Wolves Have Been Released in Colorado USA

[calling4life]

Have them bring in Griz, the rich skiers I'm sure are just besides themselves not being able to see the cuddly teddy bears.

 

[mdwest]

Wolves aren't the problem. The fact that they can't be managed as they should is the problem.

I agree with you.. Although I'd argue that they absolutely can be managed properly.. you just cant convince the greenies what proper management looks like.. even showing them "the science" doesnt matter.. as long as they feel good today, what is actually happening tomorrow is of little concern..

 

[Woodcarver]

We don't need any more here. These pics were taken a month ago, north of Silverthorne about 12 miles, roughly 18 miles due west of Frasier. I took these pics a couple miles from any place a domestic dog could have come from. It took me a bit to realize what I was looking at as these were way too big for any coyote, but way too deep in the woods (and no people tracks besides mine), to be domestic dogs. We found this set of 3 animals, and in two other places, single sets. The top rest of my quad sticks is 5" wide for scale. I would have happily applied the 3S method to one if I'd seen it.

 

[uplander01]

The people making the wolf decisions are all the same people that are going to allow the Indians to have gill net fishing back in the great lakes here in Michigan,.....take taxpayer money, plant salmon, steelhead, browns, allow the Indians to kill them all indiscriminately, rinse and repeat.

We've already lost fellas, the game is over.

 

[CJW]

I agree with you.. Although I'd argue that they absolutely can be managed properly..

We have nothing to argue about there. Yes they can be managed properly. Just not when legislation prohibits it. Ask our WI hound guys about how easily they can be managed. The last season was more easily described in hours rather than days.

 

[Aaron N]

I dont think its about convenience..

I think its about greenies not thinking things completely through..

They want the feel good side of the equation..

But they dont want responsibility for properly managing the results of their decisions.. or to be held accountable for the consequences of the refusal to manage..

I dont know of a single area (maybe there is one? if Im wrong, sincerely, someone please correct me) where the reintroduction of wolves has been truly successful in a manner that actual outdoorsmen and conservationists would define "success"..

No policy without sufficient forethought and follow through will ever be successful. That’s the problem with bureaucracy. Wolves could be brought into an ecosystem, and I would hazard a guess with proper management (think hunting/trapping quotas) they may even prove to be a net positive.

 

[Aaron N]

Wolves aren't the problem. The fact that they can't be managed as they should is the problem.

You nailed it!

 

[Ridge Runner]

Maybe I'm wrong to do this, but I consider wolves and coyotes (and hogs) to be the same......Shoot On Sight!!

Here in Tennessee we have a coyote problem,...and a hog problem,....at least hogs have meat value.

Coyotes and wolves have No...Zero...value. These animals offer nothing in the way of food or hide value and at least with our (Tennessee's) hunting restrictions it makes it more difficult to hunt coyotes and to justify the expenses involved for hunting/ trapping coyotes (and wolves) for sport...or conservation.

When wildlife agencies start to consider implementing critters such as wolves into an area and are so irreversibly inclined not to, then these agencies' first priority should be on controlling their population while focusing on the conservation and protection of the more valuable/usable wildlife resources.

As for where to initially release these predatory animals like wolves and coyotes, since it's the urban and suburban populations that wants these reintroduction Wildlife agencies should start by releasing these apex predators into these areas followed by a mandatory minimum 5 year study.

 

[MarkB]

When I read these headlines I shake my head. Has nobody learned any lessons from other states concerning these reintroductions? Huge issues concerning greenie wanting wolves in backyards. Or what happens to prey species with no knowledge of wolves? Massacre then wolf populations explode, then all suffer, then years of court BS and $$.

Our Gov just completed heli gunning last winter in my elk spot, cost equalled $7000 Cnd per dead wolf.

First pic is how I treat wolves. We have no bag limit, no season below 1450 meters. Yes I shoot at EVERY opportunity. Exiting when they bound in to my dying deer call for lead as this one did, shot at 30 yds, not sure who was surprised most, her or me.

This is what local ranchers do.

Wolf reintroduction would not be as bad if they could be long term managed as all other game is. But greenies will NEVER allow that.

Crazy repeat.

MB

 

[CJW]

You nailed it! The original goal for wolves in the U.P. was 200-250 spread throughout the area but with no plan to manage them once that goal was met and we still are not allowed to control them. Because of our extremely high snow totals in the winter 200-300+ inches the deer concentrate in yarding areas where they have thermal cover and browse to survive but they are stuck there till the snow melts. The wolves can just pick them off at will and they do! We could probably tolerate the original goal numbers but not 4-5 times that number. Those who don't have to live with the consequences of wolves just don't know how much they don't know.

I've heard of plenty of coyote trappers in the UP giving it up because they were tired of releasing wolves.

 

[BRICKBURN]

We don't need any more here. These pics were taken a month ago, north of Silverthorne about 12 miles, roughly 18 miles due west of Frasier. I took these pics a couple miles from any place a domestic dog could have come from. It took me a bit to realize what I was looking at as these were way too big for any coyote, but way too deep in the woods (and no people tracks besides mine), to be domestic dogs. We found this set of 3 animals, and in two other places, single sets. The top rest of my quad sticks is 5" wide for scale. I would have happily applied the 3S method to one if I'd seen it.

View attachment 575530
View attachment 575531

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I'm not seeing any claw marks in those tracks. I'd wonder if they were kitty tracks?

 

[CJW]

That middle pic almost looks like a canine in back and feline in front.

 

[Justbryan]

In the lower 48 it is actually pretty easy. You just have to want to and most importantly have the legal ability to. Trapping and hounds can do a number on wolves in short order. In Canada and Alaska I can see it being much more difficult just because of the remoteness.
But get a trapper who knows what he's doing and they can pile up the rugs. Wolves and hogs are apples and oranges.

I agree, hogs and wolves are different. Not being able to manage wolves once introduced is political and not an issue of being able to control their populations.

 

[CJW]

No policy without sufficient forethought and follow through will ever be successful. That’s the problem with bureaucracy. Wolves could be brought into an ecosystem, and I would hazard a guess with proper management (think hunting/trapping quotas) they may even prove to be a net positive.

They definitely could be a net positive.

The area where these pics were taken has always had a surprising number of deer considering there has been a wolf pack there for at least two decades. Managed properly we can diversify our game animals. Not limit them.

 

[WyoBull]

Target rich opportunity. Maybe I will head south a little bit with the 220 Swift and 7mm RUM along our southern border and check things out.
Colorado won’t manage them and soon the hunting industry will start feeling the effects of it.

 

[CJW]

Have them bring in Griz, the rich skiers I'm sure are just besides themselves not being able to see the cuddly teddy bears.

I've always said that about CA. State flag has a grizzly on it and is the staye animal but the last one seen was 1920 or so I believe. I hiked those mts end to end. Plenty of room for grizzlies.

 

[Woodcarver]

View attachment 575541


I'm not seeing any claw marks in those tracks. I'd wonder if they were kitty tracks?

Sorry for the not so great pics. The toenails were definitely visible in person. My son and I spent a bit of time inspecting and even trailing for a ways to find definitive prints. When I first saw them, my initial thought was lion, but then I saw the toenails and elongation.

That middle pic almost looks like a canine in back and feline in front.

2 paws hitting the same place. Notice the "extra" toe?

 

[CJW]

Yeah I see what you're saying now. I'm on my phone and have to zoom in, then it gets blurry. The only thing I could figure is that a wolf stumbled onto a lion track and followed. He stepped on it perfectly to elongate it. Definitely a clear wolf track in the back though.

The extra toe was actually what I noticed first but thought I was going batty. Then I settled on a cat and crappy phone and/or eyesight. Mine not yours.

 

[Finprof]

Back when I was living in Northwestern Ontario the Dept of Lands and Forests had a $55 bounty for each wolf. In 1960 that was a lot of money. You could also sell the pelt to an American.

Before wolves were introduced to Yellowstone there was a good elk hunt in Montana mid-winter for elk leaving the park for the valley.
Now there aren’t enough elk to make it worth freezing in -20 weather and there are so few elk you can’t get a tag.
The wolves can’t take down bison so bison are flourishing at the expense of elk.

 

[Woodcarver]

I've got a pic of a lynx track on this computer somewhere, 'course I can't find it at the moment. Took it a few years ago in the Gunnison area and sent it to the DOW for confirmation. That region was one of the lynx reintroduction areas several years ago and they are always looking for documented sightings. Didn't see the cat, just the tracks. Their tracks are very round, and much larger than a bobcat. The stride length is one of the means to differentiate from a lion as they are half the size but have similar footprints.
Unlike the wolf, the lynx won't ever decimate the big game population in an area.