Timber Wolf

I have a pack that roams right across the river from me and they haven't caused any problems, even during lambing season.
Also, keep in mind that wolves are still protected north of Interstate 90.

A guy I know lost a coon hound a few years ago. All they found was the tracking collar and the dogs head.

Poor guy...

I love how our government thinks things like wildlife need to be "managed". Nature was around loooong before we were and has done just fine without our intervention. The problems start arising when "we" THINK we can do it better or when "we" start polluting and overrunning the landscape instead of respecting it and working with the environment. So sad. I wish people would just learn to live and let live. If ranchers and such are so worried about livestock, move somewhere else or deal with it. That doesn't mean we need a hunting season, maybe ranchers should just be allowed to take care of local problem animals. Wolves have a right to live too.

*Steps off soapbox*

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We need some predators around this area. No wonder CWD is all over the place (i'm in SW Wi). Deer hunters aren't enough to manage this corn eating welfare herd! Hopefully he has some young out there to carry on for him.

Yes we need the predators and we should adapt whenever possible to allow them to remain. Our presence and our modification of the environment has created a need to control some animal populations if for no other reason than to even out the extreme swings in animal populations that occur in the wild.

I'm seeing an increase in fox and a decrease in coyotes now that the big guys are back. There is also gray fox in the area thanks to our warming climate.

Well I guess I have a much different opinion of most folks here. That's a good wolf. These things should never have been brought back, the damage they are doing out West is simply unbelievable. If you talk to the people that are actually suffer from and paying for the real cost for wolf reintroduction you get a realistic and vastly different story than the one govt. mouthpieces and conservation originations are putting out. We have friends in Wyoming and the ranch they own has been in their family for many generations, and the wolves are about to put them out of business. Since they don't lease grazing ground they run a smaller herd of cattle so they supplemented their income by guiding hunters in the fall. The wolves have decimated the game animals to the point there is almost nothing to hunt so that income is gone, and now wolves are killing large numbers of their livestock. And the saddest part of this whole scenario is there is little to nothing they can do about it. Up to now getting a kill permit is almost impossible and the govt. is verrrry slow to respond and seem much more concerned about the wolves than the people the wolves are bankrupting. To collect any restitution any kill must be confirmed as a wolf kill. But unless they actually see the kill being made most kills are never found, what little the wolves leave is soon scattered by scavengers. Unless something is done that’s radically different than what it is being done now they are in real danger of being forced out of the ranching business. And they are not an isolated instance this is happening all over the West and is so horribly wrong. This whole wolf scheme was largely cooked up by wacko environmentalist city slickers on the East and West coasts who haven’t a clue and could care less about the plight they have brought on other good hard working people and their chosen lifestyle.

Aw, poor wolf. I bet he was gorgeous before he got hit.

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I'm not an east or west coast wacko environmentalist. I'm actually very conservative and as I said earlier, I do raise sheep and horses here with wolves nearby. I don't see it as a problem for indigenous wolves to eat game and if thye make it tougher for hunting guides, well, sorry but that's too bad. I also see some livestock loss to predators as a cost of doing business. Maybe that sounds mean but it's how I see it. It isn't up to the rest of the country to help livestock rancher's earn their living by doing away with species deemed valued by biologists, nature and the taxpayers who own most of the land in the west.

Well I guess we will have to disagree on this one. Yeah, your attitude does seem a little cold considering these folks, through no fault of their, are about to lose there livelihood, chosen lifestyle and possibly their property because of IMPORTED Canadian, not indigenous, wolves. The wolves in some areas of our western states are absolutely decimating the deer, moose, elk, and even endangered bighorn sheep populations. These are species that also are valued by biologists, nature lovers, and taxpayers. The biggest problem is the uncontrolled wolves have multiplied explosively and are about to eat themselves out of their natural prey, and have taken to hunting easier to kill livestock. My friends could stand some loss, but they are losing unsustainable numbers of animals. Although is denied by pro wolf advocates wolves are sport killers, they kill apparently for the fun of killing, they killed 15 calves in the same pasture in one night, they ate only one. And up to now livestock owners are not allow to do anything to these killer wolves. You are correct, it isn't up to the rest of the country to help ranchers to earn their living, but the rest of the country shouldn’t be able to impose onerous regulations upon them that lead to their financial ruin either. They should be allowed to protect their animals on their privately owned land. Since it's impossible to baby-sit every head of livestock 24/7/365 they should be allowed to kill every wolf they can find on their ranch. Are your horses and sheep how you earn your living, would losing them to wolves put you in a fiscally untenable position? Either way I sincerely hope the wolves you seem so fond of don't start slaughtering your horses and sheep. It will be interesting to see if you retain the same benign attitude about wolves if/when they do.

For one why can't we hunt the indigenous animals as we see fit instead of the way the government says we can. Oh yeah thats cause as humans we are greedy and killed most off till the seasons and protections were enacted, but yet we can't hunt these yet. I for one am for the hunting of them, to and extent. Not extinction. But they do need to be kept in check.
If you honestly think that the taxpayers own the land, then there is not much to say about that. But they do not own their land. The government owns everything in this country without a cause. If they want your land or house or cow or sheep or goat, they will take it and there is unfortunately nothing that we can do.
Do you honestly believe that the only folks that are for this are the hunting guides that suffer? I go out west every year with my dad and have been for quite a few years, we do not hire anyone and it still costs a pretty penny to go out there and experience what we don't have here in WI. So we suffer from it as well. Not to mention that we suffer here at home with them hunting our wildlife and our livestock. You call it a cost of doing business. I call it protecting my investment. I also call it protecting my lifeline as I eat mostly wild game and farm raised meat.
So if someone doesn't like it I say tough.

I too am from WI, not SW such as you but if you believe our DNR and their CWD numbers. Wow is all I can say. No different than the T-Zones and earn a buck by me. They have NO clue as to what is actually happening in our state. The bear are more of a corn welfare case than the deer.

Funny, no other animal worries about the welfare of other animals. I'm part of the landscape too. Me killing a wolf is NO different than a wolf killing a deer.

I think ranchers in the Northern Rocky states should be allowed to kill nuisance wolves and grizzlies lurking around their properties

but there is no need for an open season on wolves or grizzlies within the public lands, even the grazing lease public lands. As time goes on, I hope more of the grazing leases of public land will be purchased back or allowed to expire without renewal, so that an increasing percentage of the public land is left for wildlife. Also, outright acquisition of additional private lands on a willing seller basis as funds are available in and around the public lands is fine with me and should be pursued.

Often, I have read that the deer and elk numbers in the Northern Rockies have gotten way to high and will be much better off with the presence of signifigant numbers of large predators.

..............Tink , I really don't think you're that simple minded ! Wolves kill for basically two reasons , protection and food . Humans decimated the wolf population in the lower 48 because of Ignorance and pure mean ness , and because they "could" . It is known and proven science that wolf populations will self regulate based upon the numbers of their primary prey availability . Not absolutely , but there is a discernable correlation between the two graphs . The government , for all it's cockamamie ideas and programs has done a tremendous amount of good with the endangered spercies act . Maybe , it is time to analyze the number of wolves and their concentration within specific geographic areas but , to simply declare open season on all wolves outside of national parks is too sanction the very same mentality that slaughtered them previously at the beginning of the 20th.century . Would you be in favor of that type attitude in the killing of the wolves in our northwestern states ? I wouldn't think so , but I'll let you answer for yourself . fordy...

Why should I answer? You've already done it for me

In 1976 my dad and his partner lost 35 calves to wolves. The DNR told us it was impossible as there were no wolves in our area. I wonder if we could have used that as a defense had we been caught killing them?

Almost all the "wolf" damage Ive ever seen was done by dogs. Like Tinknal the fish and game people say there are no wolves here but the locals all tell of countless encounters with them .I was repeatadly assured that wolves were eating my sheep but when I would shoot an attacker it always turned out to be a dog.

Wildlife looks lovely and is part of our natural ecosystems. However, if we say that farmers and ranchers need to effectively shut up and take their payments for their losses and let the predators have free rein then perhaps we should also tell pet owners and parents to shut up and take the loss of their pets and children when the predators decide that those food sources are also easier to hunt than wild game.

Humans are not innocent, but neither are all humans part of the problem. I can't afford to lose my livestock due to unchecked predation. I have a hard enough time breeding for good traits as it is without having to deal with losing gene pool through predators snacking on animals.

My response is not to shut up, but terminate with extreme prejudice. Those who take umbrage with it can stew in their words and thoughts. I take care of my predator problems on my own and I prevent repeat offenses. So far 75 percent of my terminations to date have been of sick animals. This tells me that the numbers need to be reduced for the good of the species. I have no desire to exterminate the entire wildlife population in my local area, but I have a duty to help keep the numbers in check.

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Since there are no wolves in IL, isn't this kind of a silly statement?

It happens many times. It is always a wolf that is killing livestock. Most times when the animal is caught or killed it is the neighbors dog.