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I suppose many people can't tell the difference between the two animals but if you are going to hunt something, you should at least be familiar with what you are hunting so you don't kill something else by mistake.
Coyotes and wolves can look very similar. Since there hadn't been a wolf in the area for 70 years, I'd say it was an honest mistake. It's amazing how far wolves range. Sad, though. A female wolf.
Well, at least coyote bounty hunters now will be aware there could be surprise wolves in their territory, and hopefully will be more discerning and cautious.
My whole take from this is that if people are going to hunt they should be familiar with what they are hunting. They should also be familiar with the territory. Wolves and coyotes do look alike but there are differences. The fact that this female has been seen in this area is not new information. People around the region are arware of this. There are briefings hunters are supposed to take to learn about what's there to kill and what's not. They are also encouraged to check in with the rangers before hunting where they would be warned. This guy didn't bother. Just a few moments of really taking a look at what he was going to shoot might have made all the difference.
Hopefully, it will educate other hunters but I doubt it.
Unfortunate, but not really his fault.
At a distance, through a scope, you're never going to be able to tell the difference and since the wolf was a totally freak outlier in an area where coyotes are a managed herd predator, this outcome isn't exactly shocking.
I can't seem to find it on google but wasn't there a case some years ago of a polar bear hunter who accidentally killed an albino brown bear? I distinctly remember something about that.
I suppose many people can't tell the difference between the two animals but if you are going to hunt something, you should at least be familiar with what you are hunting so you don't kill something else by mistake.
The mistake is not surprising - but only to the extent that it's not unusual behavior to not bother to make sure that what he thought was a coyote was indeed a coyote, based on what I've witnessed. The lazy, selfish, and incorrect behavior I hear about from hunters who either have no shame or are clueless about what they're doing, or those I encounter the rare times I hunt grouse or upland game with someone other than family (it's rare because there are simply so many people out there that I don't want to be around when they're handling a firearm).
If he was uncertain, shame on him for pulling the trigger. If he was 'certain' that it was a coyote, then he was flat-out wrong and shouldn't have been hunting a quarry when he wrongly mistakes with self-perceived certitude another species for it.
It wasn't like he flushed an upland game bird, where you only have a couple of seconds to determine if it's a game species that is in season.
I don't want to condemn the man, but he blew it. And I simply have little patience for people who 'blow it' with a firearm.
All that said, given what did happen he reported it - and kudos to him for coming forward and reporting the mistake. I will give him that.
My whole take from this is that if people are going to hunt they should be familiar with what they are hunting. They should also be familiar with the territory. Wolves and coyotes do look alike but there are differences. The fact that this female has been seen in this area is not new information. People around the region are arware of this. There are briefings hunters are supposed to take to learn about what's there to kill and what's not. They are also encouraged to check in with the rangers before hunting where they would be warned. This guy didn't bother. Just a few moments of really taking a look at what he was going to shoot might have made all the difference.
Hopefully, it will educate other hunters but I doubt it.
This is probably a case of shoot, shovel and shut up. It is part of the culture of the West to resist the reintroduction of wolves. Hopefully the reintroduction won't be snuffed out. The wolves are quite necessary for the ecosystem.
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