King’s Outdoor World Blog

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• 1. Wolves Taking Down a Moos&hellip  |  February 15th, 2007 at 11:53 am

  […] Originally Syndicated via RSS from King’s Outdoor World Blog […]

• 2. Soon to be Idaho Wolf Hunter  |  February 15th, 2007 at 2:37 pm

  I thought that wolves only got the sick and weak!!!!!

• 3. Kristy  |  February 15th, 2007 at 4:38 pm

  Nope. They usually hunt the sick and the weak, and they also eat small animals like mice and rabbits when food plentiful. But, if they go a long time without a decent kill they will eat a large healthy animal, and then cache what they don’t eat for later so they don’t worry about going hungry again. The reason they were eating it alive is probably that they were starving and couldn’t wait for it to die.

• 4. Brandon  |  February 15th, 2007 at 10:04 pm

  That is amazing that wolves can take down a healthy full grown moose, way to be at the right place at the right time

• 5. d muley  |  February 16th, 2007 at 1:16 pm

  In my opinion wolves are a menace they supposably only take down the sick and weaker animals, this is a full grown moose in good condition, just imagine what they have done to the deer and elk herds since they have been reintroduced to yellowstone and surrounding areas. I think they should make an open season on them. I would much rather see a big old buck or bull roaming the hills than a wolf.

• 6. Kristy  |  February 16th, 2007 at 3:30 pm

  I know, it’s terrible how the wolves are killing and eating the animals that it’s natural for them to eat.

• 7. huckleberry  |  February 16th, 2007 at 5:13 pm

  My husband used to cowboy on a ranch here in Montana. Wolves also kill for fun - he has seen it first hand. Wolves are a menace to livestock and wildlife alike. There was a reason our forefathers got rid of them in the first place.

• 8. Casey  |  February 17th, 2007 at 12:27 am

  Another thing to get to hunt? Awesome!!!!! I hope that this will not be a deal where the state contracts out w/ private hound hunters onlyto get to hunt these w/ dogs like they did w/ our bears here in Washington. The people voted that it was unethical to hunt bears w/dogs and now the only people who get to do it are licensed bear hunters on private land. If it was voted unethical then why do some people get to do it? I have encountered on more than one occasion people from out of state hunting bears legally in Washington w/ dogs. How? The people voted against it. I am for hound hunting and baiting for everyone not just the select few. Dont let this happen w/ the wolfs and or the game in youre area. Thanks.

• 9. Jeremey Mugnano  |  February 17th, 2007 at 12:27 am

  I’m not an animal rights activist…not by far, but put yourself in their paws. If you were starving, would you wait for a sick/wounded animal or take what ever you could? This is nature at its best and its not always pleasant. If they were taking down a human then we might have a legitimate complaint but their only doing what comes natural, what Mother Nature has programmed them to do and we as humans should let nature take its course without interference. Bottom line…you can’t blame them for being hungry.

• 10. muley  |  February 17th, 2007 at 11:24 am

  totally agree with huckleberry. i have not seen a moose around here for six months. i used to see them everywhere! i sure hope we win the struggle of for wildlife, against the greenies! im sorry kris** that you live in dream land!

• 11. Mostly Mike  |  February 18th, 2007 at 6:52 am

  The wolves and the moose of Isle Royale National Park have been studied for about 40 years now.

  Moose are the only prey for the wolves on this island. The populations of each keeping cycling up and down over the years — high numbers of moose, few wolves; then lots of wolves, few moose. Wolves starve, lots of moose, Wolves rebound . . . you get the idea.

• 12. JEFF E  |  February 18th, 2007 at 11:01 am

  Where in any description of this event does it say this moose was a healthy animal. Maybe it was maybe it wasn’t. As far as eating it alive, get real. Look at any hunter-prey interaction any where in the world and you will note that all animals will start to feed at the earliest opportunity, whether it is a fish eating another fish or a snake eating a rodent, or whatever. Stop trying to apply human characteristics to animals and you will walk away a better educated individual.

• 13. jake carlson  |  February 18th, 2007 at 11:34 am

  Yes wolves will kill fun, they are getting out of hand here in idaho, they have made a huge dent in our deer and elk population im glad there are opening a hunt for these animals.

• 14. bob mangold  |  February 18th, 2007 at 10:52 pm

  I live in the Great State of Idaho and I can tell you without any hesitation that the Canadian Grey Wolf that was reintoduce to the three Western States have devasted not only the
  Ranchers,Farmers livestock but our Deer, Moose and Elk numbers are becoming alarming endangered. I have seen first hand how these Wildlife Terrorists eat their prey alive. Wolves will kill just to kill including healthy animals that are stuggling every day to stay alive.. We have even had instances of Wolves coming into our yards and attacking our pets including even horses. The Govenment realizes we are on a collision course and finally has realized/admitted what these imported Wolf can do in the packs, they are killing machines and put its prey thought agonize terror has the animal is mained and then eaten alive. Why do you think our fore fathers wiped out these killers. I’m not saying eliminate them but the numbers need to me controlled. I have a large number of Wolf articles on instances that have taken place if you are interested.

• 15. BIGBEAR  |  February 19th, 2007 at 8:14 am

  THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO CONTROL THE WOLF IN WYOMING!!

• 16. sam  |  February 20th, 2007 at 12:24 am

  Would the “brilliant ones” who re-introduced these unforgiving predators back to us bring back the dinosauars if they could? They are extinct, and I don’t miss them either. Have been to northern British Columbia and have seen this foul creatures devistation first hand. We need to rid ourselves of this problem once again, and to heck with the do gooders who are doing us no good turn!

• 17. Tracker  |  February 20th, 2007 at 1:37 pm

  The simple fact that wolves are pack preditors and reproduce so abundtly makes them dangerous to every animal in the environment. It was a huge mistake to reintroduce these animals back in the lower 48. They weren’t wiped out before for no reason.

• 18. Cookie  |  February 20th, 2007 at 6:34 pm

  Bob, I’d be interested in seeing those articles if you could post a link.

• 19. Kristy  |  February 21st, 2007 at 1:31 pm

  Sam, you’re comparing an animal that was wiped out by natural means to an animal that was nearly killed off because people were too hot headed and selfish to think about what they were doing. I don’t understand how people can say that a predator, no matter brutal their hunting tactics may seem, is a danger to wildlife. I saw someone in another post call wolves “wildlife terrorists”. In the natural world, it’s not about being humane. People who believe they are helping the environment by killing off predators in favor of “more humane” methods of hunting with guns and bows need to think long and hard about what they are saying. Wolves and other carnivores fill a niche in the ecosystem that humans can never replace.

• 20. Shane  |  February 22nd, 2007 at 11:27 am

  Wolves are ok as long as you keep their numbers in check. You cannot just restablish them and let them reporduce without some sort of check and balance just like anything else. I do not live in a western state so I cannot say first hand what the wolves are doing I only know what I hear.

  Allot us are only upset with this becuase we see the pictures of what the wolves did. None of us looking at the pictures should be alarmed at this. As this is part of nature whether these were wolves, mountain lion, or bear the natural predation that goes on in nature would still happen. But as I stated there numbers need to be held in check so it does not get out of control just like anything else.

• 21. soon to be a wolf hunter in idaho  |  February 23rd, 2007 at 12:25 pm

  wolves were tookin out of the food chain for a reason, why reintroduce them when they were gone. we did fine when they were gone and well do it again. i hate wolves

• 22. Mike Mooney  |  February 23rd, 2007 at 2:18 pm

  Greenies never give man his rightfull place at the TOP of the food chain…………………

• 23. Cookie  |  February 23rd, 2007 at 6:48 pm

  I’ve read some of the things that people have been saying, and I don’t want to make anyone feel like I am criticizing them, but I feel that some things need to be said and I hope that people who read this will read it with an open mind. Some people may not want to believe it, but wolves are needed in America. D Muley mentioned that he would rather see a buck or a bull out in the wild than a wolf. It’s good to see those game animals sometimes, but large numbers of them can actually be very harmful to the environment. They will feed on plants and trees to the point that there is almost nothing left, and by doing that they also affect the number of trees that will grow. Eventually they can kill off some species of plants, which is almost what happened in Yellowstone. Hunters help to control that, but wolves restore the number of deer and moose to a more natural balance. They don’t go for the healthy animals that hunters want(unless they absolutely have to, and that’s usually during hard winters when they are forced to hunt healthier members of herds). Wolves also provide food for scavengers when they are finished with a kill. Some people are under the impression that wolves will hunt large animals for fun. They will kill for fun but not an animal as large as a deer. That would take way too much energy for them to even bother. The fact that people are blaming wolves for killing hundreds of livestock is hard for me to understand, because it seems that they see tracks around a carcass and assume that wolves are the killers. That’s not to say they never prey on livestock, but wolves are known to scavenge off the remains of animals that are already dead. Another person made the comment that wolves reproduce abundantly. That’s really not true, only one pair breeds in each pack so that the population doesn’t get way out of control. The number of wolves in the lower 48 states isn’t huge yet, and they certainly don’t need to be hunted to the absolute lowest number possible. I think the most important issue though, is that people are worried about attacks on humans if there are more wolves. There have been 16 cases of wolves attacking people in North America since 1970, and only a few of those were fatal. That’s a very small number compared to attacks by other animals. Sorry if this post seems too long. I just had a lot to say, and I hope that it helps change people’s opinions of wolves.

• 24. dillon  |  February 24th, 2007 at 8:24 am

  I HAVE BEEN READING THROUGH THESE COMMENTS AS WELL. FOR ANYONE TO SAY THAT THE WOLVES HAVE NOT MADE AN INPACT ON THE WILDLIFE IN THE ID, WY, AND MT AREAS NEED A REALITY CHECK. THEY WILL KILL FOR FUN..MAYBE TO SHOW THERE PUPS HOW ITS DONE, BUT I HAVE COME ACCROSS MANY, MANY DEAD ELK OF THIS SORT. THERE ARE RANCHES IN MT THAT PRIDE THEMSELVES AS TROPHY ELK PRODUCERS…THEY LOST A TROPHY BULL ELK A DAY TO THE TWO WOLF PACKS OF 8-10 IN A 30 SQUARE MILE AREA. ALL OF WHICH WERE SEEN FIRST HAND. SO, ANY OF YOU THAT LOVE THEM SO MUCH..SHOULD GO LIVE WITH THEM..BECAUSE THEY WILL BE DELT WITH EVENTUALLY…..

• 25. clifford  |  February 24th, 2007 at 9:45 pm

  in my opinion WE DONT! need wolves to fill a nich or to take care of animal numbers.if the elk and deer numbers are getting to abundant why not offer more tags, give young hunters more opportunities, extend the seasons.and if the hunters freezers get full we can always donate the meat. i dont see why we cant feed a few hungry humans instead of a bunch of animals.it is very hard already to draw a moose tag in montana and i dont think bringing in more wolves is going to make it any better.as far as the wolves being extinct.we always have had a few they just stayed where they belonged,away from ranches and people.over ten years ago we saw a wolf track in the high country when snowmobiling,and my father in law has saw them on 2 seperate occasions more than twenty years ago.and why do they transplant wolves that are bigger than our original wolves anyway,why cant they transplant some of those alberta,saskachewan monster whitetails or some canadian moose?why bring in bigger wolves of all things?while i dont think every wolf everywhere needs to die .i do think that they need to be kept in very low numbers and in places where the human interaction is least.

• 26. Northern Gal  |  February 25th, 2007 at 2:11 pm

  I believe there needs to be judicious management of wolves but I don’t see that happening. The wolves are moving into rural neighborhoods and coming up on human’s decks. There has been too much saving of these animals rather than a active control of them. Wolves have been 6 feet away from me on our property and they are not afraid because man is not a predator to them anymore. My dog was on a leash with me and the wolf jusat ambled down the trail infront of us. When you have a dog that IS a family member , your actions are different when the wolves move in. They kill dogs because they are there. We cannot let our dog out at night now because the wolves study them and wait for our dog when he goes to pee. My neighbors have lost their dogs and all that was left was the collar. A lady on Lake Sag once said if she saw the last wolf on the earth and had a gun she would shoot it. I would never go that far but I do believe in alot more control. Wolves are vicious blood thirsty aniamls that are too prolific for my taste.They change your life and they are not afraid of man unless he has a gun.

• 27. Slippinit2ya  |  February 26th, 2007 at 10:14 am

  Shane has hit it right on the head, the proposed plan was 10 breeding pairs per state ( Idaho, Montana, & Whyoming) for a grand total of 30 breeding pairs. Idaho now has 60 + breeding pairs alone. Houston we have a problem!!!!!

• 28. Cookie  |  February 26th, 2007 at 3:42 pm

  Well, I’ll leave on this note. Nowhere in my last post did I say that wolves should never be hunted. If their numbers ever get out of control, then yes they should be redused. But people with some of the opinions that I’ve seen on this blog are the reason that wolves are still on the endangered species list. Because if they had it their way there would be no wolves, or any predators for that matter. It’s almost insulting to read some of your comments, after the time and energy that I’ve put into studying American wildlife. Maybe I went about addressing the problem the wrong way. After I read my last comment I realized it sounded too much like I was lecturing. If that insulted anyone, I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention. I only that wish that some of the responses I got(you can guess the two I’m talking about) had been a little more mature.

• 29. wolf hunter to be  |  February 26th, 2007 at 6:02 pm

  I here everyone complain about wolves, but have only heard of a few instances of someone dealing with the problem…

• 30. Clint  |  February 27th, 2007 at 12:32 pm

  Maybe some one should forward this to the USFW service. Acording to them the grizzly bears are the reason for the dwindling moose herds and not the wolves. Maybe I don’t know what a grizzly bear looks like but those look like wolves to me. Living in Western Wyoming My family and I have noticed a huge decline in Elk & moose populations in the last 10 years. Growing up we almost always saw moose on our way to ice fish Jackson Lake, but any more you see coyotes, and crows the moose are very far and few between. I can’t wait until we get them delisted and have a chance to manage the wolf population, then maybe we’ll get a healthy moose, elk & deer population back.

• 31. Hize  |  February 28th, 2007 at 9:50 am

  Just proof enough that the federal government needs to de-list the wolf and back the states, including MT, ID, WY to begin harvesting and controlling “our states” population of wolves. I can’t wait to put a wolf tag in my pack!

• 32. MT.HUNTER  |  February 28th, 2007 at 1:11 pm

  CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT HAVE TO WORK
  HAND IN HAND. YOU CANNOT HAVE ONE OR THE OTHER.
  DOESN’T WORK(DUH)
  DE-LISTMENT IS NECCESSARY TO MAINTAIN THE BALANCE.
  BEFORE THIS BECOMES BIGGER THEN IT ALREADY IS.
  MT./ID./WY HAVE MORE THAN THE REQUIRED BREEDING
  PAIRS, NOW IT’S TIME FOR THE MANAGEMENT 1/2 OF
  THE DEAL TO COME INTO PLAY

• 33. Stephanie Cooper  |  March 1st, 2007 at 9:01 am

  This is really cool it isnt very often that you get to see wolves take down something that large. The wolves are just doing what comes natural and they are actually helping with the elk, deer, and moose population. And besides that if the wolves dont kill them then the people will.

• 34. shane  |  March 2nd, 2007 at 12:02 pm

  glad to hear all of you talking some sense! thanks for the support! we will get it all worked out some day, hopefully before the elk are all gone!

• 35. Jason  |  March 5th, 2007 at 6:29 am

  If there IS and over abundance of wolves in the area, and the food source base is not strong enough to support thier population the wolves will actually dwindle. They will starve, some will survive but not all. Also during the lean times when they have a higher population the amount of pups will decrease, as the mother cannot feed them with milk if she is starving. When they kill it is gruesome,
  but such is the way of life for prey. As far as a ‘healthy population’
  of prey, they need predators to keep thier numbers in check. and yes they will rebound. The wolves need to starve which from what I am hearing will happen soon. If prey is that scattered then they will die off soon. The problem, is that wolves will also scavenge, they will feed of roadkill, eat garbage at landfills and elsewhere, and eat PETS. So again We Humans have an impact. Even if the natural food source for the dwindles there is always human scraps/extras to keep them going. Too bad that it isnt regulated, Where I am you can shoot on your property offending coyotes/wolves if they are near your animals/garbage ONLY. And our ministry of natural resources will also either re-locate of kill wild animals that get too cute and start to invade the landfills/campsites etc. I would suspect though that these wolves population boom would be indicative of the prey not having to contend with them for many years. Hopefully your collective state MNR’s will get thier collective behinds together and monitor the populations, and put measures in place that will allow for a HEALTHY population of all species including wolves.

• 36. Riley Tidlund  |  March 5th, 2007 at 4:44 pm

  You take a good look at them photos at the top of the page.Wolves taking down a MOOSE. Imagine if you were camping and had kids, rather the wolves were hungry or not and seen your little boy or little girl out running around. Do you honostly think that it would just watch? Wrong, you see and hear about wolves killing for fun, dont think for one second that that wolf would not go after your kids. Its going to get to the point whrere there willl be so many wolves people will be scared to go anywhere or do anything in the mountains. These animals need to be taken care of.

• 37. Janet  |  March 8th, 2007 at 1:19 pm

  There is so much of what Cookie stated that I want to comment on. She seems knowlegable about wild life to a point but how long has she actually lived with it like some of the western farmers and ranchers or just people who live in the country? My ninety three year old uncle can tell you wolf and grizzly stories from when he trapped and hunted in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. He would hunt and trap for months while living there. They were abundant in his youth and will tell you they wreaked havoc on livestock and wildlife. He says we don’t need wolves to be re-introduced but I guess he isn’t an expert. He said that the other preditors will take care of what the wolf did and won’t kill with abandon like the wolf.
  My daughter lives in Idaho and has friends who hunt. One told her a firsthand story of finding many deer that had been killed in a box canyon. The fish and game people said it was wolves. I guess they were storing up for a harsh winter.
  A neighbor here in New Mexico told us several wolves came into elk camp and they thought they were going to have to shoot them because shooting over their heads didn’t seem to deter them from advancing. Several of the prized wolves in NewMexico have been done away with because they do kill cows and calves. My husband and I do alot of backpacking in the Gila Wilderness where there are several packs. ‘We used to take our dog with us but now that it is a $25,000 fine if you kill one including defending your pet we don’t take her. She has alerted us on more than one occasion that mountains were in camp. (They fled when yelled at.)
  I don’t want all wolves gone but I do believe you should be able to defend what is yours and that the wolves should not be able to dictate someones livelyhood.
  Cookie, when you talk about the deer and elk killing the plants and trees and killing them that is a game management problem. Hunters can and will help with that. Look at New York states bear population problem. Stop hunting and the problems start one way or another. You stated that all these people commenting on getting rid of the wolves want to get rid of all preditors. That is absolutley not true. Most of us out here in fly over country are a lot smarter than you think. I hope that I haven’t gone on too long but all the people that belong to the Forest Guardians and Sierra Club need to get down off that tall stool at the martini bar and listen to what we are saying. You don’t live with the problem but you sure like to dictate how WE LIVE!!!

• 38. Outdoor Writer Dave Langston  |  March 10th, 2007 at 12:35 pm

  By
  Outdoor Writer
  Dave Langston

  The three of us sat around the kitchen table discussing the decline of the elk population in South East Idaho up to the Yellowstone area. Van Tillotson, Bill Link and I were all concerned about the long lasting effects the INTRODUCED wolves will have on area wildlife.

  When I say INTRODUCED, the Canadian wolf is not native to the state of Idaho. Sure a few come in to the interior and leave but a self-sustaining pack did not exist in the wilds of Idaho. These wolves were introduced not REINTRODUCED. Don’t let anyone fool you; these are not native species to Idaho.

  The Canadian gray wolf is a much larger and powerful wolf than our small native wolves, which many believe, are now on the edge of becoming extinct due to territory conflicts by the larger species. Wolves will run down and exterminate coyotes and this KILLER instinct will or has threatened our small native wolf population.

  In a blog and article published recently in the Idaho State Journal, the Journal of Science (a non-hunting organization) states that the elk population is dwindling due to the pressure wolves are putting on elk herds during mating season not allowing cows to produce offspring. This may be a SMALL part of the decline in the Yellowstone herd but again, do not let the so-called EXPERTS fool you.

  Wolves by nature are cold stone killers. They will kill and feed and then kill for the pure fun of the chase and game as stated by the ex governor of Alaska in the 1990’s. They will run big game to the point of exhaustion leading to the animal’s total collapse. They take the young, the sick and weak and also full-grown mature animals they single out. No animal is sacred to this white shark of the woods. If it sounds like I am starting a stir with the wolf loving community, agencies and so called non-hunting experts…I AM!!! My love of hunting and fishing and the preservation of this sport are that important to me. It is not only my love but also my living.

  Explain to me why 19,000 elk can go to 7,000 head in Yellowstone in 10 years and is stated by Montana biologist that this is the lowest count in over a decade when in the past prior to wolf INTRODUCTION elk flourished. The elk must have been so scared and disrupted over that 10-year period that mating was last on there to do agenda during the HOT September rut. Oh, by the way, pigs started flying today!

  We were so dumb founded by the study we practically burst into laughter, which quickly turned to anger and then concern. There is no way we will ever believe this study where numbers and facts can be manipulated to appease the WOLF huggers and stifle the intellegence of hunters. Are we that naïve to believe the wolf has no impact on our wildlife? Is it a coincidence that since that first wolf introduction in the 1990’s that elk and deer numbers to a degree are plummeting at an alarming rate?

  Now that the Yellowstone herd is depleting quickly what’s next, our Idaho Soda Springs herd! But heck, since pigs are flying our elk in Soda will probably stop mating. And if you believe that maybe I’ll sell you an iceberg in Alaska!

  One final thought. If agencies are INTRODUCING new species of game in the state why don’t we sportsmen INTRODUCE a one-year holdout on elk and deer tags to help our herds out since no one else will? Maybe two?

  Thank God for the proposed wolf hunt. Let the harvest begin.

  Look here to see why I am under attck from PETA and IDAHOWOLVES.ORG

  http://www.pocatelloshops.com/blogs/outdoors.php

• 39. jordan christiansen  |  March 12th, 2007 at 12:58 pm

  this is why wolves should be legal to hunt in Wyoming!!!!!!!!!

• 40. Rick Turvey  |  March 13th, 2007 at 4:45 pm

  I trapped in fairbanks alaska for a long time, I found wolves to be the smartest of all animals. I saw a lone wolf bring down a healthy
  full grown pack horse by him self. Ive seen them teach the young
  where a snare was set, they took turns going to the head of the line to see what it was . Ive seen where they killed and ate a calf
  moose and ham strung the cow she could not walk at all what they did is just simple put here in the freezer for later, they did come back for the kill, later. they are very similar to a gag of bad guys, if they get the upper hand they will take advantage. Like when the snow is crusted and the moose have a hard time the wolves will kill and not come back to eat.

• 41. Brax  |  March 16th, 2007 at 4:57 pm

  Here in Wisconsin, they have reintroduced the wolf also. Here is a quote from our DNR’s web site,

  “Unregulated shooting and trapping, encouraged by a legislative state bounty, resulted in the extirpation of the wolf in Wisconsin by 1960. Wolves reentered the state on their own from Minnesota in the mid-1970s. After enjoying protected status for the past three decades, the wolf population in Wisconsin has grown to an estimated 500 today. The DNR’s target wolf population for the state is 350.”

  By their own account, they have let the wolf population explode. They still are protected and not hunted or killed here. The DNR does not believe the hunters when they say they are not seeing any deer and complaining about the wolves. Just last year, one of the tagged wolves from northern Wisconsin was found in Ohio.

  For all those that say this is just nature remember that you can only have a true balance of nature in a wilderness setting. Sorry to say, but there is no such thing here in Wisconsin. This will all blow up once a wolf kills a person. Before you say this can’t happen, there have been two confirmed wolf attacks in Canada with one death, so it can happen. As the deer population dwindles, there are going to plenty of starving wolves out there.

• 42. Richard  |  March 24th, 2007 at 5:55 pm

  Brax,
  You don’t get it yet! Once the wolves kill someone, the Greenies will pass legislation to prevent humans from entering wolf country or try to……….

• 43. L_A  |  April 19th, 2007 at 3:35 pm

  I agree with a few of the points that Brax made. In places where there isn’t much wilderness left I think that the wolf population should be a lot more controlled than in states where there is plenty of forest for them to roam. It’s better to have some wolves than to have too many, especially when their packs are coming closer to urban areas. I don’t really like the idea of hunting, but it seems that the population has gotten so large in some places that it’s the only answer. I do have some suggestions though, for keeping wolves away. One of the best is using a recording of dogs(or even wolves) howl. The last thing wolves want is a confrontation with another pack, and hearing an unfamiliar howl makes them think that your property is in another pack’s territory. They’d rather turn around and leave than risk starting a fight. Taking your dog around the edge your property to “scent mark” is effective too. You wouldn’t have to do that too often, since the scent stays for quite a while. Just like the howling, wolves stay away from areas that have been marked by other packs. And if all else fails, a good scare with the sound of a gun or other loud noise should keep them away. If anybody wants to try any of those things, please let me know if it was helpful. I hate to hear that people are having problems with wolves.

• 44. Khris D. Jacobs  |  May 29th, 2007 at 9:08 am

  ya, those wolves taking down that moose is pretty cool, ive always wanted to see them do something like that

• 45. DWIGHT SCOGGINS  |  July 8th, 2007 at 12:39 am

  I am not paying to hunt no wolf here in Idaho. That’s USF&G’s own little Chernobyl, don’t ya know. Yes the big game such as elk, moose and deer are fast falling and word is getting out. All I bought on my license this year was deer,black bear, and turkey. No one eventually will continue to pay the high prices for such low chances of success. Imagine the future for non residents. Long before the wolves begin to decrease in numbers due to the decline in prey species (nature in balance, you see), another balance will have occurred. Without the sportsmans great dollar influx into the coffers of the Wildlife Departments, that they as conservationist funded and entrusted the management of game species to,…….an over abundance of preservationist biologist positions will be discovered with no longer any warrant, given fiscal realities. This in turn will lead to the transfer of such astute minds to more pressing government assignments as counting mosquito larvae in the Houston ship channel, studying the mating habits of cattle faceflies in Iowa stock yards, disecting rat feces to determine pathogens present within rodent population of urban Baltimore,etc. In other words, “They’ve crapped in their saddle and their the ones who have to ride in it!” Don’t be led to believe that what they have set loose is gonna be taken care of by hunters in season or that the damage already done will be quickly reversed. And on a much more serious note for those who do not live in a rural, thinly populated, semi-wilderness setting; Some of the little school children have to wait in small groups or less at designated school bus stops during the early hours of morning along some pretty lonely far between places.
  That’s truly worrisome because thusfar incidents have involved only adults with access to firearms that I am aware of.

• 46. Northern Gal  |  September 28th, 2007 at 9:15 am

  I have just read the letter re:using howling recordings. Such a chuckle..Wolves were ON MY NEIGHBORS DECK watching the dog across the sliding glass door. My dog would have barked and gone crazy but this dog was a small poodle. By the way my dog pees on the perimeterof our land and I believe my husband does too. So What? If that is all a wolf has to worry about, he seems to figure it out ok. I agree that wolves need to be thinned..but I think if there are more wolves causing problems, then another study will prove that the DNR needs more jobs. DUH!

• 47. thomas  |  September 28th, 2007 at 7:25 pm

  why do we need the wolfs. i live in utah and there isnt any wolfs and the wildliife management works ok without wolfs and the liivestock is deffinetly better without them. we send cattle on the mountain and im glad we dont have wolfs eating them. ya you cant blame them for eating when there hungry but how do you know they arnt going to be hungry when somone is hiking or camping up there. if they can eat a moose they can eat people.

• 48. Habs and TEam Canada rocks Hockey  |  November 15th, 2007 at 9:04 am

  That moose sure got chewed up, I fell sorry for her.

• 49. Cristina  |  January 21st, 2008 at 8:17 pm

  Who made any of you God? It is called the balance of nature and the only reason nature ever gets unbalanced is because of human intervention. If moose, deer or elk populations are dwindling i can guarantee you it is not due to wolf attacks, it is people abusing the hunting system or people hunting out of season or people contaminating food or water supplies, causing poisoning or disease. To say that a creature that was put in the forest for a purpose is the reason for other members’ demise is totally false and anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves. Wolves, as scary as they may seem, are an integral part of the forest and the balance of nature as are all the creatures of nature. To say that i should go live with them is utterly ridiculous, but to say that i respect them and their duty within the forest is true. I choose not encroach on their territory, and by doing this they stay out of mine.

• 50. James  |  January 23rd, 2008 at 2:59 pm

  Thats how wolves live. A moose is a prey animal and that is the way nature works. There is nothing wrong with what these wolves are doing.

  The Elk in Yellowstone were way out of control and having some wolves in there to thin the herd is good. It’s too bad it has to be all or nothing. The wolf lover extremists don’t want a single wolf killed and the ranchers and hunters don’t want one to live. We need some common sense on this issue. The wolves need to kept in check.

  I am a hunter from Northern Minnesota and we have had wolves here always. They don’t totally wipe out game animals but they do effect the populations. Most of the people here who complain are the lazy hunters who want to kill a deer on opening morning, with no effort, and sit in the bars the rest of the time. If they can’t kill a deer in an hour they complain that the wolves got em all! Good hunters who put in some work are still successful.

  I have to comment on the dog territory issue. Wolves will kill a dog they find in their territory. They are not afraid of a confrontation. So I don’t think this idea will work!

• 51. Bacon  |  February 5th, 2008 at 5:30 pm

  wolves do not kill for just fun. they kill for their whole pack to eat, not to mention their pups. if you guys had to travel for a whole day while looking after your pack then of =course you are gonna eat whatever is edible. they don’t know if an animal belongs to a farm or anything, they think it’s an animal that roams free just like them. it’s not like they know that the animals belong to us. they have a reason to be here on this planet just like any other living thing. to say that they are useless is just like saying that we are useless. it’s our fault that they arer attacking us and our livestock, we’re driving them out of their habitat by deorestation and we’re the ones who are limiting their food sources. in a couple of years they (and a lot of other species) are going to become extinct. you should leave them alone so that the younger generations (me and my fellow age group(12 year olds)) can learn about them even more and accept their beauty. so plaese leave the poor wolves alone.

• 52. Ron Dodson  |  February 6th, 2008 at 12:42 am

  I just finished reading a study by Ore. St. Un. about over grassing in Zion National park and Yellowstone, how the predators, wolves in Yellowstone and Cougars in Zion could help the ecosytem from over browsing. I personally believe, hunters could do the same thing.
  I am not opposed to a few wolves,but as the gentleman from Idaho mentioned, the Canadian wolves were not native and they are killing off the native wolf. As far as your dog barking or marking his spot, hasn’t any of you folks heard about, wolves attacking and killing peoples hounds and eating them? Dogs and coyotes and other wolves are just a meal.
  As usual anytime the goverment gets involved in anything they are going to screw it up. I hope they get control of the wolves in the west and other places before they destroy the herds,to the point it takes years for them to rebound. The same thing is happening in Oregon with cougars,and the Gov. is in denial.
  This is part of the American way. Always playing catch up, they won’t admit it’s a problem until it’s to late. As far as the Lady who says people need to stay out of it, and let the animals work it out, what planet does she live on. We the outdoorsmen, have been building herds and supporting all the wildlife they love to WATCH FOR THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS, IF IT WASN’T FOR US THERE WOULDN’T BE ANY.

• 53. akking  |  February 6th, 2008 at 12:44 am

  While I support young people speaking thier minds, I feel the need to urge them to gather some resources before posting comments. Talk to some of the people who live in places where they depend on moose and other animals to feed thier families. They will tell you stories about finding twenty or more caribou dead, killed by a pack of wolves for no apparent reason other than recreation. Here in AK there has been a struggle to keep wolves in check for years. Uninformed people are trying to keep us from hunting them by posting pictures on the internet of wolves being shot. Let me assure you that a wolf is probbably THE hardest animal in North America to find in the wild. I have been hunting remote parts of Alaska for ten years and have personally seen only three wolves, and all of them saw me long before I spotted them. I really don’t think there is a danger of them ever being extinct. If you want some real life information about wolves there is a book called “Alaska’s Wolf Man” if you have any questions, they will be answered in it.

• 54. Nate  |  February 6th, 2008 at 4:14 pm

  I have talked personally to a retired lead wolf biologist from Alaska who now resides in Wy. His disgust for what the wolf huggers have done shocked me. First of all they are not the native wolf that was here before, second he says we have opened up Pandora’s Box with the wolves. Just to keep a wolf packs population steady, you have to kill 75% of them…That’s only enough to keep the pack from growing!!! The
  wolf huggers have got their way for way too long, they need to be hunted and trapped. Unfortunatly they are the smartest predator out there. If you shoot at them once, and miss…that wolf will never be shot at again. It will become nocturnal. If you set a snare or trap, and the wolf gets out of it, it is now educated! As for me, I live in Utah, and have seen three wolves in the last 4 years. I will not hesitate to give them some lead poisoning from a .45 caliber! We don’t want them in Utah, and I know alot more sportsman out ther who will do the same with any wolf that comes within range! I would love to hear where all of these wolf lovers are from, and if they have ever been out west, If you leave a post, let us all know the state you are from…chances are, most of the wolf huggers are from California, or back east and have never stepped a foot in our country!

• 55. Katey  |  February 17th, 2008 at 10:36 am

  Okay, I dont even know where to start when replying to some of these completely ignorant comments about the lifestyle of wolves. I’ll try to break some things down simply so that some misunderstandings can be corrected. Wolves have an incredibly important role in the ecostystem wheter people see it or not. Without wolves, or any other predator for that matter, prey items like deer and such will completely overpopulate causing vegetation to deplete. Sure those numbers will go up and look good for all those gun happy hunters, but then those populations will dramatically decrease as disease and starvation kicks in. There are places in the states where people have to feed the wild deer because of the numbers. Wolves do go after the weak animals, thats why they do a thing called “testing”. Just because a full grown moose looks healthy to a human, doesnt rule out the fact that it has arthritis. Wolves can pick up on the slightest of infections and take out the animals succeptable to it. Stronger prey items will be able to reproduce. Thats called “natural selection”. Okay, and it may suck for a rancher to lose a few livestock to a wolf pack or a cougar for that matter, but what alot of people dont get, is that the rancher is reembersed from the state, so no money is lost. Also, it has been reported by ranchers in the west that when there is a healthy number of predators in the area, their livestock keeps moving, preventing overgrazing of pasture space and less herding time and energy from the rancher. The predator takes down the weakest of the massive herd, makingthat livestock herd stonger. Its considered more of a natural loss. Actually, there have been no recorded cases of wolves killing people. Those cases were reopened to discover that the culprits were bears and that the wolves were opportunistic. A real truth is that more people are killed annually by deer than they have been by wolves..ever. Wolves are incredibly shy of people and dont want anything to do with us. However coyotes are a problem and will live in your back yard with no need for a large territory. It has been proven time and again that when wolves, or any predator, is returned to their native habitat, that the ecosystem is much healthier. Larger varieties of wildlife thrives that wouldnt be there if wolves didnt keep other populations in check. Wolves are a “keystone species”. Contrary to some of these popular beliefs from above comments, wolves dont kill for fun. Hunting is too energy demanding to waste for the heck of killing. Truth be told, only 1 out of 10 hunts are successful, and many wolves are in fact killed by their hooved adversaries. From what Ive seen while serving this country in Iraq, people are a heck of alot more cruel to each other than any natural predator. You have to remember that these are animals, not people. They dont reason like we do. They are only doing what they were put here on earth to do..survive. I work with captive wolves first hand, studying their behaviors and social actions and have studied wild wolves. The state in which someone lives doesnt certify that they know everything about a certain animal..what certifies that is knowlege, if anyone has any doubts, pick up a book on wolves and read it. That may include swallowing some pride. Call me a “wolf hugger”, I dont really care. Something had to be said by someone who has a grip on reality.

• 56. sam  |  February 17th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

  Wolves do prey on the weaker animals in a herd. If you take a minute and think about the weak animals in a herd of anything think of which animals are the weakest. The bulls or bucks are weakest after the rut so they become prey, the pregnant cows or does are weak and slow so in the winter and spring the cows are weak and in the summer the calves or fawns are weakest. So in reality wolves do prey on the weak animals in a herd. The weak population just depends on the time of year. Every animal in the herd is a weak animal in its time. Our ancestors drove the wolves out of Utah and Idaho a long time ago and thats the way it sould be.

• 57. akking  |  February 20th, 2008 at 12:09 am

  Someone with a “grip on reality” is not someone who works with captive wolves. I cannot argue with the fact that wolves are a very important part of the ecosystem, but sadly our ancestors thought it would be best to exterminate them completely. When humans become part of an ecosystem wether by hunting or building houses the animals in that ecosystem have to be managed. I think wolves are a beautiful creature, but like every animal in a human affected ecosystem they have to be managed. And by the way not all hunters are “gun happy”.

• 58. Nate  |  February 27th, 2008 at 11:19 am

  #55 maybe you need to get a grip on reality. Those ranchers that lose livestock to wolves hardly ever get their money back that they lost. one reason why is that,the pregnant livestock also lose their unborn. The ranchers aren’t reimbursed for that. Also katey, wolves in captivity are a whole lot different than wild wolves, and if you can’t admit that you really are crazy! So why would you study something that is totally different than what is in the wild? Seems like a waste of time, effort, and money…Oh wait that’s what this whole wolf program is all about. Who’s pockets does the money come out of to pay for fallen livestock??? Right that would be the tax payers, and the sportsmen of the west. I don’t know about you all, but that doesn’t sit well with me or the tax paying ranchers! The wolves wouldn’t be such a big controversy if there weren’t so many lies and deciet going on with it. If the numbers were in check, and they didn’t actually lie about the real numbers of the packs, something could have been done years ago to keep them in check. We are part of the ECOSYSTEM, and like it or not all of your anscestors hunted to stay alive. And as long as I’m part of the ecosystem, I’ll expect to be able to hunt whatever animal I feel the need to hunt. Including you beloved wolf. After all we are the top of the food chain! On one last note Katey, I would love to thank you from the bottom of my heart for serving our great country, I sincerely mean that. As for reading a book about wolves….it’s not going to happen. No one out there has the balls to write a book on both sides of the wolves. All you can read about is the wolf hugger side.

• 59. John P. Simmons  |  April 8th, 2008 at 10:44 pm

  I live here in Montana with the wolves. I am afraid when the wolves are around our elk and moose many times are too stressed to breed. Our elk heards are filled with older animals. I believe the folks who promote the wolves really don’t care what they kill,as long as it’s nature in motion. According to the wolf lovers we hunters with guns and bows are cruel. This wolf reintroduction is an anti gun movement. When there is no more game to hunt we won’ t be buying a hunt tag, so we won’t need a gun either. It wasn’t too long ago that Great Brittin lost its chance to hunt fox and also the opportunity to own a pistol.

• 60. John  |  April 13th, 2008 at 12:18 pm

  The person who thinks they have it figured out are typically further from the truth Katey. My problem isn’t with the fact that wolves are back, it’s the fact that these extreme leftist/anti-gun/anti-hunting/tree-hugging hippies are protesting hunting of these precious little animals…I hope the sarcasm is noticed in that statement. When you’re at the top of the food chain and nothing is stopping you then you have the potential to wipe out species. The wolves should be hunted just like everything else, it helps balance the ecosystem and helps with state funds by buying the tags. Balance in the ecosystem is key to the success of the ecosystem.

• 61. CC Kennedy  |  April 24th, 2008 at 2:04 pm

  Im not sure were people have been living if their so surprised that a wolf would eat an animal when its still alive. Do the lions in africa wait tell their prey is dead I dont think so. Wake up and realize their just trying to survive. I think they should be controled but not wiped out. They were here before us and what gives us the right. And for all you so called hunters that use dogs need to quit cheating and learn how to really hunt.

• 62. minnesota  |  April 25th, 2008 at 5:32 pm

  I’m from northern minnesota and have been hunting and raising livestock around wolves my whole life. A few observations which I believe to be true:

  wolves mainly kill weak animals but will kill for fun or healthy animals too on occasion

  wolves kill livestock on occasion. They will also ‘test’ or chase livestock from horses to cattle.

  Wolves kill domestic dogs whenever they get the chance. If a person is near a dog, they would rather leave than attack the dog

  wolves should be managed and their populations monitored

  wolves are good for deer and wild game populations. They keep the herd healthy. I personally believe they will actually give better trophy whitetail potential when wolves are present

  Exterminating wolves was a mistake. Reintroduction was a good idea

  Pure blood wild north american gray wolves for the most part will avoid humans. I rarely see wolves and I live smack dab in the middle of over 3,000 of them.

  There seems to be more misinformation about wolves than other animal for some reason. I see no reason why people should be afraid or feel threatened by them.

• 63. Demmy  |  April 30th, 2008 at 8:49 pm

  I really don’t understand what you people have against wolves it’s only natural for them to hunt. Killing an animal and leaving it there probably means something. In my opinion wolves are just like people, people have learned from them why get rid of our teachers?

• 64. Rick  |  May 13th, 2008 at 7:41 am

  This is what wolves do. Like a lion pride, they will take the weak and the old first but can take a healthy animal when ehy need to. I will not bore anyone with my extensive 30 year background but as a biologist let me put to rest, as respectfully as possible…….the myth that wolves kill for “fun”. Wolves will make a kill an often leave it for later or a pack can actually be scared off by a larger predator like a mainland grizzly or Alaskan brown bear. I have also seen wolves get spooked by the scream of a mountain lion and leave their kill. So, please…wolves do not kill for “fun” or “sport,” it is just not in their genetic makeup. As far as them “decimating” the elk herd; that’s complete nonsense. Elk in the midwest, according to some stats are at their highest levels. Most elk taken are from hunters and not the 1500 or so wolves that roam. As for Yellowstone, I posed this question to a ranger myself. I was told that most elk calves are killed by grizzly bears and not wolves. The main food of wolves being deer and small mammals. What one must remember is that when carnivore populations are thriving, the general area and everything in no matter where they are on the food chain, is healthy. As the old saying goes, “As the bears go,so goes Yellowstone.” Do not be mislead by centuries old nonsense about “why our forefathers wanted to wipe out the wolves.” They were afraid of them. And ranchers are afraid of loosing their livestock as well; that’s understandible. But….there is room for all to understand and come to an agreement. Superstitions aside, wolves are magnificent creatures and were truly maligned for years. We will not let that happen again.
  Peace,
  R

• 65. Nate  |  May 13th, 2008 at 9:20 pm

  Rick,
  That is outstanding, 30 years as a biologist! What would we do without you. Thanks for clearing up that “myth” for us. As for wolves leaving a kill for later….come on! If they leave a meal on the table coyotes, birds, bears, and any other scavenger is going to clean the plate they left. Please come up with a better line than that. Now lets move on to the “fact” that a bear or lion might scare the wolves off a kill. Seriously? Is that your final answer? Last time I checked wolves hunt in numbers, bears and lions roam alone. Now Rick if you had 8-10 of your friends with you and a bully was bothering you would you run off? I don’t think so. Now the elk population, when was the last time you acually looked at the numbers? Not to mention the moose population, or lack of. The numbers don’t lie! According to some states, what states have high numbers of elk? Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada? Hmm, that’s funny “Rick the biologist”, those states don’t have a wolf problem. The one thing you may be right on is that our fathers were scared of wolves. The reason… they depended on wild game and livestock, the two main things wolves prey on. Does that make sense Rick? So Rick before you start posting more ridiculous crap, I suggest you get out in the woods of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming and take a look around with an open mind. Then your next posting might have some sense to it. I don’t like wolves, I don’t like the lies that have come along with them, and I don’t like the people that lobby for them that have never been out in the true west to see what impact they have on the good people that are still trying to carve a living out of our beautiful land. Now that said, wolves are hear to stay, whether any of us like it or not. Lets control their populations, too much of anything isn’t good. With some management, they will thrive, our elk, moose, deer, and antelope will also thrive.
  I just don’t want to hear anymore wolf-crap from people who have no real base to what they say.

• 66. She Dances with Wolves  |  May 14th, 2008 at 5:17 pm

  What are you all thinking? You’re at first mad because they are “stealing” livestock and NOW you’re mad because they took down a moose!! What is wrong with you people?? What in the world do you want them to eat? NOTHING?? Well sorry, but they gotta live too. Mother Earth must of put the wolves on this Earth for some reason! Also, what are the wolves doing differently than what a human themself do? Humans are hunting heathy moose all the time. And how in the owrld do we know this moose was healthy? It might of been sickly, or it might of been old, because wolves hunt the very old to the very young. So in other words it could’ve been a healthy, but very old moose.
  I’m just very tired of everyone getting all mad and riled up for no reason. Wolves don’t deserve this crap.

• 67. Doc  |  May 14th, 2008 at 6:55 pm

  So how do you suppose a wolf would tell if the moose was very old….count its rings…see its AARP card…perhaps attends its retirement party. Point blank: wolves are predators…humans are too. We compete, the problem is that the Grey wolves introduced into the West have grown in populations too great to NOT manage. These animals MUST be managed actively otherwise our elk, deer and moose heards will suffer which will also lead to a catastrophic decline in wolf populations due to starvation and depredation from human encounters.
  What kind of crap does a wolf deserve?

• 68. John  |  May 14th, 2008 at 11:55 pm

  No, wolves don’t deserve the crap…..they deserve a hunting season. Balance.

• 69. Zicky  |  May 16th, 2008 at 5:55 pm

  you idiots(the ones who say wolves need to be killed for killing other animals)…do we not do what the wolves do…think about deer season we don’t hunt only the old ones we only hunt the young ones…think of pounds they will kill or eunthinaize(?) them which just a fancy word for kill….don’t say wolves are bad for even killing humans sometimes its only fair…if we kill them they should kill us…I mean come on even humans kill other humans… wolves were here first and i personnelly think wolves are wonderful animal so beutiful and majestic and if any hate a wolf then you must hate a dog to cause dogs are just descendants of wolves i been to enough sites and checked it it is true that a dog is a descendant…thats all:)

• 70. kayla  |  May 23rd, 2008 at 6:59 pm

  i think its wrong that some of you are putting wolves down like that.Ok so you think wolves are such a “menace” well have you ever heard of a wolf ever killing a person?A wolf that was perfectly fine killing a person?cuz i havnt!We would have a lot of dieseased animals around if wolves were gone.So befor you say something wrong about an animal get 2 kno them better.

• 71. Shane M  |  May 25th, 2008 at 11:37 am

  For starters I believe Akking has had the most sense of you all.

  Balance is needed, with out wolves being controled they will eventually control them selves by descimating ungulate populations and starving themselves,same goes for Deer Elk and Moose, not the type of answer were looking for. With proper management we(the people) can keep balance quite well with out the highs and lows in population on either side wether preditor or prey.
  Wolves will kill just to kill even on a full stomach wether it is for fun or just learned for survival I can’t be sure. I have seen wolves kill prey and leave it with no intention to return because the carcass is still untouched several days later and if they were scared by another preditor they skirt the perimiter until that preditor was full and lelt and would return to feed themselves. I have also watched 7 wolves walk through a heard of 47 cattle and not even bother a 2nd look.
  We have had an open season on wolves in alberta for ever and yet they are such a problem that the fish and wildlife is asking hunters to take more wolves but to no avail on reducing the populations, they are hard to find, they are very smart and very shy.

• 72. Doc  |  May 25th, 2008 at 6:23 pm

  SO, Kayla, just how many do you know?

• 73. Matt  |  May 28th, 2008 at 2:35 pm

  So your saying without wolves we would have disease running rampant through our wild herds #69? Where I am at we don’t have diseased elk because we don’t have many elk anymore (wolf consumption)…… There is way too much fallacy thinking among the the pro-wolf anti hunting folks.

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