New FWP panel eyes bison hunt cease-fire

HELENA - A Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission that includes a new member from Whitefish went to work Thursday, agreeing to consider stopping a planned bison hunt north of Yellowstone National Park.

The commission, with three members appointed just hours earlier, met for the first time Thursday to focus on the controversial bison hunt, which is scheduled to open Jan. 15. Gov. Brian Schweitzer announced Wednesday that his administration is withdrawing support for the hunt.

The Democratic governor said the "public relations nightmare" the state would endure from the controversial hunt was not worth allowing a hunt for just 10 head of bison.

The commission will meet Monday to consider eliminating the state's first bison hunt since 1991. The hunt was canceled that year after a barrage of protests and bad publicity.

The five-person commission has three new members, appointed by Schweitzer on Thursday morning: Victor Workman of Whitefish replaced Mike Murphy, a Wolf Creek rancher, as the Region One commissioner; Shane Colton of Billings replaced Dan Walker, also of Billings, as the Region 5 commissioner; and Great Falls resident Steve Doherty will be chairman of the commission, replacing John Lane of Cascade in representing Region 4.

Schweitzer praised his three appointments.

"These three individuals are each uniquely qualified to handle the complex issues of Montana's great outdoors," Schweitzer said. "Management of wildlife, fishing and hunting are of utmost importance to the Montana way of life. Public access to our public lands is very important to me - as governor, I am committed to preserving our great hunting and fishing tradition."

Workman, a Whitefish Realtor, said he was one of four commissioners who voted to reconsider the bison hunt.

Workman said he has yet to review the information that led the previous commission to approve the hunt and has yet to decide on the issue. However, he suggested he's inclined to support the governor's position.

"It doesn't make any sense," he said. "The reason to have the hunt to begin with is twofold: to provide a hunting experience for Montanans and people across the country, and to reduce an overpopulated herd of buffalo that are coming out of Yellowstone National Park and threatening our cattle industry with brucellosis."

Issuing just 10 permits and holding the hunt in a relatively small area over a short period of time would probably concentrate protest and media attention, Workman said.

"That would create a media circus and not really accomplish anything," he said.

Workman said he would be more inclined to support a "larger, more organized" hunt to effectively address the issues at hand.

"If I decide on Monday to cancel this hunt, I would like to assure hunters that if I have anything to say about it, there will be buffalo hunts in the future," he added. "And I guess I do have something to say about it now."

The lone vote against reconsidering the hunt came from Commissioner John Brenden of Scobey.

Scobey assailed fellow members for caving in to "blackmail" from groups opposed to the hunting of Yellowstone bison, some of whom had threatened to organize a boycott of Montana if the hunt occurred.

"I don't think that it would look good for the new governor, who touted his experiences of hunting and fishing in the press, to cave in to some fringe groups," Brenden, a longtime Republican, said of the Democrat Schweitzer. "We will be hurt in the minds and eyes of a lot of Montana and out-of-state sportsmen."

More than 8,000 people have paid $3 apiece to apply for the 10 licenses that would be used in the month-long season set to begin Jan. 15. A drawing that had been scheduled today would determine who would get the licenses - which were to cost $75 for residents and $750 for nonresidents.

Workman said he applied to Schweitzer's transition team for the commission appointment, mainly because "it was time for me to give something back … in an area where I have a great amount of interest."

Raised in Whitefish, Workman said he has hunted and fished locally his entire life. He stressed that he joined the commission "with no agenda whatsoever."

"I'm coming in with just a blank sheet of paper in front of me and as issues arise, that the commission has to address, I'll be looking at those," he said. "Obviously I'm a proponent of hunting and fishing opportunities for everybody in the state of MT, and obviously I want to make sure that continues a long time into the future."

Workman owns Montana Land Office in Whitefish and has been selling real estate in the Flathead Valley since 1989. He served on the Whitefish City Council from 1995 to1998, and he ran as a Republican for the Legislature in the 1980s. He graduated from Lincoln County High School in Eureka. Workman attended both Montana State University and the University of Montana.

Doherty has been a practicing attorney since 1984. He is currently a partner at Smith, Doherty & Belcourt, PC, in Great Falls. Doherty represents individuals, tribal entities and governments in tribal, federal and state courts. He served four terms in the Montana Senate and was the minority leader in 1999 and 2001. As a senator he served on the Fish and Game Committee. Doherty received his bachelor's degree at the University of Pennsylvania and his Juris Doctorate from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Ore.

Colton is a partner at Edmiston, Schermerhorn & Colton Law Firm in Billings. He has been a practicing attorney since 1996. Colton grew up working on farm and ranch operations in the Denton area. He is a member of the Spotted Ass Sporting Clays Club and the Billings Rod and Gun Club. Colton graduated from Denton High School in 1987. He received his bachelor's degree from Montana State University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Montana School of Law.