WDFW land purchase for WOLVES!!!

[alanger]

I’m having a hard time finding a downside to WDFW buying more land.   

X2.

maybe i'm ignorant but are we inventing reasons to complain about the wdfw?

 

[hoytem]

i'm not opposed to wdfw buying land. I am over sensitive concerning the topic of wolves. When the motivation of purchasing this piece of land was  suggested i was     now i feel   

[boneaddict]

They are kind of a sore subject aren't they.

[hoytem]

very sore subject...

[boneaddict]

Now that I have stewed over it, I am happy for the land purchase in regards to them aquiring state land versus subdivided parcels for future californicators, but I have a keen suspicion and concern of these land grabs being shutdown to access to all of us anyway in combination with other state lands due to the wolf.  This comes about with my experience of them shutting things down due to spotted owls and other cute little critters.  This is coupled with that last article in the Seattle times with not allowing Maxwell to graze his cattle etc.

[boneaddict]

 I think it should be titled   "Wolves may graze in cattle area".......but then again I am just a cynnical bugger.
 
Cows may graze in wolf area

 
Cattlemen must take measures to limit conflict

By Joyce Campbell

Cattle and wolves are home on the range together in Okanogan County where ranchers and federal agencies have agreed to new conservation measures to reduce risks to livestock without adversely affecting the wolves.

Ranchers have turned out cattle on Forest Service grazing allotments in an area near Twisp where the state’s first gray wolf pack in 70 years is known to be denning.

Managers with the Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed and added eight conservation measures to three grazing allotment operating agreements on the Methow Valley Ranger District, according to a news release from the agencies on Monday (June . The measures are intended to reduce the potential for conflict between cattle and the Lookout Pack.

Ranchers agreed to the new conservation measures, which included “prohibiting human disturbance at den sites, removing injured livestock and delaying release of calves until they are larger and natural prey are more plentiful.” Dead livestock would be removed, destroyed by explosives or electrically  fenced off if they would attract wolves to a potential conflict situation.

According to the new agreements, “In the event of depredation, wolf control actions… would not result in an adverse effect to the wolves. Cattle may be moved to another unit or another allotment.”
The Lookout Pack is known to be denning on the Libby allotment, where they raised six pups last year. Forest Service staff using radio-telemetry and ground tracking determined that the family of wolves was reduced to between three and five members by this spring, possibly due to natural dispersal, according to district biologist John Rohrer. Lone wolf sightings have increased recently in other parts of the valley, said Rohrer.

Poaching may also have reduced the pack. Evidence of poaching of two gray wolves allegedly by two Twisp-area ranchers is still under investigation by federal agents. No charges have been filed in the case, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Rice.

Researchers have been monitoring the wolves they named the Lookout Pack after capturing and radio-collaring a pair of adult wolves near Twisp in 2008. DNA analysis indicated that the pack is most closely related to British Columbia’s wolf populations.

The wolves have been tracked in the low elevation areas of the Libby, Poorman and Newby Creek grazing allotments as well as the higher elevations of the Twisp River Valley and the Chelan-Sawtooth Ridge.

“The wolves co-existed with cattle throughout the summer and there is no record of stock depredation by this pack,” according to the news release. If livestock depredation by a wolf should be confirmed, the conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife offers compensation to grazing permittees.

Wolves have been a federally- listed endangered species since 1974 and it is unlawful to kill or harass them.

 
 

[Slider]

Thanks for stirring the pot!!! .................. I thought I was crucified enough over my Wolf thoughts. Oh by the way, they were true!!!.....................

[wolfbait]

I wonder, since they won't manage wolves for killing cows, like they have done in other states, are we going to be the special state that manages everything except the wolves. Do you suppose the first time these wolves go after a cross country skier, or, they will shut the woods down becuz it is to dangerous for people to be out there, and they don't want it interfearing with their wolves? justr a thought,

[boneaddict]

If you were any more accurate with that thought it would be scary. 

[Idabooner]

I have been expecting them to close hunting in the wolf area, they won't want a bunch of hunters running around in there. I also expect them to close coyotes in that area, of course the wolves will take care of the coyotes.  

[WDFW-SUX]

 

[wolfbait]

Well, not wanting to fire things up, but from the guys I have talked to in Montana and Idaho, hound hunting is also on the chopin block becuz of the wolves killing their dogs. In Minnesota and that country where these wolves have interbred with the coyotes, they are saying if you shoot a big coyote you have to turn it over for DNA testing to see if it has wolf in it. These wolves have done the number on us all.

[Idabooner]

I have been expecting them to close hunting in the wolf area, they won't want a bunch of hunters running around in there. I also expect them to close coyotes in that area, of course the wolves will take care of the coyotes. 

How have the deer sightings been over there Idabooner? I would not think they are showing themselves too much.

I've not been on the new wolf land this spring. I live right across the river from it so when the snow is on the ground I usually see lots of deer but this spring there were days of no deer, the most I seen at one time was 18.  A week ago before the sun come up some thing pushed 7 does crossed the river at it's highest water, they were really spooked up.  Seems like few deer on this side, I don't know if the wolves have crossed the river yet but they will as soon as there is more deer on this side.
 

[Slider]

Or they run out of things to kill!!!

[wolfbait]

There are very few deer on the new wolf range, some wolvse have been hitting the deer hard in Benson crick and Finally canyon lately and a fellow saw five up in bear crick last week above perigen lake. Slider, I heard through some channels that the game department wants to buy Booth and Davis canyon just the other side of the golden Doe. Rumur has it the rancher doesn't want to sell, can the feds emenatdomane it from him and pay what they wish? This rancher lost 16 head of cows last year, beleived to be from wolves, not of course beleived by wolf people,, as these new wolves mostly eat salmon.