Wolf hunting

[ELK_HUN10]

The wolfs have been reintroduced! There population grows by 25% per year.

[GRAZOR]

Hey ELK, I'm not sure I understand your Poll questions!

Maybe some intro is in order here so we get where you are comming from or trying to get to.

I don't live in Wolf country but many years ago the wolf was here and was a very natural predator.

There is no talk about re introducing them here but I would be fine if they did because the Coyotes are running rampid and I suspect doing about the same to our deer population as the wolf is to your Elk.

Whats up?

Gary

[ELK_HUN10]

Following is a recent story in an Idaho Newspaper, I will comment afterward. Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 04/16/08


No charges will be filed against a rancher who shot two wolves west of Ashton on April 1.
“In my opinion, there is 'reasonable doubt’ whether the wolves were, or were not, molesting livestock or domestic animals,” said Karl H. Lewies, Fremont County prosecuting attorney, in a letter to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

The case stems from the killing of two male wolves. It is the first reported case of wolves being shot in Idaho since they were removed from the endangered species list on March 28.

Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers and the Fremont County prosecutor’s office investigated the incident. The first wolf was shot was within view of the individual’s home and near the landowner’s horses. The second wolf was killed a little more than a mile from the man’s home and horses, Fish and Game officials said. After shooting the first wolf, the man had pursued the second wolf on a snowmobile.

“I have determined that no charges will be filed,” Lewies wrote.

Since delisting, wolves have been cla$$ified as big game animals in Idaho.

Owners of livestock and domestic animals are allowed to kill wolves in the act of attacking or molesting their animals. But wolves taken in this manner must be reported to Fish and Game within 72 hours.

In 1995-96, when wolves were re-introduced, there were just 35 wolves in the state. Today, there are more than 800 wolves roaming Idaho lands.

According to Idaho Fish and Game, the state plans to maintain 500 to 700 wolves.

For some of the back country hunting units in Idaho, the elk are getting scarce because of the number of wolves. Each year the wolves have been extending their range. The Idaho Fish & Game sent me a questioneer on wolf siting in Idaho the last hunting season. Following is my response: for wolves less the 50 GPS miles from Boise, Idaho. We were walking into our hunting area in the morning when we heard a wolf howl. Over the next few minutes he howled three or four more times. I know what he was saying. He was saying "I found them, someone come over and help me". So we did. It was about a quarter of a mile to where they were. When we got over there, we seen four elk running, more or less towards us. The elk were more concerned about what was behind them than they were of us. They ran past about a 100 yards from us. We did not shoot because they were running and we were muzzle-loader hunting. The wolves belong in Yellowstone Park. They should have kept them there. To say that they are unpopular is an understatement. Maybe they can reintroduce them in New York, They kill coyotes on sight...

[ELK_HUN10]

Following is a link to the Idaho Fish & Game site that lists some precautions to take with wolves.http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/rules/bg/wolf.pdf

[GRAZOR]

Sadly, there was a time when nature was able to take care of her self!

Over population of one species was usually met by an increase in another predatory one to keep things in check and ballance out the echo system.

We don't ever seem to get it right when we attempt to bring natural predators back after they have been descimated.

I don't know a thing about the Elk population in Idaho or the wolf situation there as I am sure you do.

Here in NY the DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) has made more mistakes then I care to even mention. I suspect this is what is happening out by you.

For a long time we had way too many deer here and they caused major problems both on the roads with cars and in the woods with over eating and then starving. NY brought back the coyotes to keep the deer heard in check because people these days just are not hunters like they used to be.

Coyotes flourished because they can survive on just about anything. The problem is there is no natural predator for them.

Most of the farms are gone here now so there are very few corn or alfalfa fields left to feed the deer. We have a major problem with the Gypsy moth. While they are in the catipillar stage they strip thousands of acres of trees so the trees don't produce nut crops that year. The deer have no food and the coyotes now have fewer deer to feed on.

As a kid I could always go rabbit or bird hunting and always come home with dinner. Today, I would be hard pressed to even find a rabbit or pheasant because the coyotes have them just about gone.

My neighbor loves to hunt and in the past few years has taken up coyote hunting. He got 52 last winter and I can stand out on my back deck every night and hear the coyotes howling from 5 different directions.

Soon, the deer will have fawns and I will see a few in my back yard. Usually from the same doe who has been here right along. It won't be more then a week or two and I'll see her with no fawns left. I can take a walk and find the remains the coyotes left.

The only smart thing coyotes do is they seem to leave livestock and pets alone and stay in the woods. Soon though, there will be no more game for them and problems will become comon.

Seems to me that every time man tries to ballance nature he misses a couple major facts along the way.

There is a term "Don't F#@$ with mother nature" and we still have not learned to believe it.

The animals that were here 40 years ago when I was a kid were Deer, Bear, Mink, Fox, Racoons, Beaver, Muskrat, Rabbit, Partridge and Pheasants. Now we have very few of these left and plenty of coyotes that were re introduced back in the early 1980s.

Time to tune up the .223 and buy a rabbit call box to bring in the coyotes I guess.

Your problems with the wolves will likely get alot worse before it gets better so my thought would be similar for you and I don't plan on doing much reporting like we are supposed to.

Gary

[ELK_HUN10]

I think my wife summed it up best. A bunch of people were talking about the wolves, spotted owls and other creatures and they asked my wife if she liked wild animals. She replied that she just loved them, especially fried.

[heath_jhns]

fried is good but the grill is better.i love my wild game.

[ELK_HUN10]

It looks like everyone is choosing up sides. Following is a report put out by Idaho F & G: Wolf Report: Hunting Seasons Considered


Deep and lingering snows are keeping wolves in lower elevations mostly along winter range later than usual this year, providing more opportunity for wolves to be in close proximity to cattle calving operations.

But this year may be the first time in Idaho history that a wolf hunting season will help control numbers in some areas.

Fish and Game biologists have set this schedule for wolf rule setting:


April 28 - Statewide recommendations were sent to regional offices.

April 30 through May 16 - Public review and comment period.

May 16 - Summaries of regional public comments, and final regional recommendations are due to headquarters.

May 21-22 - Idaho Fish and Game Commission scheduled to consider wolf hunting rules and seasons during meeting at Jerome Fish and Game office.
The number of wolf depredations has increased every year since reintroductions and the resultant wolf control actions under federal authority correlate to the increasing wolf population and wolf activity in areas with high wolf-livestock conflict potential.

Wolf control in April has gone from one depredation incident and no wolf control action in 2005 to 14 depredation incidents and nine wolves killed in 2008.

Many depredation incidents are occurring in areas without historically high levels of depredations, including Council-Cambridge area, Horseshoe Bend, Lemhi, Pahsimeroi, Ashton, Mountain Home and other locations on private ground far from core wolf areas.

From March 28 through April 24 officials recorded 17 wolf mortalities: nine kills authorized in livestock depredations, two illegal takes, three killed under state law, two vehicle collisions, and one natural death.

Meanwhile, 12 conservation groups Monday, April 28, sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over delisting the gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

The groups are asking the U.S. District Court in Missoula to suspend state management of wolves until the case is resolved.

[heath_jhns]

We have the same problem here but with coyotes.They kill about 3 to 4 calves every year and we kill every coyote we see.But it seems like every coyote u kill 3 takes it place.I dont think u can get rid of them.

Heath

[ELK_HUN10]

The bumper sticker said: "Smoke a pack of Grey Wolves"