From the Stevens County Cattlemen

[wolfbait]

Thanks for clearing this up Pa Ben! 

[bearpaw]

That's about a joke.  The sheriffs wildlife guy can't do anything without the state involved, calling them first will only delay a response by people that can legally act.

I'm pretty sure you are incorrect, the county can and will respond to any complaint, the county cannot kill a wolf after the fact, that would require state approval, but the county agent can assess the situation. Director Susewind has been meeting with the County Sherriffs and I think that's improving the level of cooperation by the state. This new director is definitely working to improve things.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/jun/21/cattleman-association-in-stevens-county-urges-resi/?fbclid=IwAR316tZVAuDsykxdoSRYDw2PXhBGGNGbWCecm1_Ab9tbbrW1dwe1DwOAk8k

It doesn't sound like the Sheriff's office is making the request that they be called first.... Is it appropriate for the cattleman's association to make this press release without talking to the sheriff's office??? 

The cattlemen depend on the sheriffs office to bring accountability to depredation issues.

Deputy meets wdfw on the scene if possible due to prior  harassment complaints and threats by wdfw. It was discussed in the meeting. Wdfw is not trusted here.

Its a sad state of affairs really, Ive always had great interactions with wdfw staff but im hearing all the older guys I knew are gone and the new guys seem to be "us" vs "them" types so i hear....but I havent met them yet in the field.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

You are correct.

That's about a joke.  The sheriffs wildlife guy can't do anything without the state involved, calling them first will only delay a response by people that can legally act.

The joke is your response......were you at the Stevens county commissioners meeting ??, Do you personally know the man ??, I suspect no you werent and no you dont.  Being disrespectful and thinking you know it all are two bad traits.

I know the cougar situation and the details more than almost anyone.  I don't have to be at the commissioners meeting petition delivery to understand what's going on there and the exact details of how it went that direction. 

Having the county accompany the state on a depredation is a waste of time and money.

I know you do work for the state at times , but I think your comments in this topic perfectly display the attitude the people have been seeing from WDFW.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/jun/21/cattleman-association-in-stevens-county-urges-resi/?fbclid=IwAR316tZVAuDsykxdoSRYDw2PXhBGGNGbWCecm1_Ab9tbbrW1dwe1DwOAk8k

It doesn't sound like the Sheriff's office is making the request that they be called first.... Is it appropriate for the cattleman's association to make this press release without talking to the sheriff's office???

Stevens County Sheriff and County Prosecutor came out in local papers and local FB pages asking to be called first. A local called on a cougar kill and the Sheriff and WDFW showed up with hounds. Also, our local Sheriffs are trained in wolf attacks and can confirm them when WDFW would  not.

The county prosecutor was also on the Colville radio all week a few weeks ago emphasizing to everyone to be sure and call the county sherriff with depredation problems. The county wildlife agent, Jeff, is a good man, he knows what he is doing, ranchers in the area all know and trust him. WDFW has squandered away nearly every bit of trust with their past actions or lack of actions in the NE.

Our county agent has brought a lot of accountability to the whole wolf fiasco, more accountability than WDFW likes. Several years ago I started a topic on this forum regarding wolf sightings. This was before WDFW was doing much to monitor wolves and telling everyone they were seeing coyotes, we already had wolves showing up all over the NE. I collected numerous wolf photos and posted them in that wolf topic proving there are wolves in WA, these photos were also shown to the wildlife commission to prove WDFW was not on top of the wolf numbers, many of these photos came from the trail cams of Jeff, the guy who is now our county agent. He knew more about the wolves and how to find them than WDFW. Quite a lot of pressure was put on WDFW to step up their wolf monitoring. As a result of many local requests for WDFW to hire Jeff, for a short time he worked for WDFW, but they made it too hard for him to make a living so he quit to take a better paying job (most everyone who knows this story firmly believes that was a carefully orchestrated move by WDFW).

WDFW promoted Jay Shepard to be their wolf guy, well he now works for a leading wolf group, I guess that explains that situation pretty well!

Example of WDFW Actions: Several years ago I called in to report wolves that were trying to attack a neighbors kenneled German Shepherds, he said the wolves were larger than the shepherds and he had to shoot to scare them away. The state sent agents to investigate, I received a nasty call back that it was only coyotes and more or less to quit spreading untrue rumors (I forget the exact wording but it was not friendly and straight to the point). So I know first hand exactly how WDFW had been treating ranchers and local residents. I've been told WDFW actions have improved but I can first hand verify why the distrust and frustration exists.

I could write many paragraphs of poor experiences local people have had with WDFW probably every year for about a decade including this year regarding depredation problems, mostly cougar and wolves. This is essentially why the county sheriffs now have their own agent, Jeff, to respond when these depredations occur, he brings expertise, civility, accountability, and a quicker response from WDFW in Stevens and Ferry Counties.

Thank you Jeff for being there when people need help!

[buckfvr]

I believe there are those within and around wdfw that will not accept Jeff as their peer, and there for treat him as more of an adversary which only lessens the likelihood of co-operation.

This has become a public safety issue and those who fail to co-operate should be given other non related duties.  Jeff has the support of many of us concerned with the predator issues, and Im sure that rankles wdfw.

As a result of many years of misinformation (lies) by wdfw, the public has turned to a local citizen ("Jeff"), for answers about predators.  In doing so, we have somewhat circumvented wdfw on this issue.  We no longer have to rely on them for answers or action.  That is a good thing. 

R

[Wenatcheejay]

It's been a long time since I've spoken up. I know more of you spend time and money on the issue. It's not that so many have given up. It that I believe the statement made by a WDFW Predator specialist to me years ago that his personal goal is to reduce the numbers of deer and elk 90%. This is the people who tell us to compromise. And that doesn't include how they feel about cattle. Like guns, they say accept a compromise or risk it all. This isn't a negotiation with WDFW. I don't participate anymore because until we hurt the other side, (By "hurt" I mean the Westside joins the party.) They have nothing to loose as is.
I SUPPORT WOLF INTRODUCTION IN LARGE NUMBERS to Western Washington. Trapping and transporting sustainable numbers all up and down I-5. Eastern Washington needs to stop selfishly hoarding these noble beasts that only feed from the sick and the weak. This idea of natural migration myth or not takes to long. We need to help our Seattle based brothers and sisters achieve their dream of wolves. "Wolf Haven" And their caged critters isn't enough. I call for Eastern Washington to share what they have.

It's really all I want anymore.

[ThomMedic]

I agree, introduce wolves to western WA and let the folks here have a first hand experience. Summit Lake has lots of land with food and the inhabitants will harass any evil hunters trying to hunt anything, so wolves would be protected.

I have been tempted to call Wolf Haven and ask if they would support the introduction of wolves to the beautiful forests that surround them. 

Both places are within 10 miles of downtown Olympia.

[pianoman9701]

Stevens Co. Cattlemen posted an article from the Columbian yesterday talking about the fact that wolves are already on the west side and moving south. Bearpaw was quoted extensively, to the Columbian's credit. It's worth the read, even from that rag.  https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/sep/18/a-coming-conflict-wolves-southwest-washington/?fbclid=IwAR3lnwzu65KuVHPuwh-VKWyV_C-pCG0HAAysyQoUsLphQ0IzH5BwrKk7KlE