Actress and activist Ashley Judd and the Defenders of Wildlife call on President Obama to take action to stop Idaho’s deadly wolf hunt.
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Idaho Wolf Hunt Video with Ashley Judd and Defenders of Wildlife
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{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
I think this is a horrible. Wolves are endangered; farmers have killed enough of them already. I understand that sheep farmers are losing livestock, but its horrible to kill wolves simply because they are doing what they instinctually do. They don’t deserve any less consideration or protection than the sheep they are feeding from. It’s not the wolf’s fault that famers have encroached so far into their natural habitats that the wolves have no natural food sources left. I hope that President Obama becomes involved in this issue, because it is ridiculous to have an endangered speicies list if animals can be taken on and off it to benifit farmers.
First of all, this whole reintroduction of wolves in Montana has devastated the elk population. I actually live in Montana where wolves have been reintroduced. I would be willing to bet that most of you defending wolves don’t live anywhere near here. You live in your big cities with rampant pollution and crime and sit in judgment of what the rest of the country should be doing. Please do us a favor, stay out of Montana (don’t even visit) and keep your ideas about what we should be doing to yourself. We get a lot of your kind moving in here with all your great environmentalist ideas when you have no idea about how things really work around here. Just because you people have screwed up the environment where you live, don’t come up here and tell us what to do with ours. A lot of you sit and bitch about the ranchers killing wolves. When a pack of wolves have come by and destroyed your livelihood then you have reason to talk. We are not talking a few cows or a few sheep. Wolves kill as many as they can get often times not even eating what they kill. I know that sounds hard to understand to a Californian, but I have seen this first hand. The Sierra club can kiss my ass.
Ed… Most of us humans in Idaho feel the same. finally, the voice of reason! Always amazes me how people like these are willing to jump on the bandwagon for a cause they no nothing about. A little education goes a long way. Too bad they are willing to spend millions minding someone else’s business instead of helping those in need in their own cities.I doubt many of them would lift a finger to help a poor kid go to college or house and feed those who have lost their job do to this city folk caused depression we are in now! I say put 20 wolves in Central Park… they would be great for controlling the feral cat and dog problem, and would keep the number of night scum, joggers, and the homeless down too! Isn’t being “friends of the animals” and protecting one of gods most wanton killers kind of an oxymoron?
Wow! Dmack and Ed, you two take the cake! Such venemous hatred for things you obviously know nothing about!! Go to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation website and find out that the elk population is actually on the rise! It has increased by 5 % since 1984.
Oh and have you ever heard of the saying “people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”? While wolves kill instinctually, humans are the ones who hunt things down for fun and trophy. If wolves kill a herd of sheep it is done because they are opportunists. They can’t possibly eat all of it at one time but if it wasn’t for human intervention, they would come back again and again to feed. Wolves after all, have to hunt to survive.
Oh and stop pretending like you know who environmentalists are and assuming that we live in a big city and are ignorant of life in Montana. If you do this, I will stop assuming that all those in favor of wolf slaughter are red-neck idiots who sleep with their cousins and have poor dental hygiene. We are all Americans and we all have a stake in every nook and cranny of this wonderful country. You don’t like what I have to say? Well, that’s all a part of the process; it doesn’t mean that I don’t have a right to say it. If you would stop and listen maybe you would learn something.
Jen,
WoW, after your finished surfing around on the Rocky Mountian Elk foundation site, hop on over to
Save elk.com. take a realistic look at what is really happening to the Elk population not living on private ranches that the RMEF has paid these people tons of money for. Maybe take a look at the Yellowstone elk population. Since the introduction of the non native species of wolf, the elk population has gone from 20,000+ down to 6,000. If you are a friend of the wolf, than you are definately not living with them.
First of all, no matter how passionate you feel about a topic? When you resort to stereotypes and generalities, you devalue your point.
If you want people to become aware about the problems you’re facing, why not talk about it without condescending others in the process?
Let your point speak for itself. And to debunk your whole “Californian” perspective? I’ve lived in different parts of America. I can see the angle from both ends.
California may not have problems with wolves in the wild because they were pretty much hunted to extinction. There are major problems in certain areas with mountain lions, and cougars in various areas.
And as far as pollution and crime coming from the city? With your sense of logic, it’s like describing all rural communities as being simpletons whose environment only harbors fanatic/religious/extremist terrorists. And let’s not forget that one of the worst high school shootings happened not in some gritty city street but in Columbine.
I get that you’re upset by what you think are a bunch of overzealous “treehuggers”, but if you expect people to respect your opinion or hear what you have to say, you have to, as the saying goes, “take your head out of your ass” first.
Allison,
With due respect, I don’t think you have any idea what you are talking about. Do you live in an area in which the wolves have been reintroduced? In the video, we see beautiful pictures of a majestic beautiful animal. What we don’t see is the destruction that this animal does. Why don’t we see the 1/2 eaten yearling calf left alive to suffer, (the wolves ate the hind quarter and a portion of the back) we don’t see the elk being chased down and tortured only to be wasted. The pet dogs and cats that are stolen from their yards. The Wolf population has increased to an extremely healthy population. The problem is that the breed of wolf that was reintroduced was not a native breed. The wolves came from Alaska and Canada and are a much hardier breed which is why they are taking over so quickly. I live 1 mile from the state highway, a roadway which has been in existence since the 1800’s. I hardly think that I have encroached into their territory. I respect the fact that we all need to co-exist I am a true animal lover of all species. I will say that if a wolf, mountain lion, bear, coyote or any type of animal (all which I have had on my property at one time or another) was to harm my pets, live stock, or family, I would have no problem eliminating the particular threat, which is what I consider the wolves at this point when it comes to our Elk and Deer population as well as our livestock. To many of us our livestock is our life! Those of you who do not live in areas that the wolves do, really have no idea of what you’re talking about. They don’t eat to survive now days. It’s more of the “thrill of the kill” for them as it’s apparent from the waste left behind that it’s not a kill based on need. It becomes very frustrating to those of us who depend on an Elk or Deer in the freezer to make it through the winter. Not everyone pays a guide to go out and get them a trophy mount to hang on the wall. We depend on the meat to feed our families.
So what your saying is that what we dont see is the way nature really is? The way nature is supposed to be? Beautiful and ugly at the same time? It’s interesting to me that it’s only when humans want something that the protection of an animal would take away from them, that the animal in question become villainous and suddenly takes on human qualities, able to torture and hunt for the thrill. What makes an elk more worthy of life than a wolf? Or a dolphin more worthy of life than a tuna? Human interpretation based on human need and want. An animal is an animal. None worth more or less than any other. To kill a wolf because it eats your dog is wrong.
Wolf numbers are thriving. In fact they have grown four times what the reintroduction goals were intended to be. Eradicate the wolves is not what the wolf hunt is for, that is why the total number killed is carefully monitored. It is simply to manage the number of wolves in key areas of the Idaho and Montana. The Rocky Mountain Elk foundation is an organization designed to lure the rich from the cities to experience hunts on private farms. While the total number of elk in the entire Rocky Mountains may be growing, the elk population in the Yellowstone region has declined from 20,000 to nearly 6,500. In a decade, the wolves have deminished the elk numbers to all time lows. If the wolf hunt was not carried out, in a few years when yellowstone elk populations are almost non-existent, “environmentalists” would probably say, Save the Elk, stop the wolves. Environmentalists rarely see the big picture, they try to stop a leaky ship with their fingers. Don’t believe me? Do some searches for Dihydrogen Monoxide on You Tube. And by the way, Jen, if you made a living building houses and someone kept coming a knocking them over, you would stop them. If I were a rancher and I saw wolves killing my livelihood, I would shoot too!!
Jim,
Are they thriving? A 400% increase from almost zero is not thriving. There are less than 1,000 wolves in Idaho. Sounds like a big problem to me. (sarcasm)
You all need to get the facts straight! THERE ARE MORE THAN 1200 WOLVES IN CLEARWATER COUNTY IDAHO ALONE, let alone what is in the rest of the state! They have decimated the elk herds, deer herds, moose population and are now focusing in on the pets in our rural towns. Don’t believe me? Go to Clearwater County National Forest, shoot a gun in the air and wait 15 minutes. The wolves have already learned to come to gun shots during hunting season. The rural towns there have been frightened by the sight of wolves running through the back yards, and there have been witnessed sightings of wolves packing off cats and ganging up on dogs that are in fenced back yards. I suppose now all you environmentalists want us to bring our dogs in at night?
It’s always interesting when people want to rant, yet leave ‘anonymous’ comments – “noone@noone.com’. Cowboy up, ‘Get Real’, and take responsibility for your words.
As for me, a place with more predators is a healthy environment.
One more thing, I don’t hunt for sport, I hunt to feed my family of three. Damn Hippies.
Jim,
See, that’s the thing. I dont find anything wrong with hunting. As long as you are hunting the right animal, at the right time, for the right reason. Responsible hunting, during season, for food is a good thing.
Dont be so quick to judge.
I couldn’t wait to buy my Idaho Wolf tag this year but like most sportsmen it was probably a waste of money as most hunters never see a live wolf. The only effective managment plan for the wolf will be poisoning. The wolf tag is just another way for Fish and Game to line its pockets with a little extra coin.
Do any of you even know that the re introduction of these wolves to Idaho was illegal when it was done and the species is a non native wolf that never exsisted in the wild in idaho before? The gray wolf here now is an Alaskan wolf.
Fill your tag and then live by the 3 S rule
I’m all for wolf reintroduction… as a matter of fact, we should let a couple packs loose in NY’s Central Park, and why not the DC Mall area — I mean heck, both once had some kind of wolf native to the area. I just don’t understand why there is a white-tail deer population issue back east in some places — where the fish/wildlife services need to have population control (killing) in order to keep motorists safe… why not give them a few of the Idaho wolves… we have plenty now… we can share.
Ashley Judd – You should be ashamed of yourself. There is no way you did any research on the wolf subject before you put your name and voice to this “cause”. If I were to indorse something I would of researched – talked to the ranchers and farmers of the densely wolf populated areas. Talk to the nature hikers in the low mountains right outside of Boise. Yes, it is a shame these wolves have to be controlled, shot, eliminated. They were brought in by the people you are supporting. They did not do their research either and brought a fast breeding, oversized for the area non-native wolf to an area that could not support them. Should of never ever happened. Look at saveelk.com and tell the story of the many many mama elk having their babies ripped from them, literally. I have to believe you had a charity quota to fill and can just picture it, breeze in, read a scrip, breeze out, charity done for the year.
how do you know she didn’t do her research and that is simply her opinion?
I live here in Idaho and I am glad we have wolves. I am also glad we can hunt them. Wolves, like other predators are smart enough to know wether or not man is a threat. They need to know that we ARE!
We all know that you are a threat J.D. Settle down, your masculinity is still intact.
Mr Obama will surely know how to manage the Wolf situation. He’s done so great with the state of the union. Bottom line – any species that repopulates at the rates wolves do, then feeds on species who repopulate like deer and elk do – must be controlled. Hunting wolves gives hunters an opportunity to assist in creating a balance, however Fish and Game will have to neuter or poison some of the wolves if they are to gain any control. As far as deer and elk go in the state of Idaho “Sawtooth zone”, the Wolves have decimated the wildlife population and have littered the environment with dog crap everywhere. Almost all crap contains deer fawn hooves, very obvious as the wolf does not digest this part of their kill. Fish and Game will not put up with the loss in $$’s associated with the impact of wolves on Deer/Elk/ anything else that walks the forests.
If you really care about the wolves, and want to help balance a healthy population that the regions of the north west can actually sustain. Visit http://www.HuntWolves.com today.
i agree ashley judd and the rest of you that watch animal planet should be ashamed.those who indorse and give money to deffenders of animals brag they pay compensation to live stock owners what a crock.you see the numbers they paid this farmer for three calves only you dont see the other 35 calves they call probables,and this is a fact this was my property.now you try make your bank payments when yuo lose half your income.i have fed your wolves very well at the price of looseing my farm.i thought deffenders of animals were for saveing animals my animals are just as important as yours. ask these deffenders where your money is really going besides lineing there pockets.
The wolf is a beautiful animal but they are killing for fun and as for Adams comment, you said that to kill a wolf because it killed your dog is wrong. I don’t know about you but all my animals are family and if a person killed my mom or dad or any member of my family they better watch thier back because I will be there. I had to pick one of my dogs up after it was torn almost all the way apart and it was still alive and it was screaming and there was not a thing I could do for it. The wolfs leave there pray alive to suffer most of the time. Just imagine seeing your family member with thier intestines hanging out suffering. That’s okay because someone killed a treaspassing preditor. The wolfs are not like they used to, be they used to kill when they needed to eat, but not any more they hunt for the thrill. They are coming into peoples backyards and killing thier pets it is not like they are in the forest they have to come down. Every one is going to say SAVE THE WOLFS until a little kid is killed in his back yard!
For the person who said that we are all red-necks and we sleep with our family members I want to tell you a thing or two but I am a GOD fearing person and wont say what I want to but we are not red-neck and if you get your city butt up here we can show you a thing or two! When we go for a walk you bring a gun because animals are out there and if it is coming after me I am not going to stand there and wonder what it is thinking and ask it if I am upseting it I am going to kill it to keep myself and anyone with me alive. I am 15 years old and my name is alisha lisa is my mom and I love animals but some times the best thing for a animal is to die. When you hunt it helps keep the animal population down but the wolfs have been doing that for us and so a lot of us are going hugry. The wolfs ate all the elk so now they want cows, sheep, dogs , cats, and if we are not carefull kids. The wolfs these days are not afraid of the sound of a gun and are not afraid of YOU. Please people I am a 15 year old and I can see this!
THINK ABOUT IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
now what your doing is humanizing the wolf. How dare you. Wolves to not intentionally make their pray suffer. They kill to feed their family as some of these ranchers need to do. It’s all about balance. I think population control is necessary but not at the nearly 50% that was proposed. The WOLVES (spell it right) have not eaten “all” the elk… and they do not hunt for “thrill” as you claim. They are opportunistic predators. Now it always helps your argument to make threats to someone’s life. That adds a real level of maturity and class to you. *sarcasm* But you’re 15 years old and that makes all the sense in the world. Grow up a LOT and learn a little more about the world before you start claiming to know it all. Idiocy reins supreme.
Crystal,
First of all where do you live? Obviously, not in a wolf populated territory! Once again all you sound like is a idiot blowing a bunch of smoke from some orafice in your body. Mainly your mouth.
I am mearly speaking from EXPERIENCE, where does your knowledge come from? Rest assured its not experience with wolves. One thing you are correct about is the need for BALANCE….something we will never have with these wolves. Why? Do the research, I wont waste my precious time with an ill informed tree hugger such as yourself.
As far as the proposed hunt amount, we have very compatent wild life bioligist that are much more informed as to the need and or the amount of wolves able to be hunted. As I stated above, I really dont want to waste anymore of my time going over this with you, so why don’t you vistit another web site. Go to saveelk.com, this gives a realistic view of what the wolf is actually doing. As for your insults regarding my spelling etc. I do question your age???
If you’re speaking from experience and you live in an area that has wolves, I would expect you’d take precautions…or at the very least know what you’re getting into.
Where do you think wolves existed before your family lived in your town? Wolves are feral creatures, they’re nothing like your dogs who co-habit with humans.
Wolves are not different than bears or mountain lions constantly trying to adjust their lives around an environment that is diminishing quicker every year.
Again, unless you can speak to animals telepathically, I doubt you or much less anyone else can understand what they can consider “fun”.
Are there cases where wolves will be desperate to go beyond their boundaries into farms? Yes. And you have to ask yourselves why? Is there a shortage of food they’re finding? Is it because their boundaries have gotten smaller?
Again, the idea of “fun” is subjective; it’s open to interpretations. The whole “fun” factor is not fact. It’s interpretation. What is factual? Clearly this issue is bringing out some of the worst in us through responses.
From what I understand it’s about farmers wanting to protect their family and livestock. For animal advocates, it’s about having these wolves having the same rights and freedoms to a life.
sorry to hear about your dog alisha,here in mn. fighting the same battle except the wolves are bankrupting the ranchers.nothing worse than haveing to put down calves that are suffering with big holes in them.defenders of animals are saposed to protect life but somewhere along the way they have become missguided with there noble cause and the rest of us suffer.in my pasture there was 17 wolves in this pack killing 30,000 dollars worth of beef thats a hole years worth of a paycheck.but may it be my calves or your dog its one to many hope your dog lived because its family,if it makes you feel anybetter those 17 priceless dogs of theres are no more and the ony way is the cowboy way.these people with such a noble cause cant even take care of there own cities with dogs and cats they have back to back shows on animal planet of cruelty of animals starveing ,make me wonder how they can posibaly take care of a wild dog
First of all… California… second of all… i’m 28…. third of all… i’ve been working with wolves since i was 19 while in school completing my degree in zoology. If you didn’t catch that i said “since” which implies i still work with these intelligent and lovely creatures. Satisfied? What i find funny is that because you’re in a wolf populated area you now think you’re an expert. And now all of a sudden everyone in California is a tree huggin hippie? lol that’s like me assuming you are the redneck with poor dental hygiene and married to your cousin??? Am i wrong? Do you still have all your teeth? Kinda like you assuming things about me. Now unlike you i’ve seen some of these reports the government uses… it’s handy having an in-law work for fish and game. I am well aware of numbers which is why i’ve taken the stance that i have. Population control in MODERATION…. not eliminating half an entire population. Now pull your head out of your ass long enough to re-read my post and see that what i said was BALANCE. That would be the key word. I am in agreement with population control… what i don’t agree with is the manner in which it’s being taken care of. When pups are orphaned it would be nice to see that the government was compassionate enough to send these pups to rescues or sanctuaries to live as normal a life as possible instead of starving and suffering in the wilderness. Do you have children? What if you were killed in an accident and your child was orphaned? Would you not expect anyone to jump in and take your children? So because we’re self aware mammals we have more of a right to this land than they do? They’ve been here since the ice age. Regardless of the subspecies… humans are responsible for their local extinction. Who are we to complain when a chance is brought forth to re-establish balance to the ecosystem? Lastly… you sound to me a bit bitter towards these animals. Personal experience maybe? Is that why you detest them so? You cannot fault an animal for simply being an ANIMAL!
you cannot fault us for simply protecting our livestock and pets as well.far as wolves not killing for fun your way off,how about my 38 calves and 4 cows they killed or my nieghbors 300 turkeys in one night looked like a killing field maybe his eyes were bigger than his stomach or it was just fun.maybe theres to many wolves in certain areas so they do this. now really ask your wonderful inlaw fish and bull shit game what the real numbers should be if they counted all the probables killed by wolves between four of us ranchers 76 calves dead 40 with flesh ripped off there backs and rears the 40 lived ,we were paid for total of 14 calves out of 76 now for the record on fish and game books 14 only killed.for the record according to fish and game and the mighty scientific wolfers at the round table they come up with a number not us in mn. of 1,600 wolves as a sustainable number to be delisted correct me if im wrong but ive been to the meetings with all the big wigs .we have between 3,500 to 4,000 wolves nowand still protected.i only had 100 cows and yes on private land and 17 wolves verified by dnr, local police on my land but yet one dnr man has all the authority like hes god to determine i only get paid for 3,i lost 30,000 dollars to wolves and one dnr man im saposed to give up my farm to the wolves how would you like to lose your paycheck for the year.your 28 and you need to pull your head out of your ass aswell.for balance here we would have to shoot over half of the wolves to even get close to 1,600
mn…. i have no problem with eliminating wolves who have been killing your livestock.. tho it must be proven! Out here in CA they do the same thing with mountain lions. You can shoot a mountain lion for killing your livestock but the stomach remnants must contain your animals or you face a hefty fine. Somehow i find it a bit exaggerated that 300 turkeys where killed in one night. Have you ever tried to catch a turkey? Not an easy task. Now i’m not saying wolves aren’t capable of that but i am saying i think you’re inflating your numbers for sympathy. Like Val stated earlier…. you know you’re in a wolf territory you need to take better precautions. Just like those in hurricane prone areas or earthquake prone areas must do. It’s no different, wolves and hurricanes are both part of nature. I do agree with the other guy that elk herds are healthier than before… i’ve seen the studies and it is due to proper predation, elimination of the weak, that has allowed the herds to get stronger. As far as fish and game, my bro in law, i have seen the REAL numbers. They are the ones on the studies. Just as with our criminal justice system it’s innocent until proven guilty. What if someone stole your identity and forged a bunch of checks… but you know you didn’t do it? But nobody else knew that. Should they shoot you on site because they “think” it’s you? Or should it be proven first? There are avenues to take with regards to proving wolves are killing your animals. Set up a camera.. build up your fences. Sit out in your yard one night with that gun of yours. See what happens. And maybe you’re misinformed… your declaration of wolf population also sounds a tad fishy. Maybe you’re just bitter because you expect to be reimbursed for something that might not be legit? Either way… my head is far enough away from my ass or anyone else’s to have a neutral stance. Seems to me your head is too far up your ass tho to have noticed that. I’m in favor of population control for the umpteenth time. Just not at the level that is being proposed or in the manner it’s being done. It’s too inhumane and it’s being played out for sport all for the sake of killing two birds with one stone. “Hey let’s make some money from hunters while we try and kill off a population of a recently reintroduced species!”
Also… i think it might benefit you to take a page from the book of Kazakhstan! They have the largest population of wolves in the world… followed closely by Russia and Canada. And keep in mind Kazakhstan is considerably smaller than both those countries. Now why is that you ask? Well let me explain… the people of Kazakhstan have a balance with nature! They understand the wolves were there first and humans hold no superior right to land than the wolves do. It is VERY uncommon to find a Kazakhstani, even the ones in areas littered with attacks, that would want to go out and shoot that animal! They have a very level-headed way of viewing their society. Good for them i say!!
Anyone else see the hunting of animals for no reason other than they are “in nature as nature is supposed to be” as compensation for the size of one’s penis? No?
Ok, must be just me then.
I can honestly see both sides and perspectives of this debate. In these harsh economic times, farmers are more driven to protect their livestocks.
On the flipside, for those who are protective of wolves, the constant slaughter of them is as problematic considering the often cruel nature of their treatment by hunters AND their survival as a species.
What I want to understand is if shooting/hunting wolves is the most effective manner? Why is it still a problem? And the “well they’ve been re-introduced” claim isn’t quite suffice an answer.
I have family members that are farmers that deal with problems like this from time to time. They’ve used a wire fence – and for them, and I can’t attest for everyone – it has worked effectively.
And as far as the idea that wolves can kill or hunt for fun? That’s absurd! The idea of animals hunting for any kind of enjoyment something called “anamorphism” where you give an animal human qualities.
Anyone who has watched a Discovery Channel episode about animals OR seen “Planet Earth” understand it is all about survival.
And while it is as much of a right for us humans to survive, annihilating a specious to the near point of extinction is never alright. In fact it makes humans the worse animals of all considering the amount of waste, destruction of habitat, and cruelty towards one another.
All in all, I find it hard to believe that the ONLY means of protecting one’s livestock in these modern days is killing them.
If anything at all it’s all about maintaining boundaries, and if there were systems or methods to allow wolves to distance themselves from certain farms ethrough change of behaviorisms
and habits…why not?
IMO, killing off wolves isn’t going to solve the problem permanently..
The old line about how wolves have “devastated the elk population” is complete bullshit. The populations of elk and deer have become healthier through proper predation, unlike human hunters who take the best bucks. Wolves are cursorial hunters, and keep herds on the move, which prevents them from stripping areas bare and destroying the perennial plant populations. This in turn provides more and better quality forage and shelter for other animals.
I suggest to the wolf hunters that you stop making excuses: admit that you simply like to shoot wolves & dogs and live with what people think about you. Arguing that this is somehow helpful or that wolves are eating your flocks just makes you look stupid.
Living on a ranch in an area with wolves, the best thing to date is what it always was: paying attention to your sheep and good sheepdogs. It sounds like most of the wolf hunt promoters would rather be lazy.
Ah, I just saw the cattle rancher argument. Sorry, doesn’t hold water. The single biggest predator of young animals is dogs, followed closely by coyotes.
Wolves don’t go after cattle. Cattle turn and face the pursuer, unlike wolves’ natural prey – deer and elk. While starving wolves have taken calves and small cows, it’s extremely rare.
These ridiculous numbers of calf kills are not supported by any government documentation, which is publicly available. Wolf restoration programs provided funds to cover the cost of animals lost, and the documentation from these is far lower than the numbers stated here. Making up numbers that can be easily checked is not a way to support an argument for killing more wolves.
The only true statement so far is that wolves like sheep, but they like deer and elk better. One of my neighbor ranches has both sheep and cattle, and an active wolf pack. Zero kills in four years. This “shoot the wolves” paranoia just makes people look ignorant and afraid.
you are absalutely right the records will show only 14 they do not count probables that is why the numbers are so low.even the dnr counted 17 wolves in this pack on my property and stated in the local papers these wolves were stocking my cattle.he knew and had no doubt they killed the calves but you have to find every calf there must be tracks,now my pasture is 640 acres wooded try and find calves the first day they are killed imposible.and far as the turkeys of 300 being killed in one night i can get you proof from the local papers and also proof it was one timber wolf that done this because trappers caught and shot him the next day in the pen.now the trappers did catch 6 at my place as well and we did open the stomacks up nothing but calf remains.far as the numbers of wolves for mn. is 1,600 to be delisted fact on paper now they say we have 3,500 to 4,000 wolves here fact on paper.all of us ranchers no we will lose a few to wolves but you can not lose 25 -40 percent of your calf crop.all we are asking for is the right to protect our property and mine happens to be cattle .far as the one that watches to much discovery channel thats what is to much tv,and i have electric fence four wires high does not work when wolves dont have enough to eat.do you know really what happens when a group this big does when there teaching 6 pups to kill on calves do you think they are teaching once anight absurd and i sapose some of you will say thats alright when there teaching there pups on my calves,now when this is taught to pups on cattle this will be forever in there head to kill livestock and thats a fact from wolfers that have study there behavior not me
we need blance and yes if a wolf kills livestock the it should be killed if not moved if possable. It is unfair to the wolves that they were moved in to a place that they were not made for they were in Canada/ Alaska that is were they came from were i live and yes i do think that the wolves teach there young how to hunt by using livestock. But they are very smart and pretty animals. i would hate to see the young have to die of starvation. Crystal i want to say thank you and that everyone is very pushy about all of this and i dont know if you have as many wolves down there but they are over flowing here and yes it is the peoples falt we were stupied and put them in a place that they were not made for and now all of us a in trouble same with the wolves. i love animals but i think that people play to much with nature and some times it is good and some times we are just hurting them we need to watch them more. I spoke in anger last time i wort and i am sorry to you all but this makes me sick to my tummy with so many different people saying what they think and some say it mean like like i did . but yes we need to take care of this promble and soon. alisha
Lisa,
First of all it’s ok, this is definitely a topic that draws a lot of emotion from all kinds of people. I apologize for anything i said that was in anger as well. I honestly am fairly neutral in this debate. I see the need for population control for sure and i see the need for preservation of a precious and vital species. Because the Alaskan Wolf (McKenzie wolf) is a hardier species they are flourishing better than expected in the Idaho/Wyoming area… but so are the elk and because the elk are so is the flora. So there are pro’s and con’s to EVERY side. We don’t have wild wolves in California anymore. Like the people in Wyoming and Idaho they were hunted to extinction along with the Grizzly Bear that used to live in CA. As a whole we are waaaaaay too self involved to give a damn about anything but ourselves and that’s sad.
i apolagize as well hope you all have a merry christmas
See… even those with opposing views can come together in peace without having to compromise their opinions.. now if only the rest of the world followed suit! Merry Xmas to you guys too.
i hope people follow suit and listen to both sides,and hopefully some rules get changed on payments or the way other farmers can protect there property.not all ranchers are looking for handouts or lyiny on how many calves are killed.there is a way for everybody on both sides to get along,my opions can get strong only because i lost my grandfathers farm over no payment and nobody listening .to take care of animals sometimes you must learn to care for humans as well
mn… it doesn’t go just one way. If you have problems with wild wolves attacking your livestock then you should be required to outfit your farm with hardier fences and mesh wire or whatever it takes to keep them out. You can’t sit there and be like “They got another one… pay me.” I say in order for a farmer to be properly compensated he must build up his fences and property line. These animals were here long before us and we cannot be selfish and have a pity party over the fields of work WE choose then have problems with.
not here to argue crystal but i sapose you could look at the other way as well fence the wolves into the state land as well,it does go both ways.i also realize alot of people want to see wolves in the wild thats okay.now i have four hot wires and you only need one to keep cows in the rest are for predators there really is no good method so far thats really worked well with wolves they have to much hair to get shocked.most of the problem here in northwest mn. is there are to many wolves for what food we have and that being just deer,all the moose here died of wasteing deasise,alot of deer have died from anthrax and now the tb problem theres even less.i here alot of you say the wolves were here way before us no not my generation and not yours they were not we can never have the numbers of hundred years ago time are not the same it would be like asking people to give up cell phones and tv.im just saying some places should have been moniterd more not all places can handle the number of wolves its not just a benifit for us it is better for the wolf as well you have study wolves its like the fox here almost wiped out from mange wolves get the same when to many it spreads.yes i would like to get paid when theres 17 wolves three with collars and the dnr watched them chase my cattle when filling out the paper work on a calf that was eaten in half and they were seen dragging that calf out of the pasture in broad daylight never the less whats done is done i have to suck up the loss and move on ,now another family with young kids is paying the price they just lost 28 calves in less than a month far as me im done wolves can take over maybe go to alaska fly around with sara palin
mn…. let me start by saying i’m having a very hard time understanding what you’re writing. Take a minute before you send your post off to read it and make necessary changes. But basically what i think you’re saying is that you feel because you have to pen your livestock that wolves should be subject to the same rules?? Absolutely not! And that’s one of the most absurd things i’ve ever heard. Since when do “human rules” apply to wild animals? That’s ridiculous. On the same token… if your hot fences aren’t keeping the wolves out use a different tactic. If you guys have been dealing with wolves as long as you claim then you should know people with a few tricks up there sleeves. Try a reinforced mesh fence that’s 6ft tall. Think about how much you’ll spend on the fencing and compare that to your supposed loss of livestock.. which seems more feasible? If you still choose not to reinforce your fences i’d say you’re in the wrong business. And yes, the wolves have been here since the ICE AGE! Humans and wolves have somehow managed to co-exist for hundreds of thousands of years… all of the sudden a few entitled ranchers and others make outlandish claims and want them wiped off the face of their land again? That’s arrogance at it’s worst. And for all you other ranchers or people having issues with wolves i’m not making a general statement towards ranchers but more a directed critique of those who just see fit to complain rather than adapt and make changes.
The solution is easy. People seem to compare the wolf pack relativly close to a human family. Living together teaching the young to fend for themselves etc. If the rancher has done what he can do to protect his herd with the proper fencing etc then the only solution would be to eliminate the preditor attacking his herd. He has every right to do that and in MT if the wolf is on your property and you have had evidence of threats to your livestock then you have every reason to protect them. In essence if you eliminate the preditor and the “family” members see that this particulare feeding area is no longer safe for hunting then they will move on. It could take 1, 2, maybe 3 or more but they are intelligent animals they will soon learn it isn’t safe any longer. Check with your FWP. Do what needs to be done. These simple solutions bieng suggested by those on the outside are appreciated but it doesnt keep a roof over our “famlies” heads. “Shoot em’ and make it count”
in your statement before you said we should be reqiured as ranchers to fence hardier to keep wolves out ,i dont think you realize how many thousand dollars it would cost,this is all open land and most of the woods to is owned by ranchers,if we all were to fence the way you want the wolves would have to move to town.when i chose my line of work we did not have these kinds of numbers its not a pity party my generation your generation never had these wolves in the numbers they are now .we are trying to adapt to something we have never had to deal with and at our exspence not yours . not all wolves go bad but we do have three big packs here that eat beef .
First to Lisa,
Maybe you just haven’t read all the comments on here as i have and maybe you’re a tad behind on the convo. If you read back you’ll find that i have said many times i take no grievance with killing the predatory wolves who’ve eaten livestock… but you have to see them do it or be able to prove it with stomach contents. I don’t think i’ve once in any of my comments related the wolves to a modern human family. What i am doing is portraying them as the vital part of nature that they are. Just because they’re predatory animals doesn’t mean we have more rights than they do. But sadly a good portion of the human race feels entitled and superior. So just to make myself clear again… if a wolf attacks your herd you may kill it as long as it can be proven… what i do not think is right is if a farmer/rancher sits back without taking action to preserve his lifestyle. That to me is lazy and gives no cause for complaining.
To mn… i am fully aware of the cost of fences and how unrealistic that may be for someone with a larger property. And i said you should be require to make adaptations if you seek reimbursement for your losses not just requiring one to build up “just in case”. You can choose not to reinforce your property lines and simply leave things as they may be but i don’t feel it necessary someone be reimbursed if they aren’t willing to accept some sort of responsibility. And yes, i believe it is partly the responsibility of a rancher/farmer to protect his livestock from danger. Just like the mountain lions out here… i would never let my child or dog off by themselves in the trails along the rivers or out of my sight knowing that mountain lions are around. So you may not have had these kinds of numbers when you started but they were still there and there were still attacks. It’s not unheard of even for back in the day.
that is all we want is the right to shoot these bad wolves and we do not have the right to shoot evrytime they get delisted there back on protected list because somebodys got alot of money and lawyers.yes even the dnr seen the wolves in my pasture stocking my cattle and yes there was stomach contents,he even stated this in the local papers .if you were human and robbed a bank and seen doing it that is all the evidense you would need for the conviction.i know you agree if wolves are killing cattle they should be taken care of ,but when shoot we become the criminals when there protected,only option we have here is to get a trapper in after the damage is done.while he was trapping i was still loseing calves he couldnt even find the remains because they eat everything even the skull,he did catch 6 and destroyed them but also had to put cloth and tape around the foot that was in the trap so the humanesociety could study the foot to make sure it didnt suffer in the trap,but they never ask if the calves sufferd or even the ones still alive with big pieces of flesh missing.now how much proof should we have to have i got pictures in the papers .i have had the police out there takeing pictures ,dnr was there seen the wolves in the act,police counted 17 wolves come out of my pasture.
Well you should keep in mind they are listed as an endagered or threatened species for a reason. And i read somewhere that they were working to remove them from the red list this year or next. I also know of wolves crushing the bones for the marrow inside and ingesting bone fragments but not intentionally. I’m not sure if you’re suggesting when the wolves kill they always eat the skull, that’s VERY uncommon. But i do sympathize with you… often it’s an inconvenience for humans when an endangered species is so closely guarded. But if we stop caring about one or two species then it becomes habitual and we start severely altering the ecosystems. Out here in the Sacramento area of CA there’s an elderberry beetle that lives only in this one area of Sac… a man owning the property decided he wanted to build a golf course. It’s his property so why not right? Problem was he tore out hundreds of these elderberry bushes that held the only known population of these beetles in the world. He was fined a grand for every bush he pulled out and i think it totaled around 200K. Of course he felt it really unfair since it was his property but a very endangered beetle takes precedence over his property rights. Kinda the same thing since MN is the only state in the lower 48 that held a continuous breeding population of the eastern timber wolf. I’m sorry you have had such a loss but there’s gotta be something you can do. Create smaller pens and get a pack of watch dogs. May i suggest rhodesian ridgebacks? they’re wonderful guard dogs and are sure to scare off wolves provided you have more than one.
I’ll vouch for the Rhodesian Ridgebacks. I own one and they are wonderful dogs. Originally bred in Rhodesia to chase lions, they are loving, loyal and athletic. They can run for up to 30 miles without becoming too winded and many ultra marathon runners own them for that reason.
Yeah i used to own one… great dog… very loyal! Will do anything to protect you too, tho i must admit… my husky can outrun the ridgeback any day of the week. LOL
40 below zero here not fit for man or beast
mn… not fit for man or beast?? how do you think those with arctic dogs in Alaska and Canada and Siberia do it? There are people and animals fit for that weather… let me name a few… polar bears (can actually overheat in sub-zero temps), arctic wolves, arctic foxes, some seals and sea lions, reindeer, bald eagle, arctic hare… the list goes on and on.
oh and i forgot huskies and malamutes! My husky is very comfortable in sub zero temps. They have certain adaptations that allows them that lifestyle.
no just meant its cold here,weve been through this for many years,even at 40 below we find things to do little more ice fishing.when i lived in alaska we had huskys for sled dogs tough breed good dogs even the ones bred with wolves very loyal,when you get 40 below though you get a itch for spring.