Post by: bearpaw on October 10, 2012, 07:26:37 AM
Stevens County Sherriff's Dept invested as did WDFW. It was called a wolf depredation on the radio, will be interesting to see what comes out in print. They said that the Smackout Pack is the suspect pack, but I have had numerous reports of another pack in the Rocky Creek area last year and this year that WDFW has not confirmed yet.
Post by: Maverick on October 10, 2012, 07:30:12 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 10, 2012, 07:41:31 AM
Post by: CAMPMEAT on October 10, 2012, 07:49:44 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 10, 2012, 08:11:42 AM
I hadn't heard about the sheep campmeat?
Post by: jess on October 10, 2012, 08:38:46 AM
Post by: Elkslayer on October 10, 2012, 08:44:53 AM
Why doesn't the WDFW fess up and tell the truth ? They haven't ever said anything about probable wolf kills of the 7 sheep killed near Art Creek by the Boulder Pack this year.
That's because if they did that they would have to admit that it's a pack. I think they realize they have a huge problem and the wolves a recovering faster then they thought they would. They just dont want to admit it.
Post by: HornHoarder on October 10, 2012, 08:48:49 AM
Post by: Maverick on October 10, 2012, 08:52:41 AM
Post by: rebal69972 on October 10, 2012, 09:17:14 AM
Post by: jess on October 10, 2012, 10:14:31 AM
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on October 10, 2012, 10:44:12 AM
Why doesn't the WDFW fess up and tell the truth ? They haven't ever said anything about probable wolf kills of the 7 sheep killed near Art Creek by the Boulder Pack this year.
That's because if they did that they would have to admit that it's a pack. I think they realize they have a huge problem and the wolves a recovering faster then they thought they would. They just dont want to admit it.
A pack can be in more than one place at a time. I think the idea that they are always together is a very common misconception around here. A single pack will disperse and hunt in groups, pairs or solo pretty regularly.
Post by: Dan-o on October 10, 2012, 11:26:15 AM
Post by: Dan-o on October 10, 2012, 11:50:28 AM
I'm still so amazed that they're going to "Rest" with wolves that aren't habituated to eating cows and expect a better/different result.
I'd love to know where that biologist got his degree.....
Post by: boneaddict on October 10, 2012, 11:53:44 AM
Post by: CAMPMEAT on October 10, 2012, 12:00:43 PM
I live on art creek.. There is wolves around and they did kill the neighbors sheep he had the warden out.. I have only seen yotes around the house and have got everyone i saw..
Then we know who I mean. He didn't want me to say his name, for good reasons. Have you heard them up there Jess ?
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on October 10, 2012, 12:01:05 PM
Post by: boneaddict on October 10, 2012, 12:07:51 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on October 10, 2012, 12:19:25 PM
now wdfg can admit there in over there heads and didn't know what they where getting into. I cant wait for my tag.
From the WDFW release regarding the Wildlife Commission meeting last Friday,...
'"No one wants to see a repeat of the situation that led to our action against the Wedge pack," said Dave Ware, WDFW game manager. "But the fact remains that wolves are recovering more quickly than expected, and we have to anticipate there will be some conflicts along the way."'
I believe Mr. Ware was understating the fact that there's a huge pucker factor going on in Olympia right now regarding the recovery and its "success" thus far. Even though they'd been told by residents AND the game departments of ID,MT, and WY, they couldn't wrap their little minds around the fact that these critters move great distances, are very bright and opportunistic, and breed like...wolves. 30-50% per year population growth is stunning for any animal population. For one at the top of the food chain, it's awe inspiring.
Post by: jackmaster on October 10, 2012, 12:21:49 PM
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on October 10, 2012, 12:24:57 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 10, 2012, 01:27:55 PM
Why doesn't the WDFW fess up and tell the truth ? They haven't ever said anything about probable wolf kills of the 7 sheep killed near Art Creek by the Boulder Pack this year.
That's because if they did that they would have to admit that it's a pack. I think they realize they have a huge problem and the wolves a recovering faster then they thought they would. They just dont want to admit it.
A pack can be in more than one place at a time. I think the idea that they are always together is a very common misconception around here. A single pack will disperse and hunt in groups, pairs or solo pretty regularly.
Agreed, they definitely move around a lot!
Plus there are singles and doubles moving around looking to start a new pack or just surviving, whatever the case.
Post by: huntnphool on October 10, 2012, 01:41:43 PM
I think they realize they have a huge problem and the wolves a recovering faster then they thought they would. They just dont want to admit it.Does anyone else find the fact that this whole thing has been touted as a "recovery"? For decades the wolves have been gone, or at the very least "far and few between". WDFW have been working on this wolf recovery for not that long, always saying that all these wolves are naturally migrating here. :chuckle:
My question is why have wolves, after decades of been virtually non existant, all of a sudden make a beeline for all these different locations in Washington?
Have they started migrating here in numbers because WDFW all of a sudden have started a "recovery"? Seems to me the majority of these wolf sightings started roughly the same time as this so called recover plan was suggested................hmmmmm. :chuckle:
Post by: FSTaxidermy on October 10, 2012, 01:55:49 PM
only a liberal idiot would think that wolves will leave cattle and sheep alone, and hunt wild game, it makes me laugh that they honestly think that the wolves arent smart enough to hunt farmers cows and sheep, that its the alpha pair that teaches them this, yeah right, i know damn good and well that i would go after whatever was easier to catch and whats easier than a pet cow......or fluffy the sheep.... this will become such a huge friggin cost for the wdfw that they will have no choice to admitt that they were idiots for allowing this.....
I think they only budgeted $80k for wolf depredation of livestock annually :o going to need a lot more then that :dunno:
Post by: jess on October 10, 2012, 02:46:52 PM
Post by: CAMPMEAT on October 10, 2012, 03:02:37 PM
campmeat i heard them howlin last night and they sound way different than a yote there is a few of them right above the house.. Deer are no where to be found and the dogs kept trying to climb in to bed last night.. I heard the wolves are crossed with a husky and they were released by a lady on tonasket creek?? Have you heard this? If they are crossed they can be shot on the spot right?
The people I know that have hybrids at the end of Tonasket Creek don't breed them. He's most likely to shoot the " invaders " that wanted to try and breed his dogs. I haven't seen hardly any deer whatsoever. I have a couple local deer, but that's it. I've heard a few coyotes at night lately, but it's been a looooooong time since I've heard those.
Also, we might be able to see the northern lights tonight after 10 pm. FYI. It was on the news last night.
Post by: denali on October 10, 2012, 10:36:02 PM
More wolf activity in Stevens County
Posted on October 11, 2012 by stevenscountycattlemen
Yearling killed near Smackout Pack area
The remains of a year-old cow were found on Rocky Creek, just 20 miles northeast of Colville on Oct. 5, indicating that wolf problems in Stevens County will not be exclusive to the Wedge area. The northwestern area of Stevens County, commonly called the “Wedge”, was the location of numerous wolf-livestock conflicts this summer, resulting in 10 dead and 8 injured calves at the Diamond M Ranch.
The latest dead cow, commonly called a “yearling” due to its age, was part of the all-natural beef herd raised by Olsen Farms and sold at farmer’s markets throughout the state, as well as at Pike Street Market in Seattle.
According to reports from the Stevens County Sheriff’s Department, the cow had been dead for several days and pieces of the carcass had been ripped off and dragged 10 to 20 yards from the kill site. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) agents responded to the kill, but would not confirm if it was a wolf kill at the scene, per their department protocol. However, wolf tracks and scat were both found at the location.
The Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association suspects this kill was caused by the Smackout pack that was confirmed in the nearby area.
“This kill shows us that wolf activity is not going to be exclusive to the Wedge pack area and is not the result of ‘sloppy ranching’ as some conservation groups have suggested,” said SCCA President Scott Nieslen. “Our oversaturation of wolves in Eastern Washington means these kinds of incidents will be spreading throughout the region in the near future if the management of this animal is not changed.”
SCCA is advocating that the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission immediately delist the Gray Wolf as an endangered species in Washington State so more adequate management can take place. If the Gray Wolf is delisted, it can be managed as a predator like cougars, bears and coyotes.
Nielsen noted that the management of the Smackout Pack, which has been touted by both environmentalists and WDFW as an ideal model, is failing.
“There was a lot of discussion at the Commission meeting last week about how the Diamond M could have avoided losses if they had ‘worked with conservation groups’ like other ranchers. However, all that really meant is that the Diamond M did not accepting money from environmental groups or from the state,” said Nielsen. “Money cannot fix this problem and non-lethal methods do not always work. We need to be honest about the situation here in Stevens County and rethink the approach.”
Post by: bearpaw on October 10, 2012, 10:45:22 PM
Post by: mkcj on October 10, 2012, 11:01:40 PM
Post by: JimmyHoffa on October 10, 2012, 11:05:08 PM
I wish I could find the actual clip from it--I remembered it best I could.
Post by: boneaddict on October 11, 2012, 05:08:48 AM
Phool raises a really good point also.
Post by: CAMPMEAT on October 11, 2012, 05:25:44 AM
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on October 11, 2012, 07:36:35 AM
Presumably some of you are still figuring they were planted? I don't believe that to be the case.
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on October 11, 2012, 08:01:21 AM
Post by: Curly on October 11, 2012, 08:13:48 AM
I don't think it's all that strange. North ID and Northwest MT started establishing packs then wolves dispersed to obvious locations. Wolves have been trying to get established for some time here, now there are enough dispersed animals that they can find mates, territory and prey. It seems really logical to me.
Presumably some of you are still figuring they were planted? I don't believe that to be the case.
:yeah:
Also, BC Canada is having more trouble with wolves now..........likely due to ID and MT wolf recovery. I wonder if Canada could put some pressure on the State to do a better job of controlling the wolves? :dunno:
Post by: pianoman9701 on October 11, 2012, 08:17:55 AM
No one is sure how this animal died either, which sucks. Its very tough to tell on an old carcass... I really think the WDFW would be honest if they thought it was a wolf kill, but there's not much evidence one way or another.
Although I agree with you about the transplanting, I disagree we can entirely trust them to tell the truth on carcasses, especially if they have any doubt whatsoever. We've already seen that the wedge pack wasn't being blamed for kills until late in the game.
Post by: bearpaw on October 11, 2012, 08:25:33 AM
Some of these wolves have been here longer than the WDFW has known or admitted, the problem is that nobody would believe the people who said they were here. Just like now we have more packs than WDFW says there are. By the time the 2 wolf trappers catch up with what we have now, wolves will have doubled in numbers again, so they will still be behind on the wolf count.
This same exact thing happened in ID/MT/WY and even Oregon has had packs for several years. None of the agencies in any of these states thought wolves could multiply as fast as they have. Now Idaho is full of wolves, half the wolves killed in the panhandle last year came from packs that IDFG did not know existed. Wolves have also really increased in population in southern B.C., so no wonder we now have lots of wolves, they are all around us and WA is the only place to expand into.
This is nothing but a rerun of a bad soap opera!
Washington cattlemen are just getting started with wolf predation:
B.C. Wolves cost cattlemen an estimated 15 million
http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/technology/story.html?id=7322744 (http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/technology/story.html?id=7322744)
Post by: Bob33 on October 11, 2012, 08:35:47 AM
Sign observed behind meat counter at local natural foods store:
"We are currently out of organic, grass feed beef. May we suggest that you consider cattle-fed wolf as an alternative?"
Post by: bearpaw on October 11, 2012, 08:39:13 AM
People in those other states are fed up and collectively taking action now, I am not kidding when I say that entire communities are hunting wolves year around and they are not bashful to tell you they are, wolves are being controlled in many areas by vigilantes and I have heard reports of more calves and fawns in some parts of central Idaho this spring.
This is not good for game management but this is what agencies including WDFW is asking for with their ridiculous wolf plans. It is just a matter of time and people will start taking action to protect what is left of their livestock and wild game herds in WA.
I made a hard stand agaist the 15 BP's because this state cannot support that many proven BP's, everything myself and others claimed is coming true and it's happening even sooner than we predicted. :twocents:
At some point this state needs to fire the wolf bios that have purposefully lied to managers about wolves. Send them walking and do it sooner than later.
Post by: Kola16 on October 11, 2012, 08:57:18 AM
"The latest dead cow, commonly called a “yearling” due to its age, was part of the all-natural beef herd raised by Olsen Farms and sold at farmer’s markets throughout the state, as well as at Pike Street Market in Seattle."
Sign observed behind meat counter at local natural foods store:
"We are currently out of organic, grass feed beef. May we suggest that you consider cattle-fed wolf as an alternative?"
Make the stupid tree-huggers eat their wolves. They might change their mind after that :chuckle:
Post by: boneaddict on October 11, 2012, 09:01:27 AM
Quote
Some of these wolves have been here longer than the WDFW has known or admitted, the problem is that nobody would believe the people who said they were here.
:chuckle:
Yep, they thought I was full of *censored*.
Post by: boneaddict on October 11, 2012, 09:01:52 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 11, 2012, 09:03:37 AM
Hell, there are people on here that still thing I am full of *censored*. :chuckle:
The huggers love me! :chuckle:
Post by: pianoman9701 on October 11, 2012, 09:09:35 AM
Hell, there are people on here that still think I am full of *censored*. :chuckle:
And, several of us are quite sure of it! :chuckle: :chuckle:
Post by: boneaddict on October 11, 2012, 09:12:22 AM
Quote
The huggers love me!I have a feeling I am going to be real popular with them as well.
Not you too pianoman. :chuckle:
Post by: bearpaw on October 11, 2012, 09:49:43 AM
No one is sure how this animal died either, which sucks. Its very tough to tell on an old carcass... I really think the WDFW would be honest if they thought it was a wolf kill, but there's not much evidence one way or another.
I want to believe what you say is true, but there are some wolf lovers in the WDFW that make the agency hard to trust and WDFW also has to play a political game to keep the huggers from going off the deep end. Right now Senator Ranker (a wolf lover likely bankrolled by Conservation Northwest) is raising hell over the wedge pack. If there is any way for the WDFW to sidestep a confirmed wolf attack, they are going to avoid the heat.
Right now I figure there is a serious learning process going on in WDFW. Managers have been fed lies about wolves having no impact and not causing problems and they must be realizing by now they have some wolf loving bios dressed in sheep's clothing. Managers must know who is promoting and being untruthful about wolves by now. There will eventually be some changes in personnel within WDFW due to this wolf fiasco. Either the WDFW will move farther toward Conservation Northwest or back towards hunters.
I think the elections in November will have a large influence on which direction is taken. :twocents:
Post by: huntrights on October 11, 2012, 12:24:13 PM
If we can get all hunters and gun owners to vote, we can make a difference in our state. Every day I run into hunters and gun owners that are not aware of the critical issues that face us as a group nationally, in our state, and locally. Help educate those that don't know what is going on, and definitely inform them who they need to vote for this November. Ignorance about these issues is as much of threat to us as apathy.
Post by: Kola16 on October 11, 2012, 01:28:53 PM
If we can get all hunters and gun owners to vote, we can make a difference in our state. Every day I run into hunters and gun owners that are not aware of the critical issues that face us a group nationally, in our state, and locally. Help educate those that don't know what is going on, and definitely inform them who they need to vote for this November. Ignorance about these issues is as much of threat to us as apathy.
:yeah: :yeah: :yeah: I let everyone know (not just hunters) what is going on.
Post by: CAMPMEAT on October 12, 2012, 02:13:10 PM
Post by: NWBREW on October 12, 2012, 11:14:54 PM
http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012101004 (http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012101004)
Post by: NWBREW on October 13, 2012, 12:22:31 AM
http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012101005 (http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012101005)
Post by: Northway on October 13, 2012, 10:39:50 AM
I think they realize they have a huge problem and the wolves a recovering faster then they thought they would. They just dont want to admit it.Does anyone else find the fact that this whole thing has been touted as a "recovery"? For decades the wolves have been gone, or at the very least "far and few between". WDFW have been working on this wolf recovery for not that long, always saying that all these wolves are naturally migrating here. :chuckle:
My question is why have wolves, after decades of been virtually non existant, all of a sudden make a beeline for all these different locations in Washington?
Have they started migrating here in numbers because WDFW all of a sudden have started a "recovery"? Seems to me the majority of these wolf sightings started roughly the same time as this so called recover plan was suggested................hmmmmm. :chuckle:
Don't quote me on this cause my memory is hazy on this subject, but I recall reading a year or two ago multiple articles discussing increased wolf activity in and around Skagit Valley Provincial Park, Manning Provincial Park, and then over in the eastern Okanagan. I don't recall what the reason was for the perceived increase in wolf population. Wolf activity, or lack thereof between Manning and the eastern Okanagan was considered consistent with prior years.
In my opninion, It seems like wolf activity in the northern Cascades is directly related to increased activity north of the border. Over in the forgotten part of the state, I'm not sure whether most of the wolves are pouring in from Canada in the eastern Okanagan, or the Idaho panhandle.
Post by: dibbs on October 14, 2012, 06:54:12 PM
Our big game hunting opportunities are going to go by the wayside. When the elk, moose, deer, sheep, etc., are gone, then my guess is the wolves that haven't been focusing on beef primarily, will do so. Hell there isn't enough big game to go around as it is, and in a couple years the numbers of game animals will decrease exponentially! I'm pissed that Washington is making the same mistakes that MT and ID have already learned from, and I believe that there are already too many wolves in our state. I haven't seen one, but am frequently seeing sign in the woods. So WDFW doing nothing for the most part, just shooting a few of the wedge pack "supposedly", and just studying the issue is just a bad idea. :yike: I'm all for tags and open season, but that's just my opinion. :tup:
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on October 14, 2012, 07:13:32 PM