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Articles written by Tom Puchlerz


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  • Op-Ed: Shoulder seasons not meant for public lands

    Tom Puchlerz, President, Montana Wildlife Federation|Updated Jul 28, 2021

    In Montana private land elk hunting is moving toward 11 weeks for people who can pay thousands of dollars for trophy bulls, while others are left to hunt cows in deep snows and bitter cold when they're struggling to survive the winter. That's the proposal of the Gianforte administration, one that extends "elk shoulder seasons" through Feb 15 annually, and onto your National Forest in 19 hunting districts. This proposal is ill conceived, premature and not in the interest of...

  • Op/Ed: Legislature backed commercialization of public wildlife

    Tom Puchlerz, Stevensville|Updated Jun 30, 2021

    I, like so many Montana hunters, have been blessed to enjoy a lifetime of world-class hunting and fishing. It's why so many of us live here, and it speaks to the decades of work that Montanans have put into conserving and managing our public wildlife for the benefit of everyone. But after this legislative session, it is clear that Montana is on a different path, one that disregards science and places the ability for some to profit off of our wildlife as the highest priority....

  • Commentary: Flattening the curve on Chronic Wasting Disease

    Tom Puchlerz, Montana Wildlife Federation|Updated Nov 25, 2020

    It's cool this morning. There is a different feel to the air. The days are slowly getting shorter, my bird dogs are getting restless and I am listening for that first bugle of a bull elk down in the river bottom. It's that time when I, and all hunters, anxiously prepare for the glorious days we spend pursuing our quarry in the forests and uplands of our Montana. But this year things are different, and as we take to the field we must acknowledge that difference and change our...

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