Free: Contests & Raffles.
So the solution is simple unless it is wearing a color it is a coyote, Coyotes huntable year round. Poor quality fur in the late spring, summer and early fall no need to drag out of the field.population reduced.....
Quote from: Jingles on May 19, 2014, 08:47:23 AMSo the solution is simple unless it is wearing a color it is a coyote, Coyotes huntable year round. Poor quality fur in the late spring, summer and early fall no need to drag out of the field.population reduced.....To be frank, if people would read between the lines that might actually be what they are being subtly told. If you see a problem that isn't going to change any time soon as a warden you can confirm it's a wolf and ultimately be able to do nothing or you can call it anything but that and hope the land owner is smart enough to figure out what you're trying to say.
Quote from: wolfbait on May 19, 2014, 06:13:16 AMQuote from: rasbo on May 19, 2014, 04:07:50 AMI watched a program last night about the wallowa area in NE oregon,elk populations are dropping and the conclusion they seem to be arriving at is cougar and bears are killing calves at an alarming rate...Now toss in the wolves in that area which of course dont cause many problems ..and the were not mentioned I might add...cullling bears and cougars seem to be where oregon might go with their problem,why and when will wa state get on the ball? "cullling bears and cougars seem to be where oregon might go with their problem,why and when will wa state get on the ball? "Never, would be your correct answer, Rasbo. WDFW won't even admit they have a bear/cougar problem. Remember Oregon and WA came out with the first wolf pack in 70 years the very same day, Oregon's wolves showed up in the middle of cattle country and look at ODFG and the USFWS's record of confirming livestock kills,, and then look at WDFW. As pitiful as ODFG confirmed wolf kills are, WDFW is far worse.They can admit they have a problem with bear and cougars all they want, but the citizens of this state tied their hands. What part of the initiative process don't you understand?
Quote from: rasbo on May 19, 2014, 04:07:50 AMI watched a program last night about the wallowa area in NE oregon,elk populations are dropping and the conclusion they seem to be arriving at is cougar and bears are killing calves at an alarming rate...Now toss in the wolves in that area which of course dont cause many problems ..and the were not mentioned I might add...cullling bears and cougars seem to be where oregon might go with their problem,why and when will wa state get on the ball? "cullling bears and cougars seem to be where oregon might go with their problem,why and when will wa state get on the ball? "Never, would be your correct answer, Rasbo. WDFW won't even admit they have a bear/cougar problem. Remember Oregon and WA came out with the first wolf pack in 70 years the very same day, Oregon's wolves showed up in the middle of cattle country and look at ODFG and the USFWS's record of confirming livestock kills,, and then look at WDFW. As pitiful as ODFG confirmed wolf kills are, WDFW is far worse.
I watched a program last night about the wallowa area in NE oregon,elk populations are dropping and the conclusion they seem to be arriving at is cougar and bears are killing calves at an alarming rate...Now toss in the wolves in that area which of course dont cause many problems ..and the were not mentioned I might add...cullling bears and cougars seem to be where oregon might go with their problem,why and when will wa state get on the ball?
I don't work in an area with wolves (at least not yet) so I am not an expert on the matter, but I will say this.It's amazing how many people are 100% sure what they saw was a wolf, bear, cougar. Then they show you the picture of the "cougar" and it's fluffy the 10 lb garfield cat, or sparky the yellow lab. But by god they know it's a cougar! Don't believe me? Look at the cougar reports.There's a link on the WDFW website that shows all the wolf reports, for some reason I have a hard time believing the wolf reports coming out of Tacoma or Seattle streets.Are there reports that are being ignored? Probably, but find me an agency that doesn't ignore something. Is it getting to a point where 100% of the reports are ignored? No. Could WDFW do better? YesSometimes people get more stuck on "the guy who's reporting it is a good guy" so it must be true! I've known hardcore hunters who reported a "cougar" and it was a fat yellow lab...
Quote from: Ccortez on May 19, 2014, 08:36:57 AMEh just shoot one then call up wdfw and tell them you told me it was a coyote so I shot it That would actually be smart.
Eh just shoot one then call up wdfw and tell them you told me it was a coyote so I shot it
Quote from: AspenBud on May 19, 2014, 08:48:52 AMQuote from: Jingles on May 19, 2014, 08:47:23 AMSo the solution is simple unless it is wearing a color it is a coyote, Coyotes huntable year round. Poor quality fur in the late spring, summer and early fall no need to drag out of the field.population reduced.....To be frank, if people would read between the lines that might actually be what they are being subtly told. If you see a problem that isn't going to change any time soon as a warden you can confirm it's a wolf and ultimately be able to do nothing or you can call it anything but that and hope the land owner is smart enough to figure out what you're trying to say.I don't think so with all the publicity the Stevens CO wolf poaching case got. Worth more money than a kidnapped child..
Quote from: AspenBud on May 19, 2014, 06:21:01 AMQuote from: wolfbait on May 19, 2014, 06:13:16 AMQuote from: rasbo on May 19, 2014, 04:07:50 AMI watched a program last night about the wallowa area in NE oregon,elk populations are dropping and the conclusion they seem to be arriving at is cougar and bears are killing calves at an alarming rate...Now toss in the wolves in that area which of course dont cause many problems ..and the were not mentioned I might add...cullling bears and cougars seem to be where oregon might go with their problem,why and when will wa state get on the ball? "cullling bears and cougars seem to be where oregon might go with their problem,why and when will wa state get on the ball? "Never, would be your correct answer, Rasbo. WDFW won't even admit they have a bear/cougar problem. Remember Oregon and WA came out with the first wolf pack in 70 years the very same day, Oregon's wolves showed up in the middle of cattle country and look at ODFG and the USFWS's record of confirming livestock kills,, and then look at WDFW. As pitiful as ODFG confirmed wolf kills are, WDFW is far worse.They can admit they have a problem with bear and cougars all they want, but the citizens of this state tied their hands. What part of the initiative process don't you understand?Actually that's not very true at all. The voters only tied WDFW hands on hounds and baiting. The WDFW themselves have limited boot hunting of cougars to ridiculously low quota levels in most units that need twice as many cougar taken. WDFW has full control of bear seasons and could easily harvest more bear in every unit if they desired. The high numbers of bear and cougar are definitely the product of WDFW policy.
There is a piece of state land right behind both of these ranches, oddly enough two days after the last wolf sighting I sent two hunters over to check their shotgun on a target at the state land, this happened to be right behind both ranches that have seen the wolves. Oddly enough the same warden and his sergeant happened to be there and checked the hunters out. If this was only coyote sightings why were they both right behind both of these ranches?That's right, they know they are wolves, but they are going to keep telling local people we are seeing coyotes! This is exactly what makes everyone so darn mad about this wolf issue. If WDFW would at least be honest and understanding, tell the people they will try to monitor the situation and will do what they can to prevent problems. Instead people get these phony lies! I know this is exactly what people are being told because I tried to report a wolf attack on German Shepherd dogs and the WDFW called me back and told me it was 5 coyotes trying to attack the German Shepherds. Two days ago at a rural residence only about 1 mile away from the other ranchers the lady looks out her window and watches a wolf snatch one of her chickens and trot away. She told my wife about it at the rodeo yesterday. My wife asked her if she was sure it was a wolf and not a coyote YES, then she asked if the lady reported it, NOPE! My wife tried to convince her that she needed to report it or we will never get wolves delisted. But we doubt it gets reported. Faith is so low in WDFW that many people have quit reporting most wildlife incidents. Mostly I am hearing that people are just going to take of things themselves because WDFW is a waste of time. In fact the one rancher told WDFW that if the wolf comes back to their yard it's getting shot. Maybe that's why WDFW is spending time right there in that area. People have no faith in the WDFW reaction anymore! I hope it's better in other areas of Washington! Rant Over....
Quote from: bearpaw on May 18, 2014, 11:28:42 PMQuote from: idahohuntr on May 18, 2014, 11:19:01 PMWhat is the motivation for WDFW to tell people lies about seeing wolves? And please don't give me some wolfbait contrived conspiracy here...Seriously, what do they have to gain? I am not saying a few good ranchers are not seeing wolves, but all of my interaction with wdfw staff has been them saying that wolves can be absolutely anywhere and everywhere in WA and the population is growing. The wolf bios also preach about getting any wolf sightings or activity into them that you can, especially if it includes pictures of the animal or tracks etc. so they can focus their trapping efforts. This seems inconsistent with what you are posting You seem to act like you represent WDFW wolf division! I'm just presenting the information, you tell me?Go find a thread on here about game wardens or point systems and then report back to me about how good I am at sticking up for WDFW Seriously though, every GMAC meeting I've been to we discuss wolves and every darn time there is nothing but discussion about how wolves are absolutely everywhere, they have a tough time collaring them, and please send information about wolf location/information to help our trappers. They freely admit that they only have absolute minimum counts on wolves, that confirmed packs are also minimum numbers etc. It just does not fit the description you've provided and I can't think of good motivation for anyone to be lying really...Ranchers are not going to waste time making up stories about wolves and wdfw would love to confirm more wolves/packs to meet de-listing criteria.
Quote from: idahohuntr on May 18, 2014, 11:19:01 PMWhat is the motivation for WDFW to tell people lies about seeing wolves? And please don't give me some wolfbait contrived conspiracy here...Seriously, what do they have to gain? I am not saying a few good ranchers are not seeing wolves, but all of my interaction with wdfw staff has been them saying that wolves can be absolutely anywhere and everywhere in WA and the population is growing. The wolf bios also preach about getting any wolf sightings or activity into them that you can, especially if it includes pictures of the animal or tracks etc. so they can focus their trapping efforts. This seems inconsistent with what you are posting You seem to act like you represent WDFW wolf division! I'm just presenting the information, you tell me?
What is the motivation for WDFW to tell people lies about seeing wolves? And please don't give me some wolfbait contrived conspiracy here...Seriously, what do they have to gain? I am not saying a few good ranchers are not seeing wolves, but all of my interaction with wdfw staff has been them saying that wolves can be absolutely anywhere and everywhere in WA and the population is growing. The wolf bios also preach about getting any wolf sightings or activity into them that you can, especially if it includes pictures of the animal or tracks etc. so they can focus their trapping efforts. This seems inconsistent with what you are posting
Quote from: bearpaw on May 19, 2014, 09:01:16 AMQuote from: AspenBud on May 19, 2014, 06:21:01 AMQuote from: wolfbait on May 19, 2014, 06:13:16 AMQuote from: rasbo on May 19, 2014, 04:07:50 AMI watched a program last night about the wallowa area in NE oregon,elk populations are dropping and the conclusion they seem to be arriving at is cougar and bears are killing calves at an alarming rate...Now toss in the wolves in that area which of course dont cause many problems ..and the were not mentioned I might add...cullling bears and cougars seem to be where oregon might go with their problem,why and when will wa state get on the ball? "cullling bears and cougars seem to be where oregon might go with their problem,why and when will wa state get on the ball? "Never, would be your correct answer, Rasbo. WDFW won't even admit they have a bear/cougar problem. Remember Oregon and WA came out with the first wolf pack in 70 years the very same day, Oregon's wolves showed up in the middle of cattle country and look at ODFG and the USFWS's record of confirming livestock kills,, and then look at WDFW. As pitiful as ODFG confirmed wolf kills are, WDFW is far worse.They can admit they have a problem with bear and cougars all they want, but the citizens of this state tied their hands. What part of the initiative process don't you understand?Actually that's not very true at all. The voters only tied WDFW hands on hounds and baiting. The WDFW themselves have limited boot hunting of cougars to ridiculously low quota levels in most units that need twice as many cougar taken. WDFW has full control of bear seasons and could easily harvest more bear in every unit if they desired. The high numbers of bear and cougar are definitely the product of WDFW policy. You and I both know the best way to reduce bear and cougar numbers is with hounds. Even with increased harvests hunters are at a disadvantage in this state.
To be frank, if people would read between the lines that might actually be what they are being subtly told. If you see a problem that isn't going to change any time soon as a warden you can confirm it's a wolf and ultimately be able to do nothing or you can call it anything but that and hope the land owner is smart enough to figure out what you're trying to say.
But on private land you can't directly come out and say "shoot the thing" as a warden. But you can suggest it isn't a wolf...in other words "shoot it and don't call me about it."
Here is a fact, please feel free to review the job description WDFW had posted for their wolf trappers:I have nothing against college grads, I have a daughter attending college. But if you will please remember that was the primary qualification for their new hire wolf trappers. Most any knowledgeable trapper (who can catch wolves) will probably tell you that they should have hired experienced trappers as the first priority qualification if they wanted to catch wolves. A couple years ago my neighbor who's kenneled german shepherd dogs were being attacked in his backyard had to fire shots to scare away 5 wolves that were attacking his dogs. I wanted to be sure this was reported, he told me OK to report it.The region 1 manager Steve Pozzanghera called me from Spokane to tell me my neighbor did not see wolves attacking his german shepherds. Pozzanghera told me in a not so pleasant manner they were coyotes from his office desk in Spokane. That is how WDFW seems to handle wolf sightings and everyone knows it.Maybe that will give you something new to bring up at your next GMAC meeting. I know from experience exactly why people are saying what they do about how WDFW reacts to wolf reports! We have coyotes all over Stevens County, these ranchers see coyotes every week of their life. It's one thing if WDFW said they can't find proof that a sighting was wolf, but it's quite a different story when they insist you saw a coyote when you know it was a wolf and they won't even consider your report a wolf report.