The experience was “fabulous, absolutely fabulous,” says the retired police officer, whose only real gripe - despite having his actions closely monitored by camera-toting protesters - was the bitter, early December cold. “It worked out exceptionally well.”
Montana wildlife officials say the hunting of bison that leave the park - Montana's first state-run bison hunt in 15 years - has been a success. There were no serious scuffles between hunters and the activists who shadowed nearly their every move. Interest among news reporters - initially intense and international in scope - has dwindled.
Despite support from hunters like Rossi, and from Gov. Brian Schweitzer, concerns persist.
Some animal rights activists believe any hunting is premature until the state has greater tolerance for bison and treats them more like free-roaming wildlife. Many activists also find laughable the position of wildlife officials who say this is a “fair-chase” hunt.
“Even if they're roaming over a larger area, this wouldn't be a fair-chase situation,” said Nancy Perry, vice president of governmental affairs for The Humane Society of the United States. Bison often don't flee, she said. “I can't even think of a good-enough, pathetic analogy for shooting a bison resting on the ground.”
The state Legislature ended bison hunting in 1991, after public outcry and protests over the way earlier hunts were conducted. Then, it was common for game wardens to lead hunters to bison that often were shot at close range while grazing. This time around, wardens are not offering assistance.
Daryld Pepprock of Stevensville didn't have trouble finding bison. Like other hunters, he scouted the Yellowstone area before going afield with friends. Pepprock didn't want a spectacle surrounding his kill.
He said he conveyed his concerns to members of the Buffalo Field Campaign, an activist group that has kept constant watch in the field and documented the hunt. They were receptive and considerate when he encountered them, he said.
“My perspective as a hunter was I was pleasantly surprised with the way they acted,” said Pepprock, who added that he saw some protesters help a hunter pack out an animal.
Reports such as that, and reports of protesters accepting bison meat, drew a quick response from the West Yellowstone-based Buffalo Field Campaign.
“We're not there to help hunters,” spokeswoman Stephany Seay said. “We can educate them, but assisting them is out of the question.”
Fifty hunting licenses were made available initially, with 16 of those allocated to American Indian tribes. At least one tribe refused its share, citing its own burgeoning bison herd.
The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said 19 bison were killed in the first segment of the hunt. It's scheduled end was Sunday, but state officials shortened the session by several days. They said too many Yellowstone bison wandered too far into Montana, and they wanted to haze them into retreating.
A state-federal management plan allows hazing and capture in an effort to reduce the potential spread of the disease brucellosis from bison to cattle that are grazing in Montana. Although many of the park's bison have brucellosis, activists say there's not been a documented case of bison-to-cattle transmission in the wild.
Frustration with that plan has helped give rise to support, in some quarters, for hunting as a management option.
“I think by and large the people, especially from this state, agree bison should be managed as wild, big game animals, and hunting is a most appropriate way to manage these herds,” said Hal Harper, Schweitzer's chief policy adviser.
Rossi said he was honored to have taken part in the hunt.
“I think what they're doing is very well thought out, very wise,” the Billings man said. “I don't know why everybody's making a big deal out of it.”
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