissioner Walsh - and with minimal advanced public notice, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission gifted coveted elk permits to large landowners. The Wilks Brothers and their designees will now receive eight permits to hunt trophy bull elk on their ranch in the Snowy Mountains south of Lewistown this upcoming hunting season, and in return the public hunter gets little.
Under ‘Public Elk Hunting Access Agreements’, landowners agree to open some of their private land to limited public hunting; in return, they get compensated. At face value, this doesn’t sound too terrible, however, the devil is in the details.
Read more from the Helena Independent Record here.
About Thomas Baumeister
Capital Chapter Leader - Montana BHA; Board Member - Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame; Board President - Orion -The Hunter's Institute