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Posted by Ballpark Frank (24.237.94.196) on 11:27:08 04/16/14
It seems Bill Hoppe had to take out a bull bison up at his place in the Jardine area recently.
You may remember Bill as one of the founders of the Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk. He is an outfitter, and expressed concern that the reintroduced wolves were drastically reducing elk numbers.
The article mentions Bill shot a wolf last year that killed sheep in a pasture he leased near Corwin Springs.
Andrea Jones, the Montana FWP spokeswoman, theorized that the three bull bison present may have been agitated from being hazed a number of times.
I have a different theory. Given Bill Hoppe's propensity for dispatching wildlife with firearms, I'm wondering if the bison haven't figured out who he is. I'm thinking it might be a karmic thing. Let's see if an even larger group of bulls show up in future days, maybe a few with names like Louie and Rocco.
After all, many of us have witnessed social behavior on the part of bison, where they seem to acknowledge the passing of another bison or even an elk or moose, and prevent other species from disturbing the deceased.
Am I being a bit anthropomorphic? Maybe, but I'd still get a giggle out of seeing a herd of bull bison stage a New Jersey-style payback, and block Bill's driveway, kind of like the approach to the George Washington Bridge.
Ballpark
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