Valley County official, ranch hand fined in wolf killing
Valley County Commissioner and rancher Phil Davis and his hired hand have been fined $750 each in the shooting death of a wolf. Few ranchers in Idaho have been fined for killing a wolf since their reintroduction in 1995.
The wolf, protected under the Endangered Species Act, was found dead by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service enforcement officers May 25 on Davis' 6,000-acre Bar O Ranch north of Cascade. Jerry Ussery, an employee of Davis, told officers he shot the wolf May 24 while it was near a herd of cattle north of the Warm Springs Highway.
Davis said Ussery heard two cows bawling when he came on the scene and saw the wolf running across a road past the cows, which had week-old calves.
"There's no doubt this wolf was going to kill a calf," Davis said.
Under the current rules, a landowner can shoot a wolf on private land if it is killing, wounding or biting livestock.
"We would have given them the benefit of the doubt if there had been evidence that cattle had been attacked," said Craig Tabor, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer who investigated the case.
Davis and Ussery might not have been fined had they called authorities within 24 hours, Tabor said.
Davis runs 4,000 head of cattle on the ranch with the oldest brand in the state, dating back to 1863. May is his busiest month of the year. He was in the middle of moving cattle from his winter and spring range near Mountain Home to summer range near Cascade when Ussery called and told him he had shot the wolf.
Davis was too busy with other work to respond immediately, he said. He told Ussery to hide it because he thought it was visible from the road and could have prompted calls from passers-by.
When Davis woke up the next morning, he was preparing for 500 head of cattle to arrive then.
"I plumb forgot about it," Davis said.
Meanwhile, biologists for the Nez Perce Tribe picked up a signal from the wolf's radio collar that indicates an animal isn't moving.
Tabor and another officer realized the signal was coming from Davis' ranch and stopped by his house to get permission to look for the wolf.
Davis and Ussery took them to the wolf and told them their story. Ussery said he could have shot the wolf numerous times but didn't until it threatened the calves.
The wolf, a male, had just joined the Orphan Pack, which has been living in the areas since 1996. A member of the same pack is believed to have killed two of Davis' calves in 1996 and also a neighbor's calf.
Ussery acknowledged that the wolf was running away from the cattle when he shot, which was one of the reasons charges were filed, Tabor said.
I'm not going to post about my personal opinions in this situation. I'm happy that my husband was not involved with this case in any way, since it's a pretty controversial subject here in town.
But the question for discussion is this: do you think a politician who breaks federal law should step down from their post?