Woman Kills Husky “Thinking” it was a Wolf: Hunters Rightfully Outraged
September 27, 2022
When Amber Rose Barnes posted the picture of her successful “wolf” hunt on Facebook, she didn’t expect the reaction that she got. The wolf was, in fact, a Husky, and it was obvious to everyone on the internet she was in the wrong. Barnes posted the photo yesterday with the caption:
“So this morning I set out for a solo predator hunt for a fall black bear however I got the opportunity to take another predator wolf pup 2022 was a great feeling to text my man and say I just smoked a wolf pup.” #fisrtwolf #onelesspredatorMT
Hunters and non-hunters alike are outraged about the post. For the hunting community, this is just more fuel for people who are anti-hunting or on the fence. Not a single hunter on any of the Facebook posts condoned Rose’s actions, and that is a good thing. As hunters know, we police our own. We have to since our hunting rights and the rights of future generations are at stake.
After Barnes made the post, several hundred comments started to pile up on the original post, and others shared it across Facebook. Commenters called for her arrest and started to question if her actions were legal and what they could do to help authorities track her down.
As you can imagine, this story has been taken up by every organization that is anti-hunting as an example of how bloodthirsty and cruel hunters are. There are a few lessons to learn from this event.
Know the Species
There is a big difference between a wolf and a husky. You’d think that would be obvious to everyone, but perhaps not. Barnes said she was on a black bear hunt and then happened upon a wolf pup. As a pup, a wolf still does not look like a husky. The coloration of the two is completely different. Also, wolves don’t have curly tails as Huskies do, and there’s a big difference in size. Huskies top out around 60 pounds while wolves reach 180 pounds.
A simple rule for hunting: if you are not 100% sure of what you are doing, don’t pull the trigger. If you do, then slow down before you post it on social media. This leads to the second point.
Social Media Posts
Posting your hunts on social media is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, people are proud of their hunts and accomplishments. Sometimes we hunt for days, weeks, or months to have a successful hunt. Also, posting on social media normalizes hunting for the rest of the population. On the other hand, if someone is anti-hunting, then posts of successful hunts only fuel their fire. It seems like every time there a giraffe is killed and posted on social media that a new wave of anti-hunting propaganda is produced.
I’m in the camp that we should post to social media to help normalize hunting. However, it shouldn’t be something that causes outrage. If there is a lot of blood, then perhaps you can make the photo black and white or cover the blood. Maybe don’t take photos that present you or the animal in a bad light. Sure, you shouldn’t have to do this, but if small things like this can keep some pressure off of hunting and prevent the anti-hunting narrative, aren’t they worth it?
Barnes didn’t take any of this into consideration when she posted her photos, and that is part of the outrage. When confronted about her mistake, instead of being humble and learning, she doubled down. This leads to the third point.
Think Before you Speak
If you are a hunter, then like it or not, you represent every hunter on the planet. Your actions will be used to paint hunters in a good or bad light. When Barnes posted the photos of her hunt on social media, I think she set hunters back in a lot of people’s eyes. When she was confronted about her actions, instead of taking the post down, apologizing, or learning from her mistake, she went on the defensive. In several posts and comments, she defended her actions and added to the story that she thought the ‘wolf pup’ was a hybrid and it was acting aggressively and was going to eat her.
All of this transpired after the comments were piling up by the hundreds on her Facebook post. Then to make matters worse, her partner decided to join the conversation with the post below.
Obviously, Frank Tallent didn’t think before he posted that, or else he would have realized that discretion is the better part of valor. But by this point, things were getting worse, and Barnes had this statement to make where she somewhat admits to wrongdoing but is still defending herself.
More to the Story
As it turns out, the huskies were dropped off with several other dogs in the area near Barnes was hunting. KPAX reported this:
Several dogs were recently picked up by people in the Doris Creek area and turned over to animal control.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office reports that on Sept. 23, they were contacted by local citizens who had picked up several husky and shepherd mix dogs.
The parties were able to pick up 11 dogs which were turned over to Animal Control and taken to the animal shelter.
Animal Control later located several other dogs in the Doris Creek area which were also taken to the animal shelter.
Several of the dogs have tested positive for parvovirus and are currently being evaluated.
According to a news release, the Sheriff’s Office was notified by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks that one of the dogs may have been shot.
The person who is believed to have shot the dog has been identified.
The case is under investigation and anyone with information pertaining to the investigation is being asked to email tips to tips@flathead.mt.gov.
The Sheriff’s Office reports the dogs are not up for adoption at this time and investigators are attempting to identify the person or persons who left the dogs in the area of Doris Creek.
It remains to be seen what will happen to Barnes from this hunt. The state of Montana requires hunters to call in their harvest and bring in the pelt and skull for inspection to the FWP office within 10 days of their harvest. I suspect that will be a very interesting interaction.
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.
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