High Country News

The truth about wolves is hard to find

Some hunters claim wolves are killing too many deer and elk in northwestern Montana, but the facts indicate otherwise -- although those facts are easily lost in all the emotional rhetoric.

by Christina Nealson, Apr 26, 2012

Wolf management in Idaho is not ready for prime time

The controversy that flared when a trapper posted a photo of himself with a dying wolf proves that Idaho and other Western states are incapable of managing wolves without the help of the Endangered Species Act.

by Michael J. Robinson, Apr 25, 2012

When wolf-trapping goes viral

When a trapper posted photos of himself with a dying wolf on Facebook, the resulting angry, hate-filled uproar on the Internet accomplished nothing useful.

by Erin Zwiener, Apr 24, 2012

Big game tag auctions raise big bucks for Western states

Hunting tag auctions may get too pricey for a lot of Western hunters, but they also raise significant money for conservation projects.

by Marian Lyman Kirst, Apr 16, 2012

It’s time 23,000 elk got off the dole

Wyoming needs to stop feeding elk in winter in order to stop the spread of chronic wasting disease.

by Bruce Smith, Feb 17, 2012

Western game wardens go after poachers

Overstretched game wardens like Colorado's Tom Knowles rely on tips from hotline informants to catch elusive poachers.

by Larry Keller, Nov 28, 2011

Why do people yearn to possess wolves and other wild animals?

Human beings seem to have an insatiable desire to own or at least manipulate wild animals.

by Ray Ring, Nov 14, 2011

Wolf on a picnic table

Is a more-or-less trained and captive wolf anything at all like a truly wild wolf?

by Charles Finn, Nov 11, 2011

When the bear comes too close to home

It's easy to love wild animals like bears until they actually start eating your chickens and coming a little too close to your family for comfort.

by Dev Carey, Nov 09, 2011

At last, Yellowstone bison catch a break

Montana is finally working on ways to deal with stray Yellowstone bison without killing them outright or keeping them indefinitely quarantined for fear of brucellosis.

by Mike Leahy, Oct 27, 2011