I-177 is bad for wildlife, costly for ranchers and wildlife agencies, bad for taxpayers and creates danger for people and pets.
One of the animal rights group’s destructive objectives for I-177 is to propagate the wolf population by restricting regulated public trapping on all public lands.
I-177 prohibits the only method of harvest that reduced the abundance of wolves across Montana. Without regulated trapping on public lands, wolf numbers will surge to unmanageable levels.
Elk, deer, antelope and other species will abandon public lands that become predator sanctuaries created by I-177 and will seek security on private lands. Public hunting opportunity will diminish, domestic animal loss will increase, and disease will spread.
FWP has stated “if I-177 passes they do not have the capacity for the new workload the initiative imposes.” FWP has concluded they will need to hire many more people and incur significant expenses at an additional cost of at least $422,000 every year due to I-177.
Even worse, I-177 would not allow any trapping until a dangerous animal attack, property damage, or a tragedy has occurred, and even then only after privacy invasive and costly investigations are conducted while further carnage occurs.
I-177 is being pushed by the animal rights and anti-hunting lobby whose real agenda is to ban hunting, trapping and animal-use altogether. Montana needs regulated public trapping to continue vital protection wildlife, livestock, pets and people, that is why I-177 is opposed by all Montana’s major sportsmen’s organizations, cattle and sheep ranchers, wildlife management professionals and more.
Montana’s public lands belong to everyone, and are big enough to be inclusive of all outdoor users.
Don’t let animal rights activists control Montana. Vote no on I-177.
Keith Kubista
Stevensville