Pack of Wolves .

A buddies son got off his stand a number of years back . As he was walking back to his truck he thought somebody was following him . He stopped and turned around and a wolf was in the logging road about 35 yds from him . He got shook and pulled a 9mm and walked backwards to the truck . The wolves followed turned out to be 4 of them . He fired into the ground and they just stood there , never ran off ! Wolves will not attack unless ? Just because there have been so few documented cases of wolf attacks does not mean they have not happened prior to record keeping . I don,t trust them period .They are killing opportunist at best .

Don Meier wrote:

Do you actually live where the wolves are ? You say you spend time in wolf country ?

Does hearing them through an open window while sitting on my living room couch count?

When I say spend time around them I mean stuff like bow hunting the same woods wolves frequent. Or snowmobiling/4wheeling past them on the lake I’m fishing. Or wade fishing a 30′ wide swampy river after dark and hearing them every single night. I have more fear of the beavers in that river, and I don’t mean the venomous kind.

Don Meier wrote:

Just because there have been so few documented cases of wolf attacks

You’re really answering your own question here, it’s not rocket surgery

Don Meier wrote:

Just because there have been so few documented cases of wolf attacks does not mean they have not happened prior to record keeping .

So few? There’s literally been ONE documented case of a wolf attacking a person in this state. And that animal was shown to have a mangled jaw, limiting its ability to hunt and capture its normal prey.

Of course settlers encountered them when we landed on the eastern shore hundreds of years ago. But they also inhabited the entire continent, and so did their primary prey, buffalo.

Fear mongering to say the least. Might want to keep an eye on Fido though. They don’t tolerate other canines in their territory.

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Reef Whooligan wrote:</div>
Is human safety really a concern or are people just using any justification for better deer hunting?

The chances of being attacked or even killed by a wolf is extremely remote. You almost can’t even measure it. You have a much higher chance of winning the lottery, getting struck by lightning, or getting into a car accident on your way to the deer stand. Heck, you could live and hunt in wolf country for years on end and never even see one. I deer hunted for 25 years in wolf country in northern MN and never saw one.

Obviously deer hunters and livestock owners are going to complain. Wolves hunt deer, and in some cases they will prey on livestock when given a chance. Or domesticated pets.

I think most of us here would agree that there needs to be state management of wolves in MN, WI, and MI (which is considered the Great Lakes Region). And I have no doubt that there eventually will be with a lottery-drawn, quota based hunting and/or trapping season.

However, until they are removed from the Endangered Species List in the Great Lakes Region, all you can do is bark up a dead tree. Its not like the governor of Wisconsin can go to the president and a federal agency and just tell them to remove the animals from the list. Its federal law, which supercedes all state law. The US Fish & Wildlife has the authority to remove them, and they’ve tried twice, only to have it reversed in court. One of the primary reasons it has been reversed in court is that the judge has stated that the wolves “have not yet reclaimed their original territory that they had established prior to be placed on the ESL.” Well poop, of course they haven’t. They’re never going to re-establish all of that territory because its now been turned into urban environments and agriculture land. And their primary food source, buffalo, are not present in great numbers either anymore. So I don’t quite understand the logic behind that decision in court, but its how the system works in this country.

My suggestion is if you live in wolf country and you’re seriously worried about being attacked, stay inside. There is a far greater danger to a domestic dog than a person. BTW you can shoot a wolf if it poses an immediate threat to a person. Really no different than the cougar recently shot. If you feel a legitimate threat, shoot the animal, and call the authorities to report it. Explain what occurred. Based on the incident with the cougar, if you have grounds to stand on and are honest about it, they will accept it.

The governors of the Great Lakes states do have some say in this. But they choose not to. In October of 2010 Idaho governor Butch Otter told the feds they were done with them. No more monitoring, or investigating illegal kills. In May of 2011, the federal government permanently delisted them in Idaho and Montana and parts of Oregon, Washington and Utah.

So when my ancestors trapped and shot the hell out of them was that fear mongering ? LOL I don’t think so . If you are okay with having to watch your livestock every waking moment ? Or when your milk production drops off the charts because of wolves harassing them ? They do what a wolf does and that is kill to survive . The DNR came in and took out a whole pack a few years back at local dairy farm, they had been coming INTO his drive through barn. Word was a wolf had encountered an employee and acted aggressively towards him in the barn . This was already after they (DNR) had tried unsuccessfully to remediate the problem . A sheep farmer west of me had his flock annihilated DNR paid or in other words WE paid to have a wolf proof enclosure built for him . I see what you did by cherry picking what i said LOL Wolves have killed humans for thousands of years just because someone did not have law enforcement around to document it . Maybe want read up on Siberia and wolf predation The Kirov wolf attacks were a series of man-eating wolf attacks on humans which occurred from 1944–1954 in nine raions (districts) of the 120,800 km2 Kirov Oblast of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic[1] which resulted in the deaths of 22 children and teenagers between the ages of 3 and 17.[2] In all cases, the attacks occurred in the April to December period, coinciding with the wolf’s cubbing season . You can minimize the threat all you want , you will never convince me.

Everyone talks about getting the wolves delisted but I’m not sure MN-WI-MI DNR or Governors actually want that. JMO

Don Meier wrote:

In all cases, the attacks occurred in the April to December period, coinciding with the wolf’s cubbing season . You can minimize the threat all you want , you will never convince me.

So you’re telling me if I don’t want to be eaten by wolves, all I gotta do is stay inside during the April to December period? Only two thirds of the year, easy peasy

mxskeeter wrote:

Everyone talks about getting the wolves delisted but I’m not sure MN-WI-MI DNR or Governors actually want that. JMO

Bingo!

mxskeeter wrote:

Everyone talks about getting the wolves delisted but I’m not sure MN-WI-MI DNR or Governors actually want that. JMO

I know the lawyers in Washington do not want it . Its a great money maker litigating for the groups that can’t have enough wolves .

mxskeeter wrote:

Everyone talks about getting the wolves delisted but I’m not sure MN-WI-MI DNR or Governors actually want that. JMO

Pretty much the same thing coincides with black bear attacks. Whenever there are cubs present.

I’m just waiting for the day some good old boy live traps a pack, and drops them off in Theodore Wirth Park. Attitude toward wolves would change pretty quickly, where it needs to change.

BigWerm wrote:

I’m just waiting for the day some good old boy live traps a pack, and drops them off in Theodore Wirth Park. Attitude toward wolves would change pretty quickly, where it needs to change.

This thread makes it sound like they’ll expand there and start eating children any day now all on their own.

Reef W wrote:

This thread makes it sound like they’ll expand there and start eating children any day now all on their own.

Reef what I’m saying is if wolves are limited there would be less problems/conflicts because they would stay in areas with less population. The reason they are expanding to populated areas are some are pushed out of where they normally would/want to be, which is in the large tracts of forest.

The simplest solution is to just shoot them without getting caught.
When enough people do that it helps a lot. Wisconsin.
You wont exterminate them. (?) They will still be present but much less competition for the deer. They dont deserve to be at historic numbers because People have taken up the space.

suzuki wrote:

The simplest solution is to just shoot them without getting caught.
When enough people do that it helps a lot. Wisconsin.
You wont exterminate them. (?) They will still be present but much less competition for the deer. They dont deserve to be at historic numbers because People have taken up the space.

The big problem is that the state’s game managers, specialists and politicians are being bombarded with $$$, favors, trips, etc by lobbyists, to set unrealistic population numbers for these animals without looking at real time issues they cause when their population densities force them into areas where people densities are high. The people setting these goals need to stop and realize that wolves will NEVER get back to the range they once had without some serious repercussions. 200 hundred years ago people had to go to deep woods to hear or see a wolf. That’s exactly how they should be managed today.

You mailed it Jim ! Human / Wolf conflicts will continue into foreseeable future. I built a home on 40 acres where nothing was prior . With the reintroduction of wolves , now this somehow becomes their territory ? Just watched one of those Alaskan shows Shuglak Eskimos hunted down a pack on snowmobiles . They said it was necessary. So even indigenous recognize the fact they have to be thinned . For them it’s a threat to their subsistence way of living.

suzuki wrote:

The simplest solution is to just shoot them without getting caught.
When enough people do that it helps a lot. Wisconsin.
You wont exterminate them. (?) They will still be present but much less competition for the deer. They dont deserve to be at historic numbers because People have taken up the space.

I wonder what else you are poaching if you are promoting the poaching of wolves.

The MN and WI dnr estimates of the wolf populations are a joke. Just look at how fast they overfilled the quota in WI the last season. Doesn’t take much brains to realize their estimates are wayyyy low. They act like they have some exact count of the wolves in the state and they don’t have a clue.

The judge made a mockery of the endangered species list when they got them added back on. Since when did the liberal judges get to make game decisions?

I live in a rural area in wolf country. I don’t fear for me but I do fear for my dog. If I had little kids it would definitely be something I’d be slightly concerned about. I am not a deer hunter.

But none of that matters. They are simply overpopulated and need to be managed by hunting and trapping. Man has changed the landscape and some critters populations need to be managed by man. Wolves have far exceeded that point.

walleye216 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>suzuki wrote:</div>
The simplest solution is to just shoot them without getting caught.
When enough people do that it helps a lot. Wisconsin.
You wont exterminate them. (?) They will still be present but much less competition for the deer. They dont deserve to be at historic numbers because People have taken up the space.

I wonder what else you are poaching if you are promoting the poaching of wolves.

In response to pressure from farmers, the Wisconsin Legislature passed a state bounty in 1865, offering $5 for every wolf killed. By 1900, no timber wolves existed in the southern two-thirds of the state. Lol There are many who feel the same way Suzuki does not mean anything more . Only in your mind ?

Ok, got it now. Poaching wolves is ok because many people do it or support it.

walleye216 wrote:

Ok, got it now. Poaching wolves is ok because many people do it or support it.

Lol if that’s the way you see it ? Thats funny cause IDAHO has a 1000 dollar bounty on them right now ! Hmmm is that getting paid to poach ? Or is it a response to an out of control wolf population ?

They are in my area in central MN to. They killed our friends horse. Federal shooter showed up for a couple days looking fir the wolf. Told them if the wolf had killed live stock he could of done more but since it was just a family pet just a couple days hunting is all they get.

Don Meier wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>walleye216 wrote:</div>
Ok, got it now. Poaching wolves is ok because many people do it or support it.

Lol if that’s the way you see it ? Thats funny cause IDAHO has a 1000 dollar bounty on them right now ! Hmmm is that getting paid to poach ? Or is it a response to an out of control wolf population ?

Good for Idaho. So you propose we follow the laws of the states that we choose and not the laws of the state we are in? Idaho also allows unlimited walleye harvest in some waters. Do you do that in Minnesota or Wisconsin?

Don Meier wrote:

Thats funny cause IDAHO has a 1000 dollar bounty on them right now ! Hmmm is that getting paid to poach ? Or is it a response to an out of control wolf population ?

Idaho’s wolf season is continuous. There is no open or closed season dates. So technically as long as you have a tag, you can hunt a wolf there, as it stands right now. It’s essentially like hunting coyotes here.

Walleye216 is specifically referring to the rules/laws governing wolves here in MN. There is no legal season at this time.

Idaho’s laws on wolves and Minnesota’s are quite different. Let’s not confuse the two here.

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Don Meier wrote:</div>
Thats funny cause IDAHO has a 1000 dollar bounty on them right now ! Hmmm is that getting paid to poach ? Or is it a response to an out of control wolf population ?

Idaho’s wolf season is continuous. There is no open or closed season dates. So technically as long as you have a tag, you can hunt a wolf there, as it stands right now. It’s essentially like hunting coyotes here.

Walleye216 is specifically referring to the rules/laws governing wolves here in MN. There is no legal season at this time.

Idaho’s laws on wolves and Minnesota’s are quite different. Let’s not confuse the two here.

Exactly, I am in favor of legal hunting and fishing. I would like a legal wolf harvest season in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I am not going to become a poacher or advocate for others to poach because I don’t like the laws.

When people openly advocate for poaching of one animal, I am very concerned what other hunting or fishing regulations they are willing to violate when they think know one is watching.

“Idaho’s laws on wolves and Minnesota’s are quite different. Let’s not confuse the two here”. Prior to 2011 there was no season wolf season in Idaho . At that time we all were on the same page . Then it was turned over to the state to manage . When politics and inaction prevent particularly dangerous animals from being regulated , you can bet people will take matters into their own hands especially when it comes to protecting what’s theirs. The wolf right now is not regulated in Wisconsin and having their way with livestock , pets and whitetail deer . One study showed an adult wolf ate 27 deer in one year . Does not take long to decimate a white population or Elk population . There are areas in Wyoming that are completely wiped out of some high country elk herds . They had killed elk and never feed on them . They practice kill to train their pups. The precious elk reintro in Wisconsin also has felt the insatiable appetite of wolves . There was a point in the introduction when there was zero growth in the herd because wolves were killing pregnant cows. Major donors to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation were considerably upset to find out the Elk were being slaughtered , the same elk that cost millions to establish and monitor. The state of Wisconsin currently regulates every animal and fish that calls it home here ! Except for Canis lupus , that is just not right period .

Don Meier wrote:

“Idaho’s laws on wolves and Minnesota’s are quite different. Let’s not confuse the two here”. Prior to 2011 there was no season wolf season in Idaho . At that time we all were on the same page . Then it was turned over to the state to manage . When politics and inaction prevent particularly dangerous animals from being regulated , you can bet people will take matters into their own hands especially when it comes to protecting what’s theirs. The wolf right now is not regulated in Wisconsin and having their way with livestock , pets and whitetail deer . One study showed an adult wolf ate 27 deer in one year . Does not take long to decimate a white population or Elk population . There are areas in Wyoming that are completely wiped out of some high country elk herds . They had killed elk and never feed on them . They practice kill to train their pups. The precious elk reintro in Wisconsin also has felt the insatiable appetite of wolves . There was a point in the introduction when there was zero growth in the herd because wolves were killing pregnant cows. Major donors to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation were considerably upset to find out the Elk were being slaughtered , the same elk that cost millions to establish and monitor. The state of Wisconsin currently regulates every animal and fish that calls it home here ! Except for Canis lupus , that is just not right period .

I guess you are reaching now to make pro-poaching argument seem acceptable. I just hope you don’t hunt or fish anywhere near me.

Hopefully third time is the charm. Two posts didn’t work trying to do a quote of walleye216.

I have a client that had two dogs killed in his front yard by wolves. He came out the front door as one of his dogs was getting it’s head ripped off it’s body by a wolf. He called usfws and they told him there is nothing that they can do. He has killed several wolves since then. Is he a poacher? Just curious where you draw the line.

I don’t think he cares and I wouldn’t either. If I see a wolf in my yard it is dead. Same with a cougar. My dogs are family and they aren’t going to get killed by a predator on my watch. This is what happens when there are too many wolves. Make a season and they will be scared of man like they used to be. They are overpopulated and that’s what happens when we have too many.

FinnyDinDin wrote:

I have a client that had two dogs killed in his front yard by wolves. He came out the front door as one of his dogs was getting it’s head ripped off it’s body by a wolf. He called usfws and they told him there is nothing that they can do. He has killed several wolves since then. Is he a poacher? Just curious where you draw the line.

I don’t think he cares and I wouldn’t either. If I see a wolf in my yard it is dead.

Lol – that post sounds as if it could have been written about many, many people in my immediate area….

I personally know MANY guys who have shot/trapped multiple wolves in the last ten yrs. One deer camp in particular has racked up an incredible number of kills. None of these dudes are what I would consider poachers. I live rurally, have dogs, and wouldn’t hesitate to protect them. I guess that makes me a poacher too?