Shooting Wolves

[Furby]

Claimed they were gonna treat it and then release it. :

[Ron Scott]

It has been treated and released.

[SwampDonkey]

 ;D :D Reminds me of that little coyote that Walt Disney filmed in California in the 60's or 70's. He was one lucky and very smart coyote.  :D :D 8)

[SwampDonkey]

Oh, talked to the neighbors about their pet silver fox. He wasn't tamed and couldn't be trusted around the kids. He'd bite. His son got it from someone who raised foxes, it was a pup when he got it. They had him loose one day and he got struck and killed on the road.

[Ron Scott]

"Man Among Wolves" will air on National Geographic Channel, Monday, April 16, at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT.

[Larry]

Well lets see...out of the loft window I spot a coyote.  Plug in the range off the lazer, temperature, and wind direction off the roof mounted weather station.  Get the critter sighted in on the custom 36X target Leupold and launch a 308 projectile...instant red mist.  I can spot the varmits out to about 7 miles but I can only touch them to about 1,200 yards.

Tain't see one in a few days...may have to turn my attention to this varmint.  And iffen I remember correctly Patty is really wanting a new coat. 

[SwampDonkey]

"Never Cry Wolf" is a good read about wolves. I wouldn't take it as 100 % factual, but it was based on "some" experiences of the author, Farley Mowat, who worked in the north for the Canadian Wildlife Service to find the relationship between wolf and caribou. Another perspective can be read from "Wolves in Russia: Anxiety throughout the ages", by Will Graves. You might or might not be surprised from what he says as well.

[dnalley]

I've read where some say that the last two things on earth will be a cockroach and a coyote .  And Larry, that's some mighty fine shooting

[indiaxman1]

Hear the coyotes weekly....keep them and coons away from cabin...our dog helps.......used to live trap coons...after releasing one in nearby foresty..it turn on me...that was my last humane coon move...hollowpoint to the head now

[indiaxman1]

Coyote pelts down to $5..less than half that  in 2008...shows more coyotes...and more hunters/trappers

[Coon]

We have been overrun with coyotes here in Saskatchewan.  DNR has put out a $20 bounty on them and we just have to submit the four paws.  This way the pelts can be marketed and sold.  Nobody buying them though.  I have shot 32 of them since earl fall when the bounty was announced.  Have given all the pelts away and sold the paws.

[Chuck White]

As far as coyotes, and wolves too for that matter, I agree with the SSS method, regardless of the time of year!

[SwampDonkey]

Bounties on coyotes, here in the Maritimes at least, only worsened the problem. In the 80's they had a bounty in NS and the population exploded in their face. The problem with coyotes is their breeding is compensatory. NB didn't implement a bounty, they watched to see what the end effect would be in Nova Scotia and to see if the known studies at the time would be verified. They were. "If you remove some individuals, you create space for more to have food and opportunities for territories. So coyotes are going to breed even more to compensate for that loss. So there's just no point," says Jean-Michel Devink, of the NB Department of Natural Resources.


That being said I heard a group of 3 coyotes today making their presence known for 5 minutes, then all was quiet again. ;D

[Qweaver]

I'm a little surprised that I don't see or hear more coyotes where we live in W.Va.  I have only seen one over the past four years and that was in a remote, completely wooded area.  We have lots of deer and other small prey for them to hunt but I never hear or see them.

On the other hand, where we live in Texas is completely surrounded by housing and refineries and we hear coyotes on a regular basis. We do have several hundred acres of prarie and low trees near by but not what I would think of as good hunting ground for wildlife.  It must be tho'.  They are eating something.  Stray cats don't last long.

[SwampDonkey]

Not much for deer in my area and never was as far back as I can remember. Deer and moose don't mix very well. Up along the Tobique river are concentrations of deer because people feed them. Go back in the woods away from the settlement and scarce as hens teeth. There are also a lot less moose there. The natives all come down here from the local reserve at Tobique after the regular season closes and bag a moose or two. Can't be too hard on them when you see 8 or more in a bunch and the woodlot is all tramped up.

[SwampDonkey]

Isle Royale in Michigan has wolves and moose.

Here is a page on a study of their interaction.

http://www.wolfmoose.mtu.edu

Here is a page with a photo on the island and lots of moose antlers and a group of folks. ;D

http://www.d.umn.edu/~tbeery

PBS has a story on the Isle Royale study tonight after American Experience, titled “The Wolf and Moose Study of Isle Royale”.

[montana]

When most of your yearly income is from the hunting industry, you get a diffrent perspective. I have seen wolves in action many times, I have also seen our elk and deer populations decrease considerably. All you have to do is look at the harvest percentages since the wolves were re-introduced. Any time you let a predator at the top of the food chain go without any control they will always flourish. We went to a draw only on mountain lions and limited wolf tags this past year, combine those two and they have a devastating impact on the elk and deer herds. We had to harvest two mountian lions in town last year. The wolves not only harvest alot of the elk and deer, they change there breeding, and grazing habits which has a more devestating impact. Just go and bugle during the rut in some of more populated areas of wolves and you'll see my point. A huge part of the elk being able to reproduce is there ability to communicate, in some areas they are so reluctant to bugle. Just my two cents.

[SwampDonkey]

Well it's a hard balance. Men with guns and bows and livelihoods at stake and wolves with their bare teeth and bellies to fill.  ;) Touchy subject depending on which side of the fence you stand on. My grandfather also made a living hunting and fishing. The woodland caribou died out in New Brunswick a century ago and it wasn't wolves and coyotes to killed them it was tuberculosis in addition to brain worm from invading deer that were not native. They also infect the moose. Many of the guides at the time have photos of dieing caribou and moose. Also around here an area will either be dominated my moose or deer. Which ever dominates, the other is scarce. In my area the moose are too thick. ;D I too have seen dying moose from brain worm, it ain't pretty.

[Ron Scott]

Deer (6 point buck) eaten by coyotes in an area very active with coyotes, 11/09.

[beenthere]

Saw this article on coyote taking in Saskatchewan

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/02/19/sk-coyote-program-1002.html

4 months into the bounty system nets 18,000 coyotes. That's a lot of paws. 

[Warren]

I got a chuckle out of part of the article beenthere referenced above:

"Some wildlife and environmental groups have expressed skepticism that the bounty would be effective at eliminating the coyotes that prey on farm animals, claiming that only the weaker, slower coyotes would be killed."

Dem 'yotes is fast.  But ain't seen one yet, what could outrun a .223 at 3,200 ft per second ... :D :D :D

-w-

[SwampDonkey]

Seems to be real successful so far at killing them. :D

I wonder what will take place population-wise when it's over, for the next decade? My guess is this is not the first shootout. ;)

[Sprucegum]

Farmers are already complaining they cant get enough poison for the gophers  :

[SwampDonkey]

Never gonna be satisfied.  :

[Coon]

We are having a small competition between about 24 people locally in the month of March to see who can submit the most paws.  I will be going out to a sweet spot in the morning with my 25-06.  Got just over 400 rounds of reloads loaded just the way I like.  ;) I got a honeyhole for yotes all primed and ready.  Have been feeding them to get em coming in. I just checked my game cam today and I must have about 20 of em coming and going currently but they'll be thinned out considerably by this time tomorow. Will post some updates when I remember to. 

Brad.