Free: Contests & Raffles.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/about/director/ltr_natural_resource_committees_12-18-13.pdfGo read this and then tell me WDFW is not trying to federally de-list wolves.
Quote from: idahohuntr on May 27, 2014, 03:12:00 PMhttp://wdfw.wa.gov/about/director/ltr_natural_resource_committees_12-18-13.pdfGo read this and then tell me WDFW is not trying to federally de-list wolves. If WDFW were "try" to delist don't you think they would be interested in confirming wolf packs as fast as they could? The facts on the ground don't match WDFW's "trying" unless you are talking about steers.
Quote from: wolfbait on May 27, 2014, 06:12:42 PMQuote from: idahohuntr on May 27, 2014, 03:12:00 PMhttp://wdfw.wa.gov/about/director/ltr_natural_resource_committees_12-18-13.pdfGo read this and then tell me WDFW is not trying to federally de-list wolves. If WDFW were "try" to delist don't you think they would be interested in confirming wolf packs as fast as they could? The facts on the ground don't match WDFW's "trying" unless you are talking about steers.They are...and they seek all the public sightings of wolves they can to aid in their efforts to find and confirm wolf packs. If you are so smart why don't you tell them where the wolves are? Of course you have probably alienated all of the staff in your area to the point that they don't take you seriously so maybe you could tell somebody who they will actually consider listening to
Quote from: idahohuntr on May 27, 2014, 09:17:12 PMQuote from: wolfbait on May 27, 2014, 06:12:42 PMQuote from: idahohuntr on May 27, 2014, 03:12:00 PMhttp://wdfw.wa.gov/about/director/ltr_natural_resource_committees_12-18-13.pdfGo read this and then tell me WDFW is not trying to federally de-list wolves. If WDFW were "try" to delist don't you think they would be interested in confirming wolf packs as fast as they could? The facts on the ground don't match WDFW's "trying" unless you are talking about steers.They are...and they seek all the public sightings of wolves they can to aid in their efforts to find and confirm wolf packs. If you are so smart why don't you tell them where the wolves are? Of course you have probably alienated all of the staff in your area to the point that they don't take you seriously so maybe you could tell somebody who they will actually consider listening to Since the WDFW is so interested in documenting wolves and want all the help they can get, Why did they turn down a FREE trapper from the Cattlemen's association? I don't know the details of this offer. Have you specifically asked them why they turned down the offer? Were there any strings attached from the Cattlemens? Was it a specific person they had in mind or were they simply offering $$$? You combine that with the treatment many people have received while reporting wolves, and you should at least acknowledge the skepticism. All of my interaction with WDFW and the information on their website suggests they are very eager to get reports of wolves from the public. They probably have to sift through a lot of bogus reports for every credible one...have they been too quick to dismiss some?? Probably. Last time I heard the wolf guy (Martorello??) speak he was very clear that given how migratory wolves are it is very possible that one could see a wolf ANYWHERE in Washington state. Every inch of Washington could have a wolf pass through it. With a growing population Im sure wdfw is becoming less skeptical of wolf reports But they are more interested in clusters of sightings or sightings of multiple wolves because they want to confirm packs...not individual wolves. I think some people have this unrealistic fantasy that if they see a wolf and call wdfw they should see a team of biologists racing to the site with collars in hand I would bet if the WDFW had accepted the cattlemens help we would already have 18 pairs documented. There are MANY ways to slow down the "Documentation" of packs. Ive heard people say its NOT in the WDFW interest to delay, and the WDFW has said they lack the funds to properly document wolves... This doesn't pass the sniff test, and since the department has no interest in clarifying there is little reason to give them the benefit of the doubt. I agree that they have no interest in misrepresenting wolf numbers or the numbers of any wildlife which they are responsible for managing...they frequently discuss how the wolf population is growing rapidly or expected to grow rapidly. I have not heard lack of funding as a concern for not documenting wolves...the wolf budget has grown substantially recently. They have had difficulty trapping as many wolves as they would like but I've not heard them claim $$ as a big issue specific to trapping efforts. Most of what you are describing as fact is really just gossip with little supporting documentation. I would encourage you to look more objectively at what WDFW is doing and rely less on internet forums or coffee house chatter
WDFW said they turned down the cattlemens trapper was because they didn't want to appear to have favoritism, or appear that their decisions are being swayed by an outside organization.
Quote from: KFhunter on May 28, 2014, 09:45:34 AMWDFW said they turned down the cattlemens trapper was because they didn't want to appear to have favoritism, or appear that their decisions are being swayed by an outside organization.I can understand that. I know they took money from CNW to up the wolf poaching reward, but i could see why they would not want a special interest group to have their fingerprints on the data collection efforts. If the Cattlemen have very qualified trappers is there a reason those individuals could not apply to WDFW jobs and just be a WDFW employee? That would seem to resolve the issue if its just a matter of getting the most skilled folks to do the job.