State wildlife authorities have cited owners of a Bitterroot Valley game farm for allowing elk to be killed on their land south of Darby. Leonard Wallace, 60, and Pamela Wallace, 38, each received five misdemeanor citations accusing them of allowing the illegal shooting of ‘alternative livestock’ for a fee. The couple already squared off in a legal battle with Fish and Wildlife which wants to block them from giving some of their elk to the Crow Tribe for release on the reservation. A judge halted any future shipments, saying state law does not allow it and the Wallaces appealed to the state Supreme Court. The Wallaces own Big Velvet Ranch and are among those who contested the legality of Initiative 143, a measure voters enacted last year that prohibits hunting captive game animals or alternative livestock for a fee. The citations show five different men shot elk on the ranch. Sept. 13 Wallace acknowledged the shootings within the past several weeks and said he will challenge the tickets on the basis the new law is unconstitutional.
