Cattle Missing, possibility increasing for hunting wolves in Washington?

[villageidiot]

Hairtrigger, definitely a cougar track you showed.  Also, wolves can eat a 300 lb calf in one night.  IN 3 nights even the bones will be gone so unless you find it quick all evidence is gone, only cow hair in the scat.  This will only allow WDFW to say it could of been a natural death and the wolves just cleaned up the mess.  You can see their point but not many bulls and full grown animals just die of a heart attack.  The Lookout pack was down to 2 animals and local Bio says they wer poached.  5 were seen last week together within a 1/2 mile of Carlton so they must be reincarnated.  Locals said they had dispersed because they had been seen in other areas during the summer.   

[buckhorn2]

Why is the wdfw casting such a blind eye toward the wolf issues. All they have to do is read Idaho and Montana wolf problems to see what it has not only done to there hunters but to there ranchers. It must be the wolf group has more voters in the state and it;s job secutity for the state. All the ranchers can;t be telling stories someone needs to listen to the people who are where the wolves are not to someone in olympia.

[Jack Diamond]

are thet finding carcasses?Or Something to validate that it is in fact wolves..

This rancher had the first USFWS and WDFW confirmed wolf kill in Washington several years ago, wolves have been in GMU 105 (where their ranch is) for many years. But WDFW doesn't list them.   

Wolf pups were whelped in 2010, many people saw the pups in various areas. I have documented wolf sightings all over the unit including right where the ranchers cattle graze. I don't know if pups were raised in 2011, but there are so many sightings that many people think there is now 2 packs in GMU 105.

No actual kills found of cattle yet, but numerous deer kills found in same areas where cattle are missing. One deer lkill this week right along the Kettle river was completely eaten overnight, so that explains how tough to find actual kills in that area will be with the heavy cover. Full grown bulls don't just disappear, I think the radio said 4 bulls are missing.

there is the possibility of rustling, sure would seem like there would be a carcass or two around,  not starting anything,just saying, only way to be compensated for missing cattle, is to have them declared as wolf depradation, however carcasses will have to be examined. 

[BIGINNER]

 

[vandeman17]

Have the cattle ranchers thought about putting out trail cameras all over where he runs his cattle to see if he can get pictures of the wolves? This would allow a date stamp and even a location as evidence of the wolves. I would be more then happy to pull all my cameras and put them on his property to try and get some pictures to use for their case.

[lilshootergirl]

If i see a wolf eating or chaseing my cattle, Its my right to protect my investment, It not up to anyone else. but Mine! If its a wolf, coyote Or cougar! its dead!

[bearpaw]

Sometime it's easy to forget that the rancher should not have to prove wolves exist, to keep his cattle safe. It should be the responsibility of WDFW to do keep wolves out of their cattle, after all it's the government that told the people they would monitor wolves and take care of problems, unfortunately their (1) statewide trapper has not been able to do that.

If I was a rancher I would feel like any wolf comes near my cattle is a dead wolf, unfortunately WDFW doesn't see it that way, look at the situation everywhere that livestock are being eaten by wolves: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Oregon, etc....

As stated on the radio, the ranchers have picked up numerous wolf scat filled with cattle hair....    

[Helix]

I personally seen sign in yakima county in the tieton unit while helping my brother in law on his big horn sheep hunt. This picture is the size of my palm a lil bigger then my palm

HairTrigger, I appreciate your input, but this looks like a cougar track. Did you get any other photos of possible wolf tracks?

This link can help with wolf and cougar track identification:  http://washingtonwolf.info/identification.html

   the M shape of the bottom of the track is the main indicator it is a coug track.  This is a quick easy way to distinguish feline/canine tracks.

[huntnphool]

 I suppose us hunters should be relieved that the wolves in the area have developed a taste for beef as opposed to our huntable ungulates. Looks like WDFW were correct when they said they didn't anticipate a ungulate predation issue, I'm glad we have such knowledgable bio's helping out our WDFW.

[6x6in6]

Sometime it's easy to forget that the rancher should not have to prove wolves exist, to keep his cattle safe. It should be the responsibility of WDFW to do keep wolves out of their cattle, after all it's the government that told the people they would monitor wolves and take care of problems, unfortunately their (1) statewide trapper has not been able to do that.

If I was a rancher I would feel like any wolf comes near my cattle is a dead wolf, unfortunately WDFW doesn't see it that way, look at the situation everywhere that livestock are being eaten by wolves: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Oregon, etc....

As stated on the radio, the ranchers have picked up numerous wolf scat filled with cattle hair....    

BP, the adopted States wolf plan (wolf disaster implementation and crammed down our throats plan as I refer to it) does not make any provisions for protection or reimbursement for losses of livestock.  Correct?

[bearpaw]

Sometime it's easy to forget that the rancher should not have to prove wolves exist, to keep his cattle safe. It should be the responsibility of WDFW to do keep wolves out of their cattle, after all it's the government that told the people they would monitor wolves and take care of problems, unfortunately their (1) statewide trapper has not been able to do that.

If I was a rancher I would feel like any wolf comes near my cattle is a dead wolf, unfortunately WDFW doesn't see it that way, look at the situation everywhere that livestock are being eaten by wolves: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Oregon, etc....

As stated on the radio, the ranchers have picked up numerous wolf scat filled with cattle hair....    

BP, the adopted States wolf plan (wolf disaster implementation and crammed down our throats plan as I refer to it) does not make any provisions for protection or reimbursement for losses of livestock.  Correct?

I would have to check again, if there is, it would have to be confirmed kills, that means the rancher would have to scour the west side of GMU 105 for remains from 27 head of cattle and then try to get WDSFW or USFWS up there. To my knowledge, WDFW does not seem to want to take much responsibility in these matters.

[Gringo31]

It should be the responsibility of WDFW to do keep wolves out of their cattle, after all it's the government that told the people they would monitor wolves and take care of problems, unfortunately their (1) statewide trapper has not been able to do that.

I would think a lawsuit would be in order? 

[bearpaw]

I think a WA cattleman's group already has a lawsuit filed....

[seth30]

I hope this gets resovled soon, sick of hearing good blue collared workers losing there livelyhoods while some hippies out of certain cities make the rules that have no affect on them   Sorry to vent, but no man should have his job, family and land taken away by a invasive species.

[Jack Diamond]

Time for the Catron County Ordinances to start here in Washington.