Main Discussion Area > Shooting and Hunting
Wolf sighting on Santiam pass in Oregon
deerhunter97370:
Pat That was going into town so we hadnt been there yet. But we did stop at the cheese factery on our way through. Joel
paulc:
Last I knew wolves were native to the entire continental US so there is no basis to claim they are an introduced or non native species. They were extripated from virtually their entire range by european americans who thought they had a higher claim to the land. Should farmers/ranchers be compensated for damage to their herds?...I think so. And it should be paid for by every citizen as these wolves belong to all of us.
But this idea that the wolves are evil or somehow out of place or where they should not be is just a really difficult idea for me to accept. Life is full of risks every day, whether we live in the city and have to worry about other humans targeting us, or the forest and we may have to deal directly with a wolf, bear,venomous snake, or weak ice and falling trees...No one, especially the gov't has promised, or should promise us, a life in a rose garden. Know the risks of whatever activity you choose to pursue and either accept them or choose something else to do with your time.
DanaM:
I don't think anyone is contending that the wolves don't have a place, but what I'm saying is
that control measures need to be in place to keep the population at reasonable number, same as they do for the deer herd,
But when it comes to wolves they are hands off, not even the state has the right to kill em. If you shoot one it had better be gnawing on your leg
when you pull the trigger or your going to jail and will pay a huge fine. This is Michigan I'm talking about. No one will ever convince me that a wolf is a great and noble animal, they are just another of Gods creations, they are what they are and that is a top rung predator!
paulc:
Can't see much in your post DanaM to argue with...If a wolf was chewing on my leg I would shoot it in a heart beat. But to shoot it just because it eats/wastes deer/cows is just silly.
I would argue that wolves are high and noble same as human hunters. In my mind they are the epitome of freedom and should be treated with the respect any of us would claim for ourselves. And yeah, their population should be managed based on good science, not on us fearing there won't be any deer or moose for us. FWIW
hawkbow:
Sorry, brother I a not willing to give up my hunt to the wolves... there is only enough habitat left for a certain amount of elk and deer.. unfortunately there can't be a balance between wolves and human hunters... they are just too efficient of hunters...as are we.. when we compete for the same prey as wolves in such a small ecosystem eventually the herds will decline to a point where the wolves and we hunters will be hard pressed to find prey to hunt at all...We as humans have laws to protect the herds from dying off through selective harvest and controll, wolves don't have the same luxury.. They hunt every day for survival, when the herds decline , so do the wolves.. I guess my point is are we willing to trade wolves for deer, elk, moose and sheep, only to lose the wolves in te end to starvation.. I love to see wolves in the high country, the problem is they won't stay there.. cows are just too easy to catch. We can't blame the wolves for being introduced.. these wolves are a whole different critter than the historic wolves of the plains... these brutes can weigh in at one eighty plus ,compared to the prairie wolves at seventy pounds or so.. i am not trying to argue with you bro, just educate on the true nature of OUR problem out here in Wyoming.. as a hunter, conservationist and nature lover, I believe it is my responsabiliy to shed some light on the real dangers facing our elk.. I am sure many of the bowhunters on this site would love to come out to the west and hunt an elk someday. Unfortunately with the wolves at the numbers they are, that dream hunt may not be a reality for much longer...I do hunt elk right along side grizz , mountain lions and wolves and have for twenty plus years.. I have been bit by a ratter, and charged by a sow grizz wih cubs...and have the scars on my arm to prove it.. have had to follow my horses for miles in the wilderness after a wolf pack chased them from my camp.. haven't been hit by a faling tree of fell through the ice yet ;D so I guess I can say I accept the wildrness on her terms... but not very accepting of losing my right to hunt to a felow predator.. stay cool and keep your chin to the wind .. Hawk
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