wolf knowledge

[Ridgeratt]

Ok so I don't know where to put this but I have some questions.
It seems most of this forum is on edge to shoot a wolf, but what do we know about them?
I will throw out a few questions to get a cross section of answer's.

1: In a pack do only the Alpha Male and Female Breed?

2: What is the general home range of a pack?

3: How many pups are in a litter?

4: When they do have a litter of pups what is the mortality rate of them litter?

5: Do you think that wolves are being re-located in this state?

[fair-chase]

I don't have a clue about any of this but I think it will be fun to guess just to see how close I am to the actual facts...

1: In a pack do only the Alpha Male and Female Breed?
     No, other males will sneak a quickie while the alpha is distracted

2: What is the general home range of a pack?
     Guessing 500 + square miles

3: How many pups are in a litter?
     A bunch.  Guessing 7-14

4: When they do have a litter of pups what is the mortality rate of them litter?
     Guessing less than 20%

5: Do you think that wolves are being relocated in this state?
     Yes, but not by the government. I think it's more likely that hardcore greenies have brought or are bringing some in. Zero evidence, just a hunch.

[villageidiot]

 I've lived next to a pack for several years now and this is what I see.

Each pack has a different sized home range.  Some only venture maybe 10 miles each way from the den, others will venture up to 50 at times.  Packs seldom hunt together but split up in singles and up to 3.  When they find a dead carcass they call their buddies.  When they do get together, look out they will kill anything.  Usually all females get bred by a brother or anybody else in the pack that wants sex and they take off and have their pups away from the main pack.  They usually have about 8 pups and it appears from 4 to 6 make it to following the pack.   I suspect the wolf lovers of transplanting them but it doesn't matter because they are sprading fast.

[WAcoyotehunter]

1: In a pack do only the Alpha Male and Female Breed? Yes.  In a pack there is only one breeding pair.

2: What is the general home range of a pack? Big.  A couple hundred square miles.  Largely dependant on prey availablity.

3: How many pups are in a litter? The Diamond Pack had 6 for two years in a row.  Avearge would be in that ballpark.

4: When they do have a litter of pups what is the mortality rate of them litter?  Between mortalilty and despersal (then oftentimes mortality) it's fairly high.

5: Do you think that wolves are being re-located in this state? No

[Ridgeratt]

I posed these questions after I had ran into the region 1 wolf bio on the 8Th of this month and spent close to an hour talking with him and a tech he had with him. He was in the wedge doing some follow up on the wolves they had.  I asked him these questions and he was very honest in his responses. I met him a little over a year ago here in Spokane at the presentation he had put on and he remembered me from that as well.
So here are some of the answers he gave.

OK so I don't know where to put this but I have some questions.
It seems most of this forum is on edge to shoot a wolf, but what do we know about them?
I will throw out a few questions to get a cross section of answer's.

1: In a pack do only the Alpha Male and Female Breed?

Both he and the tech agreed that they are canines and every female that comes in the season has a chance of getting bred.

2: What is the general home range of a pack?

He said the range is dependant on the food base. But I did get to see the GPS map of the Alpha Male in the wedge and area was huge along with spending time across the border and quite a ways inside as well

3: How many pups are in a litter?

Both of them agreed that the litter of pups would be around 6-8.

4: When they do have a litter of pups what is the mortality rate of them litter?

As for mortality they said it is close to a 50% over the winter.

5: Do you think that wolves are being relocated in this state?

He made the comment that many folks believe they are planting wolves. His and the tech's response was the most logical I have heard. He told me that the wolf seasons across the border have a NBL which I was aware of as well, They also said that the trappers in Canada aren't Trapping the wolves due to the fact there isn't any market for the fur. The Tech and her Hubby are/were trappers in Idaho. Then they made the case that with no one trapping the wolves and they are breeding in Canada and that and area can only support so many animals and then they have to split and relocate. He also pointed out that the wedge is a natural funnel with no outlet. So as they relocate they just filter down. Made a valid point in my book.

He told me that in the last year his learning curve has been great. My guess is close to vertical. Told me if I see anything to contact him and his is interested to see.

This would also lend validity to why there is a increase of wolves along the northern part of the states as well.

[denali]

thanks Ridgeratt

[RG]

That's interesting, sounds like he and the tech are straight up people.  Too bad the work they do has to get filtered through politicians before it hits the street.  These are good people to stay in touch with.  Thanks for the info.

[bearpaw]

Honest sounding answers. 

[fair-chase]

Thanks Ridgeratt. 

[villageidiot]

It's clear from several of the answers of people on here  about Alpha Male and Female being the only ones that breed that they have gotten their information from Disney movies and documentaries done by the wolf lovers.   Once you've been living with these vermin a few years you will know the truth about them and the people that do not tell the truth about them to try and build public support with false information.

I do believe that people are starting to stop saying that the wolves only kill the sick and the weak.   Although, I still see it stated by a few very uninformed woolfies.   They kill the closest, slowest ones which might not be sick at all but the closest one to them when they attack.  Once they have killed that one then tomorrow they will kill the next slowest one and on and on till they finally kill the last one which is the slowest and is also the fastest and is not sick or weak at all and in fact none of the herd was sick or weak.  If they only killed the sick and weak they would be very hungry because the elements take those animals fairly fast and there are not many of them to start with.

[Bean Counter]

How about: When I get me a wolf tag, will I help decimate the pack by shooting the alpha male or the alpha female first? 

[Ridgeratt]

How about: When I get me a wolf tag, will I help decimate the pack by shooting the alpha male or the alpha female first? 

Brilliant!!! Except in a canine social pack structure the next strongest  animal will replace it. So you have done nothing.

[villageidiot]

Losing the leaders of the pack help for a short time.  They reorganize and start killing again.  The second in command takes over.  You gotta remember they are driven by hunger and it only takes a couple days of nothing to eat and you appoint a new leader and feed the pack.  It almost always goes along with the one with the biggest body size is the leader so when you kill that one you've got the biggest trophy and likely the healthiest because he eats first.

[Bean Counter]

OK: "How do I know when the alpha female is full term pregnant and most vulnerable to getting shot?" 

[Fl0und3rz]

OK: "How do I know when the alpha female is full term pregnant and most vulnerable to getting shot?" 

She is back at the den making sammiches.