ELK in ELK heights

[Bowchopps]

just took up bowhunting, went to elk heights area with a buddy saw lots of tracks, cougar, wolf, elk, turkey, didn't see any elk but they were there somewhere, anybody have any luck in that area

[gonehuntin68]

wolf

[doyourtime89]

I have two friends that hunted over there 3 days last week and didn't see anything.  Like you though they said they seen sign?  Are you sure about the wolf sign??

[Bowchopps]

yep took a picture of the track sent it home for my daughter to look up, she sent me back a picture,  bingo thats what is was, also heard the wolf howling about 3:30am one night that was a little scary, also my buddy been hunting a long time he thought it was wolf also, found 3 dear carcasses 1 Elk also that were not left by hunters, wolf eatin good

[DoubleJ]

Which elk heights was this?  I see about 10 on the map

[Bowchopps]

just out of Cle Elm

[PlateauNDN]

So the Teanaway Pack is having quite a feast out there.

[mulehunter]

I wonder if tenannway pack went cross Hwy I-90     To Elk winter range east side of Elk Height.   

[canyelk48]

Saw a huge wolf track when I was hunting near Swauk Prairie yesterday; they're out there!

[Bowchopps]

hopefully its not the whole pack but just a lone wolf, but i did here from some other hunters i know that the teanaway wolf pack push a cougar over there and there was cougar tracks

[Elkohol]

Can we see this picture of the track?

[benhuntin]

Saw a huge wolf track when I was hunting near Swauk Prairie yesterday; they're out there!

Saw a big track up there on thanksgivin

[Bowchopps]

took it with my blackberry don't have it any more but i took some measurements length was just shy of 4 1/2 inchs with was 3 1/4

[canyelk48]

Can we see this picture of the track?

No pictures; all 3 of us forgot to bring our cell phone/cameras.  Way to big to be a dog's tracks unless someone's Mastiff is running around loose in the mountains!  I used to own Anatolian Shepherds and the tracks were larger than theirs.

[runamuk]

I wonder if tenannway pack went cross Hwy I-90     To Elk winter range east side of Elk Height.   

I didnt see any wolves or wolf sign over there but I did see a cougar, right in the center of those pasturing areas...it was on private ground but it was pretty dang content to take a siesta in damn near the middle of a field, I figured it had a kill in the brush nearby 

[Elkohol]

Can we see this picture of the track?

No pictures; all 3 of us forgot to bring our cell phone/cameras.  Way to big to be a dog's tracks unless someone's Mastiff is running around loose in the mountains!  I used to own Anatolian Shepherds and the tracks were larger than theirs.

Im not doubting at all i was just curious, its entirely possible. Its gonna be a sad sight when the wolves find the big herds at the feeding stations....

[mallard79]

Nah........they will just change from elk feeding stations to wolf viewing/feeding stations......    

[Bowchopps]

is there a chance the super predator has found a fairly easy food source and there trying to settle in?   

[colockumelk]

Elkohol I disagree.  I hope the wolves follow the elk down to the feedstations.  In fact I hope that they kill some elk right in front of all these wildlife viewing people.  What better way to prove that wolves are horrible and do significant damages to elk populations than to have people with their kids witness how wolves kill and eat elk.  Plus when they see an empty field (elk went somewhere else) and the white snow has a bunch of blood stains and elk carcusses this will do wonders for the wolf managment plan. When the feeding stations are empty of elk and people no longer go to these places what are the WDFW gonna do.  When public opinion turns against the wolfs then what.  Hope and pray for this. 

The wolves are going to kill elk regardless.  So if they are gonna do it I would rather have them do it in sight of non-hunters and all the wildlife viewers than up in the middle of nowhere where their acts can't be seen.  Trust me if the wolves are going to kill elk we want it seen by as many people as possible.   

[Gringo31]

Colockumelk,
I here what you are saying but I would bet a dollar that they would be very excited to see such a "rare" sight.  How "majestic" and thank you DOW for blah, blah, blah.  According to DOW, the tourism dollars because of wolves is going to be big 

[PlateauNDN]

Gringo, I would hope they afford the Wolves the same status they afforded the Tribal Member who shot a bull elk in the Oak Creek Feeding Station back in the 90's.  They made an example of him and the incidents last year where the elk taken from the Clover Springs feeding station by Tribal Members were also made examples of so if they want rejoice and celebrate a wolf doing the same thing then I guarantee I'm going to make it known to our Council Members of whats taking place and why there is no equality being afforded.

[colockumelk]

Colockumelk,
I here what you are saying but I would bet a dollar that they would be very excited to see such a "rare" sight.  How "majestic" and thank you DOW for blah, blah, blah.  According to DOW, the tourism dollars because of wolves is going to be big 

 I think that you are correct.  In that the wolf lovers would definately love to see this.  But we will never convince the wolf lovers that wolves are bad.  Its the majority of people who don't know.  And I bet when a bunch of wolves singles out a calf and takes it down in a horrific fasion and the people can hear the calves cries for help and pain, and when they see the wolves start to eat on the calf while its still alive.  This will change alot of minds fast.  Again its not the wolf lovers its the majority of people who are neutral that we need to convince.

And Plateau I don't think comparing a wild animal to Tribal Members if a fair comparison.  You can't control the actions of a wild animal but you can control the actions of people.  Also the WDFW isn't going to applaud this action.  Its all the wolf anti-hunting hippies that would applaud the wolf kills.  And I think the WDFW would do something especially when there isnt' any elk coming down to the feed stations.  Unfortunately I don't know how much power the WDFW has in controlling wolves.  I think there's some bigger players controlling that.  But the Tribes do have the power to control its members from killing elk in or around the feeding stations.  Again I don't think its a fair comparison. 

[Dipsnort]

Colockumelk,
I here what you are saying but I would bet a dollar that they would be very excited to see such a "rare" sight.  How "majestic" and thank you DOW for blah, blah, blah.  According to DOW, the tourism dollars because of wolves is going to be big 

 I think that you are correct.  In that the wolf lovers would definately love to see this.  But we will never convince the wolf lovers that wolves are bad.  Its the majority of people who don't know.  And I bet when a bunch of wolves singles out a calf and takes it down in a horrific fasion and the people can hear the calves cries for help and pain, and when they see the wolves start to eat on the calf while its still alive.  This will change alot of minds fast.  Again its not the wolf lovers its the majority of people who are neutral that we need to convince.

Gringo has a point.  Many of the "neutral folks" may be turned off by the sight of a wolf killing an elk but many others will see it as the natural course of things (which it is) and understand that the wolf is simply doing what all other animals do--find food and eat.

My guess is that generally non-hunters would be happier if a dead elk (deer, moose, etc.) were going to feed a wolf (cougar, coyote, etc.) than a person who could buy their food from the grocery store.

As hunters, you and I want to maximize opportunities to harvest game animals by keeping populations of other predators low.  But most people aren't hunters and many (perhaps most) of them don't believe in slanting the "circle of life" in favor of hunters the way you and I do.

By all appearances the WDFW wants to increase wolf numbers.  Eventually, probably in the not too distant future, the wolves are sure to expand their range further and take advantage of opportunities like elk feeding stations.  We can only hope that at a reasonable point in time wolf numbers will be seen by the decision makers as being sufficient to allow hunter harvest so we can help control numbers the way we control the numbers of any other animal we hunt.

[Elkohol]

colockumelk I never said it would be a bad thing for wolf management, as much as i dont want it to happen I think it will and needs to happen inorder to have a significant impact on wolf management . I hope that the non hunters would think that elk who migrate to areas to be fed by humans surrounded by wolves on one side and a fence on the other would not see that as the circle of life.. if they do then ignorance has won