A tiny nematode spread by biting flies piles on top of habitat decline and predation- Most know that the moose of NW Wyoming are in serious decline. This has not been the first time because early explorers and settlers reported almost no moose. Nevertheless, in the early 1900s the moose population became established and grew…
The sage grouse population of Idaho has been in steep decline for years. It is now getting to the point where hunting has declined to a one-week season where hunters are limited to one bird a day. It seems a bit odd to me that there isn’t more outrage by the hunting community over this…
The sow was implicated in the two Park deaths by grizzly this summer- Finally two stories come together — the couple attacked near Wapiti Lake near Canyon and the lone hiker found dead by grizzly deep in the Hayden Valley. The Park Service decided it was done by the same female grizzly bear. Her earlier…
Two injured in what could have been fatal attack on road between local cornfields- Although most wild animal attack accounts seem to involve bears, autumn is a time when the behavior of male deer, elk and moose can become problematic. A resident of Whitney, Idaho, which is just southeast of Preston and near the Utah…
In the most recent issue of the journal, Science my colleagues and I argue that the wildlife trust doctrine (a branch of the broader public trust doctrine) may provide a legal means for interested citizens to compel states to conserve controversial species such as wolves. We argue that this common law doctrine fills the gap…
This is a strange turn of events. The facts have been reported in three different ways. First, it was reported that the grizzly bear had killed the hunter, then information emerged that the hunters had shot the bear then tracked it into thick brush, now it is being reported that the hunter who died actually…
Here is an interesting story about the wanderings of a GPS collared grizzly that swam across Flathead Lake in Montana. It swam from the west side of the lake to several islands then on to the other side where she settled in as a Swan Lake bear. Out for a swim: Grizzly conquers lake by…
Rare grizzly of the Cabinet-Yaak, wounded, apparently turns on hunter’s partner and kills him- Note that the story below has been superseded. The hunter who ended up dead was shot by his partner as the grizzly attacked him. The bullet was, of course, likely meant for the bear. Matters are still being investigated as of…
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.