Dog, mistaken for wolf, shot and killed by teenager in North Idaho

[92xj]

This wolf came running down the road towards me, passing three dogs, coming right at me, I was able to get this shot before it was to late.

[mfswallace]

This wolf came running down the road towards me, passing three dogs, coming right at me, I was able to get this cell phone picture before it was to late.

Your a good shot

[huntinguy]

That situation is why I put an orange vest on my chocolate lab when we go hiking, and he doesn't look like a wolf.  It's not the owners fault, so don't get me wrong, if my dogs come close to looking like wolves in wolf country and it's known the public hates wolves, I'd have an orange vest on them.  Slam on

My Weimeraner  always has the orange on when out in the woods and he looks nothing like a Wolf If I owned a Husky I'm damn sure have orange on it.  I'm not excusing the people for shooting the dog my condolences to them.  but at some point people need to think ahead just a little bit.

 

Orange vest for our Lab/Shepard mix. He knows what the vest means too... boy does he start to bounce when it comes out.

Something about being proactive.

Sorry for the family that lost the dog. A little more thought on both ends and things would have been different.

[seth30]

That situation is why I put an orange vest on my chocolate lab when we go hiking, and he doesn't look like a wolf.  It's not the owners fault, so don't get me wrong, if my dogs come close to looking like wolves in wolf country and it's known the public hates wolves, I'd have an orange vest on them.  Slam on

My Weimeraner  always has the orange on when out in the woods and he looks nothing like a Wolf If I owned a Husky I'm damn sure have orange on it.  I'm not excusing the people for shooting the dog my condolences to them.  but at some point people need to think ahead just a little bit.

 

Orange vest for our Lab/Shepard mix. He knows what the vest means too... boy does he start to bounce when it comes out.

Something about being proactive.

Sorry for the family that lost the dog. A little more thought on both ends and things would have been different.

  I put them on my labs when I go grouse hunting.  They are black and I always worry someone may mistake them for a black bear.

[DOUBLELUNG]

I've seen too many badly written news stories, to think this is black and white.  The owners are the ones who were 180 yards away.  Their dogs had run ahead, we don't know the distance.  I have often encountered dogs in the woods/field that were coming my way on a trail - usually, when they see a new person, they come running full speed.  I have prepared to shoot a dog doing just that because I wasn't sure if it was attacking or just coming to visit (weimaraner) - it was friendly.  If they thought it was a wolf, and it was barreling straight at them, the shooting may have been justified - even if one dog didn't look wolfy at all. 

[seth30]

Doublelung that is a great insight:tup:  My dogs are guilty of that every time they see another hunter or dog. I probably would have done the same with what appeared to be a wolf or coyote.

[andrew_in_idaho]

Do you know more than what is actually in this one article sighted? If so then please share because as I stated before, there is no mention of poaching or hunting.
 It does say the dogs were running ahead, maybe the idiot dad thought they were in danger from 2 wolves running at them?

I totally agree with your other statements  and my nose isn't bent out of shape, just wondering why your putting your own spin on it and then claiming it as fact when nothing in this article backs up your claim of knowingly poaching

It is pretty hard to claim self defense from 180 yards away.

On another note are you by chance an attorney? If so can you send me a business card, I have no need for an attorney at the moment but never hurts to have a good one in mind lol

  I am not an attorney 

I know it's not self defense and to help Pman understand, I'm sure that it is more probable than not that they were aware they were poaching  It just isn't in the article as some are claiming and like Brady some dbags just get to have there side aired before they get condemned 

Don't even get me started on Brady. 4 games is way overkill for his punishment, plus the team hit with $1m fine and losing draft picks, c'mon the league rule book says the proper punishment for under inflated balls is a $25,000 fine for the team. 

Now back to the subject at hand, this is a forum not a court of law, and I don't believe for 1 second that this was anything other than the worst case of attempted poaching I've heard of. It seems we are actually on the same page that these guys need the book thrown at them. People's bloodlust after wolves will continue to fuel the antis cause and that is what outrages me the most about this. As hunters and conservationists we need to be level headed regarding wolves to ensure that we will be able to control these alpha predators to conserve our ungulate populations.

[idahohuntr]

Do you know more than what is actually in this one article sighted? If so then please share because as I stated before, there is no mention of poaching or hunting.
 It does say the dogs were running ahead, maybe the idiot dad thought they were in danger from 2 wolves running at them?

I totally agree with your other statements  and my nose isn't bent out of shape, just wondering why your putting your own spin on it and then claiming it as fact when nothing in this article backs up your claim of knowingly poaching

It is pretty hard to claim self defense from 180 yards away.

On another note are you by chance an attorney? If so can you send me a business card, I have no need for an attorney at the moment but never hurts to have a good one in mind lol

  I am not an attorney 

I know it's not self defense and to help Pman understand, I'm sure that it is more probable than not that they were aware they were poaching  It just isn't in the article as some are claiming and like Brady some dbags just get to have there side aired before they get condemned 

People's bloodlust after wolves will continue to fuel the antis cause and that is what outrages me the most about this. As hunters and conservationists we need to be level headed regarding wolves to ensure that we will be able to control these alpha predators to conserve our ungulate populations.

  Absolutely spot on! 

[grundy53]

I agree, this article is pathetic.  :')

The only thing pathetic about this is that a kid was told by his father to shoot without properly identifying their target and even worse out of season. I understand people don't like wolves but the guy who's dog was just shot is right too many people with blind hatred for the wolves and blatant disregard of the law. None of us has to like the wolves but at least idaho is doing the best they can to manage them, too many more stories like this just add fuel to the anti hunters fire

My point was this is completely one sided. I think what the dad and son were doing in the woods and what they thought when they saw a very wolf like animal in wolf country matter and should have been written into article, responsible journalism that's all...

They were knowingly poaching on the father's advice. Although, in retrospect, I'd agree that the dog owner may have saved his dog's life by putting an orange vest on him, he certainly had a reasonable expectation of being able to safely take his dogs out for a walk because the wolf season was closed. The article was factual. The "hunters" did none of the rest of us hunters a service. Part of our credibility as hunters died with that dog.

I see no reference to poaching in the article by idfw or dog owner or dads comment
I agree that what happened is unfortunate and wrong

What do you call hunting game out of season?

Season is open year round IF on private property. I wonder if the FS road was actually Potlach or some other private timber company's road. Still a bad deal for the dog owner. I agree with the others that an orange vest is a good idea. Especially in that area.

[mfswallace]

What Idahohunter will never admit is the pro-wolf crowd won't change no matter what hunters do, good or bad spewing the same drivel over and over won't change anyone's minds

[stevemiller]

Not everyone in the woods is hunting, or for that matter training, with a turtle. A vest on a fast moving pointing dog busting through brush is something of a bad joke. Trying to stop it on command when it's 500-1000 yards in front of you is even more problematic. They don't run close, that's not how they are wired or work most effectively.

If a person can't tell the difference between a hunting dog and a wolf, let alone a malamute and a wolf, they have no business hunting.

Why exactly would they be running 500 to 1000 yards in front of you?In WA.?

[stevemiller]

i worry about it too and my dogs dont look like wolves at all, i think both are at fault. sad situation but they both made errors.

How did the dog owner make an error or could you possibly place blame on him at all, I don't care if it was a pet wolf, wolf season was closed and the poachers failed to correctly identify their target. Placing blame on the dog owner is just ridiculous

  Season closed,No excuse,No fault could be place on the dogs owner. 

[stevemiller]

No there are plenty of would be poachers down here as well but blaming the dog owner for the actions of a poacher is about the dumbest thing I've read all week.

And if you don't know what you are shooting at you do not pull the trigger. EVER.

I agree with this to an extent,What you are saying is that there was no way that any dog coul d be or should be mistaken for a wolf,That is ridiculous,There are a lot of dogs that they have to do DNA testing on to establish that.  The closed season is all that matters here.

[grundy53]

No there are plenty of would be poachers down here as well but blaming the dog owner for the actions of a poacher is about the dumbest thing I've read all week.

And if you don't know what you are shooting at you do not pull the trigger. EVER.

I agree with this to an extent,What you are saying is that there was no way that any dog coul d be or should be mistaken for a wolf,That is ridiculous,There are a lot of dogs that they have to do DNA testing on to establish that.  The closed season is all that matters here.

Unless it was private property. then it wasn't closed.

[stevemiller]

I also see no reference to shooter hunting?
I often carry a rifle when in the woods whether in a hunting season or not...

I hope shooter and dad get all that the law can give them but you are assuming things that are not in the article,, that's all I was saying  If u don't think shooter should get due process in this instance

       I included your bash's Jon-S

Doesnt say he was hunting?When you go into the woods with your rifle you are not auto matically hunting no,But as soon as you aim and pull the trigger on an animal you are now hunting and if out of season you are a  poacher.   I withdraw this statement,I dont think that this would be considered poaching.