Jim,
It seems the wolf article has stirred up the animal lovers.The article really does describe the northwest Montana area between Trego and Eureka. Every hunter I talk with tells me how the wolves have destroyed the resident elk herd. And, despite hunter pressure of shoot + shovel + shut up the packs are growing. The second point I want to make is if you take one down do not approach and DO not take the cape. Most are [biochip] tagged and the chips are traceable. So if you pop one, just walk away. Lastly I would not worry about the misguided wolf lovers writing your advertisers. No one likes animals that attack children and pets. Their hate mail will not deter me from advertising with you, starting in July. BTW… Most of my clients feel the same way I do about predators. Kind Regards, – Rosie the Bull
James,
I know precious little about Wolves. But I do know by second hand information from other foresters here in northern Idaho as well as by surveys done that the wolf packs in northern Idaho are growing. They do not seem to be affecting deer and elk populations here yet, as we still see enough [tree] plantation browse that certain areas need to be replanted repeatedly . Wolf sightings are getting more common among folks in the majority of our work areas.
This is a recent newspaper article out of the Clearwater River Valley. [JWR Adds: This small town newspaper article from Kamiah, Idaho speaks volumes. BTW, this same article was mention by SurvivalBlog reader T.L.P.] There are a couple odd things like what is a hound hunter doing without a sidearm. But the world is full of different people, who can say. Hope this helps. BTW, here in St. Maries (Idaho) a favorite bumper sticker is “Canadian Wolves – Smoke a Pack a Day!” Thanks Much, – E.B.
And this one from Steven UP (the writer of the original article that started the flamefest)
Jim:
It is not surprising that my article on wolves drew some heavy e-mails. Okay, first let’s just look at some facts.
Do wolves attack people? Yes, they do. That is proven fact. Links were provides in the first article. Want more information? Check out Outdoor Life, March 2006 issue and read the article ” The Myth of wolves not attacking humans has been scattered.” You will read about a college student who was attacked and killed by a pack of wolves. If you really want to find out the truth, then track down where the myth that “North American Wolves have never attack people before” started. A real good read on how back in the 1970s a few elitists dismissed [wolf attacks] and claimed that all historical wolf attack were unreliable therefore they never happened. A new standard was set that stated that in order for it to be called a documented wolf attack the wolf had to be killed and tested for rabies. When wolves have attack people and the person has driven them off without killing them, then it is not a “documented” wolf attack.
Here is article that describes few more true wolf attacks (From different time periods.) Can you imagine the horror of that poor woman to have to watch her husband and son ripped to shreds and eating in front of her? Did you go to links provide and read the evidence? Here is a link.
Beginning in 1997, Carrie Schaefer did a study of Yellowstone wolf/elk interaction entitled “Spatial and Temporal Variation in Wintering Elk Abundance and Composition, and Wolf Response.” Among other things, her study revealed that areas of high wolf concentration inside Yellowstone had calf ratios dropping precipitously – 0 to 10 calves per 100, even while the ratio outside high wolf concentration areas remained at 46 calves per 100!
That is a fact. The Carrie Schaefer study proved that wolves where wiping out the elk calves. These are documented statistics: 0-10 calves per 100 survive in high wolf population areas. Outside high wolf concentration elk calves remained at 46 per 100 cow elk.
How can you you choose to ignore a Montana state biologist, when it simply doesn’t match your world view?
Next, see: http://www.aws.vcn.com/wolves_and_hunting.html. A wolf requires five to ten pounds of meat per day for survival, thus the wolf requires a considerable amount of meat in one year – nearly a ton of meat per year per wolf. A wolf is capable of consuming great quantities of meat, up to one fifth of its body weight, at one time. Thus, a wolf does not have to kill each day to survive.
Read the whole article. The facts are right there, from a qualified biologist.
See: http://www.aws.vcn.com/wildlife.html Warning: Gruesome pictures of deer ripped to shreds by wolves.http://nlrl.org/opinion%20articles/mtwolfpolicy.htm
The template for public policy regarding wolf management in Montana: Montana Senate passes House Joint Resolution 29 (HJ29), by a 46 to 4 majority – “Reservation of rights and remedies for wolf control“, submitted simultaneously in Idaho and Montana
For all you wolf lovers out there, please explain to me why do we need a law passed to give us permission to protect our dogs and livestock? The facts are right there to read.
With the powerful brainwashing tool of television, everyone believes they’re are wolf expert now days. They think the wolf is some mystical creature and none of the native American never hunted them. While it is true some tribes didn’t hunt the wolves. But most tribes did. If you read Geronimo’s autobiography he states that as a young Apache to reach adulthood a young man had to kill a wolf, a cougar or bear. What happens when you try to prove to people they have been brainwashed? They attack you because the television is more powerful than the written word.
The second letter stated. “Much of his ‘thesis’ is pure bunk, conjecture, speculation.” Again just because he lived in the U.P. longer that I did does not give him any special qualification. Everything I say was backed up with facts, unlike the rebuttals. I wrote to wake up people that have been lied to. The bottom line is that in some regions where they are abundant, the wolves are knocking the heck out of big game. Just because you drive in the U.P. does not make you qualified to say whether or not the deer population is getting wiped out. Because if you check you will find out that over 100,000 deer hunters quit last year. If you bother to check the game laws this year, they are allowing only one buck per hunter for the U.P. But it can’t be from the wolves that 100,000 hunters quit. Nope, can’t be. Lowering the human harvest of deer has nothing to do with wolves. Nope can’t be. So debunk the attacks on people I guess Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, and Reader’s Digest were all lying then, right? Conjecture, yep sure, Just ignore the Montana biologist that documented the wolves wiping out the elk calves. Yep, speculation on watching calves killed on farms. Yep can’t be the wolves, it has to be “bunk, conjecture, and speculation.”
In summary, here is a quick update to check the facts. Fact: Yes wolves attack people. Fact: Yes wolves attack livestock. Fact:: Yes wolves are wiping out the big game animals. Fact: Yes we all have been fed a pack of lies about wolf packs. You can all choose to ignore the facts, attack the author, attack the web site, and protest to everyone you’d like, but in the end the facts on wolves will still be the same.- Steven UP