🐺 Judge Weighs Montana Wolf Season + 4 Elk Left to Rot in Colorado

🐺 Judge Weighs Montana Wolf Season + 4 Elk Left to Rot in Colorado
A federal judge decides Montana’s wolf fate, four Colorado bulls are wasted, and Idaho’s long poaching ring gets crushed.

November 22, 2025
Straight talk from the field — no fluff, no filters, just the hunt and the headlines.

☕ Good Morning, Crew
This week’s headlines hit hard. Montana wants to kill 558 wolves but can’t even count how many exist, Colorado has four bulls left to rot, and Idaho just handed out 17 convictions in a poaching ring that spanned nearly a decade.
Grab your coffee. Let’s get into it.

🐺 LEAD STORY: Montana Wolf Showdown — 558 Wolves from a Population Nobody Can Count
A Helena federal judge heard arguments that could shut down Montana’s 2025-26 wolf season. The state wants to allow up to 558 wolves to be taken, but conservation groups say the population data is “fantasy math.”

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“Expert evidence will show the defendants do not know how many wolves are in the state of Montana,” argued attorney Susann Bradford.
The state’s reply: they’re legally required to reduce numbers.
“We have not recognized a decent reduction… and we are statutorily mandated to reduce the wolf population,” said state attorney Alex Scolavino.

So far this season 62 wolves have been killed. Night-vision is legal on private land (1 wolf taken at night); trappers get higher pelt reimbursements. Judge Christopher Abbott said he’ll rule “soon.” Season runs through March 15; trapping opens Dec 1.

💰 FOUR COLORADO BULLS SHOT & ABANDONED — $4,000 REWARD POSTED
Between Sept 13 and 27 near Stonewall and Picketwire, four bull elk were illegally shot and left to rot. This wasn’t hunting — it was slaughter.

The damage:
• Bull #1 – Shot and abandoned completely
• Bull #2 – Wounded; put down by CPW officers
• Bull #3 – Only backstraps removed
• Bull #4 – Head cut off; zero meat taken

“These were senseless and disgraceful acts … they took valuable resources away from every Coloradoan,” said Jim Hawkins of CPW.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife, with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, has doubled the reward to $4,000 for information leading to an arrest.

📞 1-877-265-6648 📧 [email protected]

👮 IDAHO POACHING RING CRUSHED AFTER TWO YEARS
A 2023 traffic stop near Rogerson found five mule-deer heads and kicked off a two-year multi-state investigation. The result: 17 convictions and 35 animals illegally taken (32 mule deer, 1 bull moose, 1 swan, 1 bobcat).
“This case represents years of dedicated work … protecting Idaho’s wildlife heritage,” said Regional Officer Clint Rogers.

🙏 MINNESOTA HUNTER’S HEROIC LAST ACT
Christopher Hendricks, 30, of Champlin, MN, drowned while duck hunting in North Dakota after jumping into icy water to save his retriever. The dog survived; authorities called it a sobering reminder of cold-water risk.

🦌 MONTANA HUNTER TAGS RARE “CACTUS” ELK
After her shot, a Montana hunter found an elk with short, velvet-covered antlers twisting like cactus branches. FWP confirmed it as a rare “cactus bull.”
“Cactus bucks are uncommon, and cactus bulls even more so,” said Brian Wakeling, FWP Game Management Bureau Chief.

👉 Read More (RMEF Media): https://rmef.org/media/montana-hunter-shoots-cactus-bull-elk/

🏔️ FIELD NOTES
Thirty-mile winds at first light. High-country ridges still holding last week’s snow. Halfway up, a cow elk blew out across the basin and the whole ridge went quiet again. Days like this remind me it’s not about a full punch card — it’s about the stakes you carry into the hills.
Next week: why I passed a shooter at 250 yards — and what it taught me about discipline in the field.

🤠 SIGN-OFF
Stay safe out there and keep your coffee strong.
— Matt
Western Vantage

🐺 Judge Weighs Montana Wolf Season + 4 Elk Left to Rot in Colorado

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