Idaho Wolf Population Issues: was "Precious Idaho" (Hayden: condo, most dangerous)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
To all the contributors, as a Brit living and working in Saudi Arabia, let me just say I have very much enjoyed reading this thread. It's been very interesting indeed. Thank you.
Thought I'd update here. Deal reached to lift wolf protections in 2 states | Top AP Stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7478433.html - broken link)
Too bad that forest management hasn't been part of the argument as well.
Currently I'm unsure about the accuracy of this report, but I've been told the environmentalists are now suing to return wolves to the entire lower 48 states. I just read about Washington and Oregon are getting more wolves (about 40) and I'm sure that with a little time the rest of the intermountain region will experience increases in wolf numbers as well. So, again what is the point in suing for more wolves.
We had two wolves at our house late last night. Good thing I had kenneled the dogs and penned the calves & horses. Something else I'm beginning to realize is that the wolves have decreased the deer & elk population enough that the cougars are getting more desperate and frequenting my place now. Last summer I had a horse torn up badly by a hungry cougar ($800.00 worth). This is something new that has never been a problem before.
Everyone lives in a microcosm and each one is different from the other. These are just my experiences in my world/microcosm and I'm not saying this is the situation everywhere.
CO is known to have the biggest herds of elk (280,000 according to CDOW) with no known wolf population (yet).
There have been confirmed and unconfirmed sightings. And yeah, there sure are lots of elk there. It's my understanding that they are going to study the issue for a couple of years before bringing wolves in.
When I lived in Colorado, there were issues with mountain lion attacks in the 'burbs, and I even regularly saw coyotes in central Denver. Sharing the planet with other species is not always a smooth process.
I know that some wolf control has to happen, but to me this "management" is deplorable. Warning: Graphic photo
There have been confirmed and unconfirmed sightings. And yeah, there sure are lots of elk there. It's my understanding that they are going to study the issue for a couple of years before bringing wolves in.
When I lived in Colorado, there were issues with mountain lion attacks in the 'burbs, and I even regularly saw coyotes in central Denver. Sharing the planet with other species is not always a smooth process.
I know that some wolf control has to happen, but to me this "management" is deplorable. Warning: Graphic photo
Trapping is deplorable. One of our Great Pyrenees was trapped in one of these traps because a trapper set it illegally on our land. We got him out and the dog had to have 3 toes surgically removed. I would have loved to have caught that trapper.
More elk is not necessarily a good thing for the ecosystem, unless of course you're a hunter looking for your trophy. I like this illustration of this from Nat Geo.
There have been confirmed and unconfirmed sightings. And yeah, there sure are lots of elk there. It's my understanding that they are going to study the issue for a couple of years before bringing wolves in.
When I lived in Colorado, there were issues with mountain lion attacks in the 'burbs, and I even regularly saw coyotes in central Denver. Sharing the planet with other species is not always a smooth process.
I know that some wolf control has to happen, but to me this "management" is deplorable. Warning: Graphic photo
Apparently Idaho law only requires trappers to check their trap lines every 72 hours.
What's disgusting is the wolf was already injured, from being shot. It looks like this guy was getting more pleasure out of a trapped animal.
First off this is a person who works for the Forest Service, he should be protecting the animals of the forest not abusing them.
I suggest people sign the petitions that are out there to have this investigated and have trapping done away with. This is not the right way to hunt the wolves. I know people have lost their cattle, dogs, sheep etc, but to be so cruel is not the answer.
There have been confirmed and unconfirmed sightings. And yeah, there sure are lots of elk there. It's my understanding that they are going to study the issue for a couple of years before bringing wolves in.
When I lived in Colorado, there were issues with mountain lion attacks in the 'burbs, and I even regularly saw coyotes in central Denver. Sharing the planet with other species is not always a smooth process.
I know that some wolf control has to happen, but to me this "management" is deplorable. Warning: Graphic photo
Apparently Idaho law only requires trappers to check their trap lines every 72 hours.
I'm sorry to hear about your dog and companion. Trapping should not occur on others' land without their permission. That said, I can't say I agree with your opinion on trapping in general. There are few effective ways of getting rid of pest species, and trapping has been used for centuries for a reason. I don't really need to get into, but I see nothing less gruesome in the above than than in what I see wolves do to elk.
That said, one thing I appreciate about you is that you're always consistent, Misty, and still very much open to the concerns of others on these issues. It does bring into consideration the ethical side to matters, and there very much is that to be taken into consideration.
Trapping is deplorable. One of our Great Pyrenees was trapped in one of these traps because a trapper set it illegally on our land. We got him out and the dog had to have 3 toes surgically removed. I would have loved to have caught that trapper.
More elk is not necessarily a good thing for the ecosystem, unless of course you're a hunter looking for your trophy. I like this illustration of this from Nat Geo.
Foothold traps were used to capture and reintroduce the wolves in the first place. They won't injure the animal when used right. In fact, the wolf that was trapped by Bransford had no injuries to its paws. The problem was people took potshots at it before the trapper ever even got there. I think that hatred for wolves is the result of the animal rights groups blocking any management until they got out of control. It's wrong what those people did, but this backlash should have been foreseen when people were losing animals to an overpopulation of wolves.
What's also wrong is this: a $1000 bounty being put on that man's head by animal rights activists, and animal rights activists trying to destroy not just his life but his family's as well with threats and attempts to cost his wife's job and his.
Regarding the dog, I don't know what was done to release it, but if you simply depress the springs (on longspring and underspring traps) or levers of a (coilspring) foothold trap, the jaws will open, and the animal can be released unharmed.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.