Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation Supports Elk Hazing Effort in Paradise Valley to Protect Livestock and Wildlife

Paradise Valley, Mont. — Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation (MOLF) has awarded a $3,000 grant to support an elk hazing program in Paradise Valley, helping ranchers and wildlife managers reduce the risk of brucellosis transmission by keeping cattle and elk separated during the calving season.

The effort supports ranchers who participate in the Paradise Valley Working Lands Group and work closely with Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) on a range of wildlife and predator-related issues. While these ranchers are generally supportive of overwintering large elk herds on their properties, they have asked for assistance during the brucellosis transmission risk period to ensure cattle and elk remain physically separated.

The traditional approach involves hiring skilled horseback riders — known as elk hazers — who are on call to move elk away from areas where commingling with cattle may occur. While FWP covers the majority of the program’s costs and provides insurance coverage for hazers, the agency is limited by the allowable wage rate. This, combined with the uncertain work load (minimal in some years, heavy in others) can make it difficult to retain hazers available to work in sometimes harsh conditions.

MOLF’s contribution provides stipends of $1,500 per hazer, helping ensure qualified, local riders remain available from March through May — a period when brucellosis transmission risk is highest. The stipend provides hazers, who must be hired in advance, a guaranteed income level before the winter's hazing requirements are known.

“With consistent support from Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, elk hazing has become one of our most effective tools for keeping elk and cattle separated and reducing the risk of brucellosis—especially during the critical calving period into May,” said Druska Kinkie, a Paradise Valley rancher. “That time of year can be challenging due to weather, green-up, and predator activity, but this support makes it possible to move elk successfully while continuing to coexist with large herds.”Michael Yarnall, Livingston-area wildlife biologist for FWP, emphasized the importance of retaining skilled hazers who understand both the land and the animals.

“Effective elk hazing requires experience, judgment, and local knowledge,” Yarnall said. “Our hazers need to know when to move elk — and when not to. MOLF’s support helps us keep qualified hazers in place, reduces brucellosis transmission risk to benefit both wildlife and the ranching community.”

Mitch King, executive director of Montana's Outdoor Legacy Foundation, said the grant reflects MOLF’s commitment to practical, collaborative conservation.

“This is a great example of how modest investments can make a real difference,” King said. “By helping retain experienced local hazers, we’re supporting ranchers, reducing disease risk, and strengthening a partnership that has proven successful year after year.”

MOLF has supported the Paradise Valley elk hazing program at the $3,000 annual level for several years, receiving consistent positive feedback from both ranchers and FWP for its effectiveness and cooperative approach.