Ranking Montana's cities - Which Montana city is the best? (Helena: 2015, buy)

[NDak15]

Ah yes, those dangerous wolves that have rarely been recorded actually attacking people. Not to say you shouldn't be smart around them but the threat gets exaggerated. As it does with bears and mountain lions. You're more likely to be killed by a white-tailed deer, a cow, or a dog. Or die in the truck on your way to the woods to run into these critters.

[nowhereman427]

More likely to get killed/injured in a vehicle collision either with another vehicle or off the road when you hit one of these mamonth critters.

[ChrisMT]

Yes, I agree....I have actually been the most threatened by a mule deer and a cow over the years lol...

The comments about wolves and coyotes are in regards to the threat to dogs....coyotes are very aggressive in my area and are attacking dogs and even large dogs sometimes when owners are nearby...so I would imagine wolves would be even more dangerous to dogs. My own husky has been attacked by a pack of coyotes twice and my neighbor lost their border collie to the coyote pack in our neighborhood while they were out jogging in the dark

Grizzlies do make me nervous, that is the truth...and bear spray isn't always a cure-all...you have to be able to deploy it in advance and other factors. Not always doable if your riding a bike and don't see something until it's too late. I try and ride with a buddy at all times for that reason

[SkyLark2019]

Originally Posted by ChrisMT

Yes, I agree....I have actually been the most threatened by a mule deer and a cow over the years lol...

The comments about wolves and coyotes are in regards to the threat to dogs....coyotes are very aggressive in my area and are attacking dogs and even large dogs sometimes when owners are nearby...so I would imagine wolves would be even more dangerous to dogs. My own husky has been attacked by a pack of coyotes twice and my neighbor lost their border collie to the coyote pack in our neighborhood while they were out jogging in the dark

Grizzlies do make me nervous, that is the truth...and bear spray isn't always a cure-all...you have to be able to deploy it in advance and other factors. Not always doable if your riding a bike and don't see something until it's too late. I try and ride with a buddy at all times for that reason

Yeah a pack of coyotes is the worst. They wiped out my cousin's dogs.

Again, regarding Grizzlies, just stay [mod cut] away from them. There's no better way to put it. The safest place is no where near one.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by ChrisMT

Yes, I agree....I have actually been the most threatened by a mule deer and a cow over the years lol...

The comments about wolves and coyotes are in regards to the threat to dogs....coyotes are very aggressive in my area and are attacking dogs and even large dogs sometimes when owners are nearby...so I would imagine wolves would be even more dangerous to dogs. My own husky has been attacked by a pack of coyotes twice and my neighbor lost their border collie to the coyote pack in our neighborhood while they were out jogging in the dark

Grizzlies do make me nervous, that is the truth...and bear spray isn't always a cure-all...you have to be able to deploy it in advance and other factors. Not always doable if your riding a bike and don't see something until it's too late. I try and ride with a buddy at all times for that reason

Originally Posted by SkyLark2019

Yeah a pack of coyotes is the worst. They wiped out my cousin's dogs.

Again, regarding Grizzlies, just stay [mod cut] away from them. There's no better way to put it. The safest place is no where near one.

Canines are a threat to dogs but if you use some common sense you can decrease your chances of that threat. As far as humans, it's pretty rare a non-rabid canine will attack a person. There are also plenty of people living in grizzly and mountain lion country that rarely or even never see them. They are much more elusive than a lot of people think they are. Just bring protection in the form of pepper spray or a gun and use common sense (which of course isn't so common anymore) and you can enjoy the outdoors.

[nowhereman427]

Isn't there a problem with an over abundance of wolves in Montana?

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

Isn't there a problem with an over abundance of wolves in Montana?

If you ask some hunters they are like locusts and have killed all of the game. They're a fictional subspecies called the Canadian gray wolf that is freakishly large.

If you ask a scientist there isn't a problem.

As for me I've never seen a wild wolf in Montana but have still managed to see game species 25 years on. This is not to say wolves shouldn't be managed as a game species and they certainly aren't endangered anymore but there is a comical extremist stance by a lot of people.

Let the fireworks commence!

[sylentvoyce]

Originally Posted by pjg66

Given the bad press it sometimes gets on this forum, it is refreshing to see something upbeat and positive about Butte.

The earliest years of my life were spent in Butte. And although my family left there when I was quite young, there still was plenty of time to accumulate a multitude of happy memories (and a few not so happy ones).

But beyond that, Butte left an indelible imprint on my psyche, an imprint that has stayed with me and engendered in me a lifelong fascination with that unique city. Maybe that's because my earliest conscious impressions of this Universe I found myself in were impressions of life in Butte. As an adult, I have visited Butte a few times and those visits just sharpened that fascination.

Butte has its warts, but it also has an elemental, funky beauty about it. It has a distinct character and presence, and even its own kind of charm. And it is framed by awesome natural beauty. In my experience, there's no place quite like Butte.

Thank you sylentvoyce for sharing with us your perceptive observations about Butte.

No problem. Most of Montana cities have a cookie cutter nature to me, and Butte has always been genuinely unique. A true time capsule.

[MTSilvertip]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

Isn't there a problem with an over abundance of wolves in Montana?

Yes. They breed like rats and aren't nearly as useful.
The northern Elk herd in Yellowstone used to number around 38,000 animals. Now it's about 6000.
The Rocky Mountain Timber Wolf native to this area grew to around 80 lbs. Tha Arctic grey Wolf introduced into Yellowstone get twice that size and specimens have been taken weighing 150 lbs+.

There have been several cases of wolves killing scores of sheep and lambs in one night, or several cows/calves. They're brutally efficient killers and enjoy their work.

There are reasons why we can legally harvest 5 wolves per hunter per year. In just 20 years they've left Yellowstone and pushed all the way to Culbertson in the eastern part of the state.
There are lots of stories in the newspapers of first hand accounts of Wolf attacks. Not hard to find unless it doesn't fit your political agenda.

[MikeyMike11]

Originally Posted by MTSilvertip

Not hard to find unless it doesn't fit your political agenda.

Without any political agenda at all here, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. Are you meaning they attack livestock or humans? I would agree with livestock, but I have never heard of a wolf attacking a human in Montana. Maybe up in Canada, but I've never even heard of an encounter with a wolf and human in Montana.

Grizzlies on the other hand, I have run into them face to face a few times in my adventures. Never been attacked, always just stand your ground, and never run, and have your gun/spray spray ready. I think the most dangerous bears are the old desperate ones, or mommas with cubs. The young "teenage" bears like to bluff, but that's about it.