Workman concludes term on state commission

By JIM MANN/Daily Inter Lake

Vic Workman of Whitefish is attending his last meeting on the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission today in Helena, after a four-year term that has been marked at times with excitement and controversy.

Although he could seek re-appointment by Gov. Brian Schweitzer to another term, Workman said physical problems require him to spend the winter in warmer weather, and he wouldn't "be able to do the job justice."

"It's a hell of an honor to have been appointed to a position like this," Workman said. "It has been very gratifying."

He said he is proud to have been a commissioner who has been an active outdoorsman all of his life. "I think it's very important for a commissioner to be out on the ground," said Workman, who has had a good share of excitement in the field.

Last year, he was charged by a grizzly bear while hunting north of Whitefish. Workman fired a hip shot from his rifle that made the charging bear veer away.

Afterwards, he publicly suggested that grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies should be put on a fast track for being removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act to allow for a limited hunt to control bear numbers.

That, he said, attracted some claps on the back, but also a wave of criticism and some death threats.

Just a few weeks ago, one of Workman's friends was bluff-charged by another grizzly bear on a trail on which Workman had just traveled minutes before.

If he had been charged again, Workman said with a laugh, "everybody would have figured that I was packing bacon in my shorts."

Workman was highly active in helping with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife monitoring and survey work. Soon after becoming commissioner, he was on a helicopter flight to count elk in the South Fork Flathead drainage. A fierce winter storm and low fuel forced the helicopter pilot to make an emergency landing at the Spotted Bear air strip.

"It seemed like it took an hour but it was only a minute," he said of the hasty landing. "It was pretty hairy."

Workman and the others on the flight walked more than three miles through three-foot-deep snow to stay at a lodge owned by one of Workman's friends. They were hauled out on snowmobiles the next day.

Workman recalls another flight to monitor mule deer near Ovando. As the helicopter hovered over a large buck, Workman witnessed a golden eagle swoop down on the buck, chasing it down a slope.

"That eagle was right on the back of his antlers the whole time," he said. "It was awesome."

Workman said his most significant accomplishment on the commission was seeing through a transition from a quota system to a permit system for mountain lion hunting.

The old quota system put houndsmen in a virtual race for cats that often ended with younger, less desirable lions being harvested and the season being closed within a few days. Now, lion hunters who draw a limited number of permits have the luxury of being able to hunt through the entire season.

Workman said his efforts to put an end to a project aimed at purging hybrid fish from alpine lakes in the South Fork drainage turned out to be a disappointing failure. Workman remains convinced that the project will not stop already widespread hybridization that is corrupting westslope trout populations, and he believes the species eventually will be listed as threatened or endangered despite the state's efforts.

The public needs to stay engaged in matters that the commission considers, Workman said.

"Much of the public still doesn't really understand what a commissioner's job is," he said. "It's a voluntary appointment, and the real voice they have with FWP is through their commissioner."

Workman said commissioners rely on their constituents for help. In his case, Workman said he is familiar with big-game hunting and fishing in certain areas, but he needs input from the public on bird hunting, for example.

"My encouragement is if you're passionate about hunting and fishing, your voice does make a difference," he said. "Commissioners can't know it all."

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com