The big bad wolf

I cannot argue with your thoughts Charlie. For a young man you are very wise…RR

I think most people here on this site, and who are tossing the two cents worth in here, are reasonable persons. I don’t think eradication is what people want. Balance is probably the best term. Right now there is nothing being done to create any meaningful balance with wolves in the wild. Too many people want to leave their friendly little homes and see a wolf in the wild, then go back home. Oh yes, they have to eat, but we don’t need to see that part of their lives. Why not? Why not video a calf that’s half eaten but still alive for those people to see? Or a family pet dying the same way? Is it not the beauty of the wolf?

We have wolves where our cabin is and nothing has quite as much mystique attached to it as wolves howling in the night. I love to hear them howl. But when I hear three packs chiding each other from the cabin deck, well, that’s just too many wolves for one area. Honestly I think the wolf population should be trimmed down to about 1/10 of what it is today and an active management plan should be put in place to control the numbers after that. I’ll still get to hear them howl because wolves are highly migratory and are constantly on the move.

Evidently nobody in the governmental policy making area stops to consider how many wolves come into this state along over frozen water and thru the woods. Wolves don’t have international boundaries and this creates yet other issues when wolf numbers are being accessed.

Wolves have their place and nobody is denying that. But they need to be controlled in numbers. With all the restrictions placed on people today regarding the wolves, there numbers are higher today than they ever have been in history. Its the lack of balance that’s creating the problems, not lack of wolves.

Reading through the multitude of comments, I say we are conservationists/sportsmen.

I hear from many friends hunting or fishing in the Northern half of Minnesota, wisconsin, UP of Michigan and into Ontario. A few have stated, Yes, they feared for themselves or their families when a Wolf came too close and was not showing any fear. The 3S (Shoot, Shovel, Shutup) were practiced.

No clue where any of these took place, but between being prey or otherwise attacked, I would do the same thing.

Fishing in Manitoba I got to see a whole pack one evening as I rode with the camp owner to his dump site for all the fish guts. Less than 100 feet from the last cabin 2 Wolves came out of the Forest and started following 150-200 feet behind us. More joined in on the 1/2 mile ride. Once we dumped the 2 barrels with 25-30 gallons of fish guts, we parked 100 yards away and watch as approx a dozen wolves came up and grab some and backed away into the trees. Only one Big Gray colored one stayed at the pile eating. Very cool to watch from the Argo Tracked Vehicles.

Were we told never to leave the camp at night and carry a stick/Baseball Bat and spot/flood lights if outside after dark.

Charlie,

You raise some valid points.

If a species, like deer have reached huntable numbers off habitat carrying objectives what thought process separates a species to ultra politically correct protection like the wolf? If it’s an animal no different than any other, why is it such an issue to harvest them?

It’s in all reality hurting them as a species when they are overpopulated. I know that’s hard to comprehend, but they starve to death, get mange and have other issue’s when they are overpopulated. That’s sad to me that people don’t see the whole picture. Instead they focus in on the political correctness vs the reality they are over the targeted carrying capacity objectives. Yet are afforded protection like no other mammal, why? What separates them from deer or coyotes?

basseyes wrote:

It’s in all reality hurting them as a species when they are overpopulated. I know that’s hard to comprehend, but they starve to death, get mange and have other issue’s when they are overpopulated. That’s sad to me that people don’t see the whole picture. Instead they focus in on the political correctness vs the reality they are over the targeted carrying capacity objectives. Yet are afforded protection like no other mammal, why? What separates them from deer or coyotes?

This is certainly true.

Wolves have brought moose numbers extremely low. We don’t have a moose hunt like we used too. Many deer hunters have stopped hunting areas because the wolves ate most of the deer. Like others have said the best way to manage the ecosystem is balance.