Mike Hoggan of Valier is sharing stories from his four-decade career in wildlife management in a new book. Hoggan spent more than 42 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services Program, working alongside sheep ranchers and managing predator populations.
Tim McGonigal talked with Hoggan about his experiences - watch:
From coyotes and wolves to mountain lions and grizzly bears, Mike Hoggan saw it all in more than four decades as a government hunter.
He has compiled some of his more memorable stories in a new book, ‘Between Predator & Prey: Forty-Two Years a Government Hunter.’
Not only did he help relocate animals; he also helped farmers and ranchers avoid losing livestock to predators.
One of the countless producers who benefited from Mike’s work is 73-year-old Karl Rappold, who has been ranching west of DuPuyer most of his life.
“I've gone around and done a lot of different things and stuff, but I've never been away from the ranch very long,” said Rappold. “I always come back here, because this is this is home, and it means everything to me.”
Rappold is no stranger to hard work.
“There's no relaxing days when you're on the ranch or you're fighting Mother Nature all the time,” said Rappold.
The task is made even tougher by an ever-increasing spread of predators in the last several decades.
“We've got everything that's got teeth and claws. I mean mountain lions, wolves, grizzly bears, and black bears. Even eagles are starting to grab a few baby calves now,” said Rappold.
It's a lot to handle on your own. That’s where the United States Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, formerly known as the Department of Interior’s Animal Damage Control, with specialists Hoggan, come in.
“Mike was the type of person that you could trust him whether he was working for the U.S. government or what,” said Rappold. “When Mike told you something, he was going to do it.”
“I don't think anybody dealt with what I dealt with up here,” said Hoggan.
Mike’s career started in 1978 on a Nevada sheep ranch.
“While I was there, I experienced firsthand what coyotes do, and I met government trappers. So that's what I wanted to do,” said Hoggan.
After 10 years of living in a sheep wagon, he eventually made his way to Valier, where in 1992 he became a wildlife service specialist.
“I always thought that our agency, USDA Wildlife Services, did more for the recovery of the grizzly bear than anything,” said Hoggan.
Since retiring in 2020, Mike has been running a sheep operation with his wife Maureen.
He came up with the idea of writing a book about his experiences about 15 years ago when he and a friend were discussing a story about a coyote killing a llama. It got Mike to thinking about all the different encounters he’d had and he decided to start writing them down in a spiral notebook. When Maureen found he notebook years later, she urged Mike to write the book. While Mike did the writing, Maureen handled the artwork and marketing.
“This book tells a story of wildlife services and one person that worked for them,” said Hoggan.
The book includes about 30 chapters of different experiences in Mike's life, including a chapter on unexplained mutilations.
It’s more than just a collection of funny and frightful stories.
“The Rocky Mountain Front is unique. You got it all. You got the grizzly bears, mountain lions, wolves.”
Hoggan says those predators often get a bad rap.
“I guess in a way, I worked for all these innocent grizzly bears that are not causing problems, you know, trying to get that one that's doing it,” said Hoggan.
It wasn’t just a book that Mike wrote that helped overcome stereotypes.He says about 15 years ago he worked with a Great Falls man to develop a humane trap called the Select-A-Catch.
“If you use a light cable, it might cut a little bit. So, we worked together came up with a snare that has got a kink less chain that goes around. So, it keeps the circulation going. It won't cut,” said Hoggan.
Mike says the trap isn’t just useful in the wilds of Montana.
“There's a lot of places it can be used. We sell a lot to animal rescues for dog catchers. When they catch a dog it doesn't hurt,” said Hoggan.
Reflecting on his career, Mike takes pride that he worked in a field not typical of most government jobs.
“We kind of joked it was one of the few government programs that you drive in with a government pickup, they might have a little crack of a smile on their face since you're going to be there to help them,” said Hoggan.
A helping hand ranchers like Karl are thankful for.
“He didn't become a government hunter or trapper to you. He became a friend,” said Rappold. “So whenever you needed help, Mike was here to help.”
'Between Predator & Prey: Forty-Two Years a Government Hunter' is available through Amazon and at Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Great Falls
