High country elk in September!

[Wolf Watcher]

Lane:  Its hard to tell from Pat's picture, but the wolf looks a lot smaller than the Canadian wolves we have.  It would take me several hours to tell you the impact they have had on the game and livestock in the three main Mountain states around Yellowstone.  They are on the endangered species list as are the grizzlies and can not be hunted in Wyo.  Idaho has by far the most of them and they along with Montana are going to have limited hunting for them this fall!  There has been an ongoing battle with several groups over the years and the court costs are eventually paid by the tax payers.  This is a subject that may border on being too political to discuss on this forum so I hope I have not crossed the line with this discussion.  The ironic thing about the wolves is that they are awesome predators and beautiful animals.  We just want them to be controlled like all the rest of our wildlife.  A/Ho Joe

[johnston]

Thank you for the response. It seems a bit strange to ask about an animal and then belatedly realize the question could be construed as political. What I was asking was how the wolves affect people living with them around. May be somewhat fatalistic on my part but I have given up on the right and wrong that I can't control.

Do dogs go missing? Are people aware of where their young children are? Is that a valid concern? Are mules ever bothered on a picket line?

I do a good bit of critter calling and have had dogs, feral and pets, respond and I am always glad when they run cause I don't want to shoot someone's dog. Guess I asking how you would feel about a wolf. Or rather how you think most folks would feel.

Gonna leave your thread alone now Pat. Don't get a chance to ask these questions often.

Lane

[Little John]

E Donnald Thomas had a good wolf story in his book, Long Bow Country. His consensun was that they do not need to be totally protected or hunted to extinction but can co exist in the wilderness and be a hunting opportunity as well as other big game. I do not know what I would have done if the wolf had offered me a shot opportunity, but would have been like Pat in that it would have been a highlite to the hunt. It definitely adds to the wilderness experience.     Kenneth

[Pat B]

Joe, the wolf I saw was about 50# to 70# I would guess. About the size of a German Shepherd. I only saw him for about 15 or 20 seconds each time. He was steady moving with his nose to the ground. I probably couldn't have gotten a shot had I wanted to shoot him. Maybe with my 12ga and OO buck shot!
   Lane, we were in a wilderness. We didn't see another person for over 7 days while there.

[Wolf Watcher]

Pat:  There is something that gives a primevil feeling seeing a wolf up close.  I don't get that feeling with the grizzly, just one of awe knowing how tough, strong, and smart they are.  A two year old sub adult male wolf can weight 175#s and many adult males will go over 200#s.  I have had 9 of them pass right through the yard and several came by the barn to feed on a dead deer.  The griz will respond to gun shots and both will sometimes come in to elk bugles so you have to be careful when you are hunkered down trying to bugle or cow call.  Lots of misinformation about them, like they only kill the weak, ill, or lame animals.  If I could do only one thing concerning the wolves, it would be to tell the public the truth so there would be a better understanding of why they need to be regulated  for their own good as well as for the people that live in this corner of Wyoming!  I have three horses in a huge mountain pasture here on the ranch and try to see them every day which is near impossible!  One misconception is that the wolves will kill off all the coyotes!  The best thing that ever happened to the coyotes, bears, and birds is the prey animals that the wolves kill and abandon.  During the season of the pups in the den the pack will kill an elk or moose and only eat enough to take back to the den to regurgitate to feed the pups.  That leaves a torn open almost whole carcass for the other critters to feed on.  They can increase their numbers by 25% per year which is so much more than the moose or elk.  I can tell you that being out in the hills and listening to a pack howl and talk back and forth is a real thrill.  Unfortunately they are a big problem and just need to be regulated by the state Game and Fish!  Sorry about the long dialog, but want all my PA friends to know some of the truth about our brother hunter the Canadian wolf!  A/Ho Joe

[johnston]

Thank you sir.

Lane

[Pat B]

My wife and I got to see the last red wolf that was introduced into Cades Cove in the Great Smokey Mountains a few years ago. We were heading down one of the two cross roads when we saw it out in the middle of a large pasture. It was about 400 to 500 yards away but could tell by the way it moved what it was. My wife stopped the car as we watched it. A bit later she turned off the car, the wolf stopped and looked directly at us then was gone. We asked the ranger about it and he told up that that was the last one left and they were trying to trap it to relocate it somewhere else. The next week they did.
  The wolf I saw in Colorado looked to be at least as big as the red wolf or possibly bigger.

[mullet]

 Pat, the Red Wolves you guy's are getting are being raised on St. Vincent Island and the Green Swamp in Florida and sent to other states. Look's like you had a great hunt and I'll be at Cade's next weekend.

[Pat B]

The red wolves they tried to reintroduce were either shot, hit by cars or the pups got parvo.
  My wife will be out of town next weekend so I'll be keeping the home fires going. Are you coming back up later? Wade was asking about coming to Chris' sometime too. Is Steve coming down for it?

[mullet]

 Chris was going to call Steve. I'll be back up during rifle season. I'm going bowhunting in Tenn. in November.

[Pat B]

At Pappy's?  Twin Oaks, a place for all seasons!!!