Photos of trapped wolf

[NumaJohn]

Dear Fellow Sportsmen,

Like it or not, as hunters and trappers, we are going to be held to a higher standard for our behavior than the average citizen.  The stereotype is out there that hunters and trappers are bloodthirsty, and so when an image like this gets distributed, the stereotype is reinforced.  In my opinion, the actual back story (that others, not the trapper himself) may have caused this wolf to bleed and suffer) matters very little, at this point.  Not many disinterested citizens watching the 5 o'clock news are going to invest the time and care to look into what really happened.  So, the public relations in this case will be bad, in general, and only bad.  Rebuttals and cries about misrepresentation are warranted, perhaps, but they will largely fall on deaf ears.  That's a shame, because as we mostly all agree, wolves need to be managed, for their sake and for the sake of ungulates and human hunters.

I am from the West, and live in Washington, but I lived for 8 years on the East Coast, and for those of you who have never spent any quality time there, it would be easy to rush to judgment that they are all antis and out of touch with the lifestyle we live out here as hunters.  That was not my experience.  Sure, plenty of people in the northeast corridor were freaked by guns and were in staunch support of stronger gun laws, and many of them were vegetarians, vegans, and meat eaters who only knew about food from the corner market.  But a good number of the people I met expressed a genuine curiosity and respect for hunting, once I had made a sincere effort to explain to them what it is like to hunt and why hunters do it.  In a good number of cases, these urban East Coasters were certain they could never kill something themselves, but they did not object to the kind of hunting I would describe.

But when those same people--many of whom are legitimate hikers, birders, anglers, campers, etc.--see an image like the one of this trapper with a not-yet-dead wolf? Well, non-hunters tilt another few clicks toward becoming anti-hunters.  And as Pianoman's statistics about non-hunters suggest, both nationally and in states like Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, we hunters and trappers need all the assistance and support we can muster if our hunting heritage is to continue, and if hunting and trapping can continue to be useful tools for wildlife management.

From my perspective, I am convinced that the wolves are having a devastating effect on many ungulate populations.  No question, and therefore no question we need to manage wolves, and now.  But demonizing wolves and using language that describes a natural and highly efficient predator (like us, by the way) as bloodthirsty, well, that reinforces stereotypes about hunters and trappers that will only cause us problems in the end.  I was on a river trip in Idaho last year, and in one rural town, friends and I noticed a sign on a bar that basically indicated that anyone driving a Subaru, or anyone wearing sandals, or anyone who likes wolves, was not welcome in that establishment.  Fine, that's America.  The business owner has the right to refuse service to anyone.  But lumping people together like that, as if they all believe the same thing about everything, is an awfully naive and unhelpful assumption.  Every river rat in our group was wearing sandals, all of us mountain bike and send money to conservation organizations, and some of own Subarus.  But every one of us was also a hunter, and the majority of our group had worked for years for one of the guy's brother's hunting outfitter service.  The stereotypes are not constructive, is my point, and with all due respect, I think if hunters and trappers do not do a better job of helping one another resist seeing others through a stereotypical lens, then our hunting and trapping days are numbered.

The wolf-and-trapper photo should never have been taken.  The guy should have waited until the animal was dead, movedthe wolf away from the blood, then taken the photo.  The Internet public doesn't need to "get real" or "get educated" through our kill photos.  There are other ways to introduce to (or remind them about) the harsh realities of life and death than thrusting kill photos in their faces.  Shock treatment probably really isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I offer my sentiments here with respect for my fellow Forum members and the traditions we share.

John

[Chase 1]

 

[WAcoyotehunter]

Great post NumaJohn.  I agree 100%!

[boneaddict]

thank you for wording that so eloquently.   Thats perfect Numajohn.

[Special T]

NumaJohn, I agree with 99% of what you said, and it was well thought out.

"There are other ways to introduce to (or remind them about) the harsh realities of life and death than thrusting kill photos in their faces.  Shock treatment probably really isn't all it's cracked up to be."

What other ways would you suggest to "educate" the public?.  We are constantly being accommodating. So much so that here in WA we cannot use body gripping traps except for nuance control. 

[rasbo]

I spent a few hrs with Humptulips at the puyallup fair,in the WSTA booth.There was quite a few folks that I think were on the fence about trapping,and through a few minutes of talk about the truth on leg holds,I think it helped..I had one skeptic call me to trap for her,later on her son had some work done by Joe at A living memory...But One post or one bad pic can erase a lot of hard work through educating some.Some folks you could never sway,and I found it best to just smile and move on.As long as we allow the SSS crowd to be a voice heard here,we will never be taken seriously..Those posts are taken and put on the extremists sites.A push for sound management is the best tool we have.As the populations grow here,the attitudes for many will change..Until then,we as a whole must act with respect towards all animals and they way we hunt or trap them and they way we are perceived...buy the way,If you ever get the chance to work with Bruce I highly recommend doing so..

[Humptulips]

Numa John,
Pretty hard to argue with anything you said except one minor point. I've seen the results of some polls and the West especially the coast has a higher percentage of animal rights/ anti-hunter/ anti- trappers folks then  the east coast so if anthing we have a steeper hill to climb then anyone in the rest of the nation.
We have to put our best face forward and the picture certainly hasn't helped.
We are in a war, a battle for public opinion and some people don't seem to get that.
What I was trying to get at in a previous post was what that guy did was not that bad up until he posted that picture which does look bad to the general public. If we didn't have these animal rights groups waiting to pounce on any mistake nothing would have come of it. We all need to be careful, not just trappers.
Do you remember the furor when the first guy to legally kill a wolf in ID posted pictures of it a couple years ago? This is very similar.

[WSU]

So what is all the blood from?  The picture makes it look like it is from the wolf struggling to escape?  Whatever it is, the wolf must have gone in circles for a bit.

[Machias]

So what is all the blood from?  The picture makes it look like it is from the wolf struggling to escape?  Whatever it is, the wolf must have gone in circles for a bit.

Someone from a nearby road attempted to shoot the wolf with a....I think it was a .22.  Yes a trapped animal will make a circle, you should see what the area looks like after a wolverine or badger has been in a trap for a bit. 

[WSU]

So what is all the blood from?  The picture makes it look like it is from the wolf struggling to escape (there is a cut in the pad).  I read the explanation in the article, but whatever the cause, the wolf must have gone in circles for a bit.

[WSU]

Tried to edit my post to say that I read the article.  Apparently Machias is too fast for me.

[Machias]

 

Look you can't catch and hold an animal with bubble wrap, they can and do get nicked up sometimes, but there have been plenty of studies that show they can and are held with very little to no damage.  Guess how they catch wild animals for most live studies or to collar and release?  Leghold traps, they wouldn't use those traps if the animals are mangled or injured to the point they could not be safely released.

[WSU]

I asked the question because I honestly don't know.  I've had dogs cut a good cut in their bad, and it can really bleed.  I could only imagine that pulling on that cut pad would keep in it gushing for quite a while. 

[Humptulips]

The thing is though I saw pictures of the wolfs foot and there was zero damage. Skin wasn't even broken. All that blood came from the gunshot wounds. Two kids with 22s as I understand.

[Brownie28]

i say he did nothing wrong he was excited wanted to preserve the memory and didnt think it through. coulda happened to anyone i mean REALLY do you guys think that a picture of a DEAD wolf wouldnt have got the antis panties in a bunch?? it woulda still been "cruelty" "torture" ect. only the wolf woulda been dead. agreeing that this guy is a moron is agreeing with the antis. they are gonna piss and moan till NO HUNTING OR TRAPPING is allowed AT ALL  regardless of how ethical or respectful you are to ANY game animal you harvest. the sooner we can accept that and stand by our fellow hunters during things like this the better the hunting community as a whole is. im sure all of you hollier than thou guys at one point or another have done something unethical in the heat of the moment or because of lack of knowledge or experience only it wasnt publicized. i know i have and i have learned from my mistakes. but we ALL make them sometimes