Wedge Pack: More cattle attacked in Stevens County (poll and letter)

[seth30]

Thanks Dale

[denali]

Officials plan to cull up to 3 more wolves


Washington Fish and Wildlife officials say they plan to kill more wolves in northern Stevens County to curb attacks on cattle.

After confirming that wolves killed one calf this week and injured another, the agency intends to kill up to three members of the Wedge Pack, department spokeswoman Madonna Luers said Friday.

“Our officers will try to trap and put a radio collar on at least one more wolf in the pack for monitoring,” she said. “Then the intent is to lethally remove up to three more wolves to disrupt the pack and reduce its need to feed so many mouths.”

The Wedge Pack roams the Colville National Forest area the Diamond M Ranch leases for grazing between the Columbia and Kettle rivers.

A female nonbreeding wolf in the pack was killed by department officers on Aug. 7 after wolves had killed a calf and injured two others. The kill was the first by the agency under its 2011 wolf management plan. Gray wolves are protected by state endangered species laws

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/aug/18/in-brief-officials-plan-to-cull-up-to-3-more/

[bobcat]

The state just can't afford to continually go around killing problem wolves. Let the citizens do it! This is ridiculous. The ranchers should be able (and required) to take care of the problem themselves. So the state takes out two or three wolves now. Next year the problem will be back and the state will have to spend more money doing what they just did the year before.   

[BOWHUNTER45]

Our officers will try to trap and put a radio collar on at least one more wolf in the pack for monitoring,” she said. “Then the intent is to lethally remove up to three more wolves to disrupt the pack and reduce its need to feed so many mouths....there lies the problem ... they just admitted it !! 

[Atroxus]

The state just can't afford to continually go around killing problem wolves. Let the citizens do it! This is ridiculous. The ranchers should be able (and required) to take care of the problem themselves. So the state takes out two or three wolves now. Next year the problem will be back and the state will have to spend more money doing what they just did the year before.   

If predators need killing let hunters do it. If the farmers don't consider it enough of a problem to let hunters on their property to deal with the issue, then give them non-transferable tags to deal with it themselves.

[bearpaw]

I think I already posted that we are nearly certain there are 2 packs in GMU 105. If they break up the cattle killing pack and cattle killing wolves join up with the other pack, then they will likely teach the other pack to kill cattle. 

ID/MT have learned that once a pack starts killing cattle, you may have to remove the entire pack. Problem is WDFW is trying to appease the wolf lovers and the result could be bad for both packs.

[CedarPants]

The state just can't afford to continually go around killing problem wolves. Let the citizens do it! This is ridiculous. The ranchers should be able (and required) to take care of the problem themselves. So the state takes out two or three wolves now. Next year the problem will be back and the state will have to spend more money doing what they just did the year before. 

Agreed.

The state can't even afford to go around documenting the wolves they know are already here, let alone killing the ones that have become a problem.  My  - how many man hours and resources are they burning up in the Wedge, on a pack they will likely remove, - while brushing off countless reports of numerous other packs because they don't have the money to look into it.

[bearpaw]

The state just can't afford to continually go around killing problem wolves. Let the citizens do it! This is ridiculous. The ranchers should be able (and required) to take care of the problem themselves. So the state takes out two or three wolves now. Next year the problem will be back and the state will have to spend more money doing what they just did the year before. 

Agreed.

The state can't even afford to go around documenting the wolves they know are already here, let alone killing the ones that have become a problem.  My  - how many man hours and resources are they burning up in the Wedge, on a pack they will likely remove, - while brushing off countless reports of numerous other packs because they don't have the money to look into it.

exactly, good post 

[Johnb317]

  Idaho has people buying permits bringing in money.

[Killmore]

The game department should just give the ranchers with the problems x amount of tags then  when they use them then evaluate the situation. The ranches and employees are the only ones that can do the most good because they are there everyday. I think the department has  a time bomb on there hands and it's starting to go off and they know it.

[Killmore]

And I will venture to say that the problem won't get to much worse in the wedge pack  because the good ole boys will take the problems into there own hands....

[bearpaw]

And I will venture to say that the problem won't get to much worse in the wedge pack  because the good ole boys will take the problems into there own hands....

It's unfortunate people are forced to this extreme. But this is exactly what happened in ID/MT, people put up with wolves for about 10 years, now they simply act.

Perspective
It may be hard for a wolf lover living in a concrete jungle to understand this mentality so let me put it in terms they might understand. You have been hearing for years about people being targetted by thiefs and vandals in other cities but it has never been a problem where you live. Better never be a problem either because it's just not right.

What if you go outside in the morning to go to work and someone has vandalized your car to the tune of $1000 in damages. That would make you pretty upset, but you would call the cops and hope they can prevent it from happening again. Cops watch your place for a day or two but eventually they have to quit watching your place.

After another day or two you go outside to go to work and another vehicle has been vandalized to the tune of $1000. You call the cops, they reassure you that it won't happen again if you park in a different spot, leave outside lights on, and put flags up around your property boundary.

Finally you get the 1st car back from the bodyshop and bring it home. Next morning it is vandalized to the tune of $1000 again. The cops and insurance tell you that you didn't do enough to deter the vandals, that they are not certain who it is, but maybe you caused the problem by parking your car in the wrong location or did something else wrong and it baited in the vandals, so you don't get reimbursement for any of the damages. You are already out $3000 and the next morning you find your lawnmower has been stolen. This time you have had it, you don't even bother calling the cops. You set up all night with a spotlight and your grandads shotgun that you happen to have inherited.

About 2am you hear vandals, you step outside to protect your property and the guy starts to pull a gun, so you shoot, you probably meant to scare him off but you accidentally hit him and the guy dies. You get sued by his family and the legal systen sentences you to jail because the guy was pulling a knife and not a gun.

That is about the situation ranchers and hunters are in with wolves. Is it any wonder that the "joking" term "SSS" has cropped up? The problem is that wolves will eventually cause some rancher to do exactly what the homeowner did to the vandal. Because our laws on wolves are simply wrong, that rancher will suffer the consequences of wolves one way or another, just as the homeowner did in the scenario with the vandals.

[CAMPMEAT]

Yesterday I was at Costco in Spokane. I was looking at a Samsung notepad and started talking to a guy from Waneta B.C. which is near Northport. We started talking about wolves. He told me that the hunting season for wolves east of Lake Roosevelt, is open year 'round now. He said it's closed for 6 weeks because wolf pups are helpless and the B.C. government doesn't want them shot until the are older. He said it started a year ago because they have too many wolves in that area. For the people that don't know, Waneta is about 8 miles +- east from the McGirvin Ranch. He also said they can only shoot one wolf west of Lake Roosevelt. He also told me they had two wolves walk right down the middle of Trail B.C. last year. He's started a Youtube site : kootenaybandits    maybe keep an eye on it.

Corrected it Dale, sorry !!

[KFhunter]

Perspective

Had to chuckle at your analogy story 

[NWBREW]

I have a number of cameras set up close to the Border crossing to Waneta. I have had my property there for more then 20 years and I know it is no secret how the Canadians around there feel about the wolves. They also understand that even with year round hunting the population of wolves will still grow.

I will be checking my cams in 2 weeks....it will be interesting to see what I have on it. I also hunt elk over in the wedge and I honestly believe there are at LEAST 2 wolf packs there.

Take one wolf out and 3 more will take it's place. What good is it going to do for the WDFW to take out one or two wolves when they can have 6-10 pups to fill the void. Don't get me wrong....at least they are doing something but they should give the ranchers tags and let them handle the problem.....they have a vested interest.