Feeding vs. baiting

Although there’s a fine line distinguishing feeding and baiting wildlife, the difference is significant for hunters, who can face stiff penalties for hunting over bait.

The difference also is critical in other states, such as Montana, which is clamping down on wildlife feeding abuses.

Other carelessness that results in losses of protected species also can be costly to the perpetrator.

Here are some cases in point:

Dove debacle: A Sunnyside, Wash., landowner this spring was fined $5,000 and banned from hunting in the United States for two years on charges stemming from a mourning dove hunt on his property. He admitted using wheat and barley to attract birds.

Baiting is a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Missoula gets serious: Missoula is stepping up enforcement against people who leave garbage cans outside, where wildlife may be attracted.

For several years the city has conducted a “bear awareness” campaign against feeding bears, intentionally or otherwise. Authorities have received a growing number of calls from people concerned about the presence of bears, but no attacks have been reported.

A city ordinance on the books since 2006 prohibits feeding wildlife, as does state law.

During the past few weeks, Missoula animal-control officers issued the first violation notices under the municipal law. Notices went to four people, in Missoula’s Rattlesnake neighborhood, who left garbage cans outside. Officials say animals scattered the contents.

Animal-control supervisor Ed Franceschina says second offenses will bring citations and fines.

Costly chain reaction: A Terry, Mont., rancher whose efforts to poison skunks and raccoons ended with the unintentional deaths of three eagles recently was ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution.

“I made a mistake,” Ronald Tibbetts, 61, told U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby on Thursday. “I never really thought the whole picture through.”

Tibbetts admitted that he poisoned skunks and raccoons with meatballs laced with Furidan in 2004 and 2005. The animals ate the meatballs and died. The coyotes ate their carcasses and died. And one mature bald eagle and two immature golden eagles that fed on the coyotes also died.

Living with gators: While some Idaho landowners think they should be able to feed wild animals as they wish on private property, some other states have already learned the lesson.

In Florida, it’s illegal to “feed or entice” alligators.

Feeding the enemy: Minnesota hunter Craig Miller, 44, of Little Canada, Minn., lost hunting privileges for five years and was fined a total of $5,300 last month for using bait to kill a black bear in Colorado and then taking the hide and wasting the meat.

In a bizarre twist of justice, the judge also ordered Miller to pay $500 to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a fringe anti-hunting group, in lieu of community service.

“Had we been asked, we might have recommended the purchase of bear-proof containers to solve issues on a more localized basis; however, we weren’t asked,” said Randy Hampton, Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman.