Post by: wolfbait on May 18, 2014, 07:07:55 PM
By Scott Richards - For the Idaho Press-Tribune 6/6/06
GRANGEVILLE
Hello. My name is Scott Richards. I have lived in Grangeville for the last 17 years. I have enjoyed training my hunting dogs for the past 34 years.
To do this it takes a great deal of love for your dogs and for the great outdoors. I have always prided myself in the manner of which I train my dogs and take care of them. When I choose a new pup, he or she spends the first 6 months in my house. He or she is loved and a bond is there forever.
I do not believe there are bad dogs, just inexperienced owners. I have spent the last four years trying to introduce this sport to as many young people as I can. My photo albums are full of pictures with children sitting under a tree with the dogs, telling them they did a good job.
That has all changed now.
The reason I am writing this story is not to debate whether the Canadian gray wolf should be or should not be here. I am not going to debate anyone about how many wolves are really in the state of Idaho. I will say our elk, moose and deer populations are in serious trouble now.
The real reason I am telling this story is that I have a conscience, and what happened to my dogs and me Wednesday, May 24, at 9:45 a.m. might open a few eyes.
Its been a few days now, and the shock has turned from fear to disbelief to anger, and now the major concern for the safety of anyone who lives in or visits our state. My life that I have loved raising and training these special working dogs is now over.
Crying wolf
This Wednesday morning started like most days when I train dogs. I was a few miles from my house and turned up the hill on the Service Flats Road. I let my dogs out of the box, jumped into my truck and followed them up the road for a mile, letting them clean out. I had eight dogs with me, and seven of them were very experienced 2, 3 and 4-year-olds. I had one five-month-old pup.
I loaded four dogs on top of the box and four inside the box. I did not have to drive far, and the dogs sounded off, letting me know a bear had crossed the road.
My friend, Bryon, had driven up from Lewiston to train some of his young dogs.
I turned out a 4-year-old named Jasper. He left the road and let me know the track was fresh. I told Bryon to turn his dogs loose as did I. They quickly dropped into a canyon, where bears hang in the brushy bottoms in daylight hours.
When all the dogs reached the bottom, five went up the other side of the canyon headed toward Fish Creek campground. The other group of dogs came right back up the hill to us. They put the bears in a tree 20 minutes later.
The other group of dogs treed about the same time about 1 1/2 miles away. Bryon and I went to the nearest dogs first. When we were under the tree, we found they had a mature sow and a 2-year-old cub. We took a few pictures and were back in the trucks ready to go to the other dogs.
We drove back up to where we heard the group of five dogs top over and shortly thereafter tree the bear. We checked where the dogs still had the bear treed. We drove as close as we could and stopped and listened.
They were about 400 yards away, treeing solid. I made the decision to move the truck 200 yards to the low side of the saddle; this would be an easy way back with the dogs. When Bryon and I crested the hill, instead of hearing a roar of barking dogs treeing, we heard nothing. We were looking at each other like, Where did they go? We just heard them there five minutes ago.
One dog barked, and another barked just 50 yards away. I said to Bryon that neither of the dogs we heard sounded like any of our dogs. He agreed. Then I heard a dog bark that I knew was mine, but at the end of his bark there was a sharp yelp. Bryon and I headed down the hill in a hurry about 75 yards apart.
About 300 yards down the hill I was stopped dead in my tracks by a big dark-colored wolf. Blackey, my dog, was getting attacked; I was 20 yards away now and closing fast, screaming and yelling as I ran. I stopped at about 12 feet from the wolf, and even though I was screaming and waving my arms, the wolf did not break from the attack. Every time Blackey tried to run, the wolf would sink his teeth into Blackeys hindquarters.
All the while I was screaming louder than I ever screamed in my life. Without any thought I picked up a 4-foot stick, stepped toward the wolf, swung and hit a tree. When the branch went crack and the tree went thud, the wolf instantly lunged at me.
I remember thinking I was going to die.
I ran from tree to tree straight up hill toward my truck. When that wolf lunged at me, I believed I would have been seriously hurt or dead if not for Blackey. I did not see what took place, but what I heard was my dog giving his life to save me.
As I reached the truck, Bryon was digging around in his truck for a gun. As I ran up he started yelling, We got wolves. I was trying to listen to him as I was searching for a gun as I took my pistol in my hand and turned toward Bryon.
When I looked into his eyes I realized I was not the only one threatened by wolves. We headed back down to see if we could save Blackey, Lady or Halley, but there was no sound. I wanted to hear a bell dingle or a bark, but nothing. As Bryon and I hurried back to the truck to get my tracking box, I finally understood that Bryon was able to fight off three wolves and save two dogs. Snyper and Bullet were safe in the dog box with no life-threatening injuries.
With the tracking box in hand, I tuned in on Ladys tracking collar and said to Bryon, Not Lady, not Lady, but I knew she was dead. Then I tuned to Blackey and told Bryon that Blackey was dead, and then I tuned in Halleys collar. One beep every four seconds that means all three dogs had not moved for at least five minutes. All dead.
I was just standing there in shock.
We decided to look for Halley first. We were getting real close; the receiver was pegging the needle. I knew that with a few more steps I would be looking at one of my babies.
My heart skipped a beat when Halleys tree switch went off. I didnt know if she was alive or if a wolf was dragging her off. We ran the direction the needle was pointing, and in a few yards there she was.
She was trying to get up; her stomach was ripped open and her guts were hanging out a foot. She had more than 60 bite marks and deep gashes all over her body. Her stomach was torn in multiple spots.
Bryon went into action. Of came his shirt, and we wrapped it tightly around her stomach. I carried her back to Bryons truck and put her in the front seat; Brian headed for the vets. I remember thinking I wouldnt see Halley alive again.
I started tracking Blackey next; it did not take long to find him. He wasnt far from where the wolf came after me. He was dead and lying in a pool of his own blood. He was bit and torn so full of holes that I just fell to the ground bawling and crying. I could not quit thinking, He gave his life to save me.
I was sitting there when it hit me: Lady! Id better get to Lady. When I tuned her in, I knew she was within a 100 yards. I lined up with her collar, and the next thing I knew there she was in a heap, her eyes wide open, looking straight into my eyes. For one second I thought she might be alive. When I knelt down beside her, I knew she was dead.
Its very difficult to describe the type of death these dogs were handed. It was easy to see that the wolves want to cripple their prey, torture it and then kill it. I have never seen a worse way for any animal or person to die.
I made it back to town and took care of my dogs who made it through this nightmare that happened in the light of day. Then I headed to see if Halley needed to be buried.
When I walked into the veterinarians office, I was greeted with, Did you find the rest of your dogs? I tried to say they were all dead, but I could not get the words out; all I could do was cry.
After a few minutes standing alone, I heard a voice behind me say, Halley is still alive; do you want to see her? I instantly headed for the back room, and when I turned the corner I saw this little black ball covered in stitches swollen twice her normal size.
I stopped and said out loud, Oh my God, Halley, what have they done to you? When she heard me say her name, she lifted her head, whined and waged her tail. I kneeled down, held her and comforted her the whole time wondering if she was the lucky one, or were Blackey and Lady the lucky ones? When I looked into her eyes it was easy to see the only reason she was still alive: the wolf had choked her out.
Her eyes were full of blood; they had left her for dead. The doctor said it was a miracle she was alive at all. Her lungs were badly damaged, but what most concerned us all was infection from all the tears and bites.
I knew this little dog had more heart and desire than a 1,200-pound grizzly bear, and yet was as gentle with my granddaughters as my chocolate lab. If it were just a fight with infection, she would win.
On the way home I called the Idaho Fish and Game to report what had happened. They were very understanding, and I could tell they were sincere when they said they were sorry for my loss. They also made it clear there was nothing they could do for me and that their hands were tied. They said they would write the report and call a federal agent.
Justin, the government trapper, contacted me by phone and arranged to meet me at first light. We were at the site of the attack early the next morning. We went to the site where I had laid Lady in the shade.
She was gone without a trace.
I took Justin to where Blackey was laying, and he had also disappeared. We searched around and found nothing. About that time a crow down below me called three times, so we walked toward the sound.
It did not take long before we were standing over the remains of the dog that saved me from harm. All that was left of him was his head and backbone. Had we been an hour later, there would have been nothing left of him.
We had spooked the wolves off while they were finishing their prey. In five hours all we found of Lady was a pile of fresh wolf scat full of white, brown and black dog hair. Lady was a tri-colored walker that color.
Justin and I buried what was left of Blackey. We piled heavy stones on his grave, and I walked away thinking that it could have been me. I could have been just a pile of wolf scat lying on the ground and leaving people to wonder where I had disappeared to.
I couldnt help but think of the 22-year-old man who was killed and eaten by wolves in Canada this winter. Theres been a slaughter on hound dogs and pets in Idaho, and it is getting worse daily. I have been assured that if these wolves kill any cows, sheep, goats, pigs or horses, they will become a problem and will be dealt with, and the owners will be compensated.
Thats a relief.
Dogs have no value to anyone in the government, it seems.
So what I love to do is over; I will not send another dog to slaughter or feed another starving wolf pack. My concerns now are that the wolves are running out of easy prey and are now eating dogs.
In wet, muddy areas where elk and moose have always been plentiful, I no longer can find even a track.
Perhaps aliens took them off to a safer planet. I hope you did not find that funny.
This is the first documented case in Idaho where wolves have eaten a dog after killing it. The real reason I had to write this story is public safety.
The general public is unaware of the danger that awaits them. Since I retired, I have spent no less than four days a week in the mountains. What has amazed me are how many of these wolves are right around peoples homes. When they are out of easy prey, be ready.
For as long as I can remember, when you were in the mountains for any reason, a dog by your side was a great defense to warn you of predators. I used to believe in this. But now a dog is nothing more than bait to lure wolves.
Recently, while cougar hunting, an associate of mine, who is a licensed guide like myself, had a wolf encounter. He was cougar hunting with a dog on a leash when three wolves charged up on him. With waving arms and a screaming voice, he was able to persuade them to leave, but what if they had been a little hungrier? Your natural instinct will be to defend your companion. I am not saying you should leave your friend at home, but be prepared.
Put a bell or a beeper on him or her so you know where they are at all times.
The most important thing, in my opinion, is to pack a firearm. I personally believe pepper spray will not work in a pack attack. Keep your dogs quiet when you are walking no barking. If they are tied up in camp, no barking. And dont let your children play with your pets and have them barking while theyre playing.
My personal belief is that the war has been lost. Its too late to save our big-game herds in my lifetime.
What I have loved to do for most of my life is over, so enjoy it while you still can. Be prepared. I pray you never encounter a pack of Canadian gray wolves.
What do you think?
Whats your reactions to the reintroduction efforts of wolves into Idaho and the western states?
Send your letters to:
Idaho Press-Tribune
P.O. Box 9399
Nampa, ID 83652
or e-mail: op-ed@idahopress.com op-ed@idahopress.com op-ed@idahopress.com
Post by: wolfbait on May 18, 2014, 07:19:20 PM
Source: Idaho Statesman
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060212/NEWS0503/602120341/1001/NEWS (http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060212/NEWS0503/602120341/1001/NEWS)
Edition Date: 02-12-2006
Ron Gillett grew up in Hailey on a ranch. A former teacher and coach, he entered the outfitting business in the 1970s. He owns 21/2 acres west of Stanley with 10 log cabins. He leads summer trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and fall hunting trips. He also heads the Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition, which hopes to collect nearly 48,000 signatures to put an initiative on the November ballot to rescind Idaho's wolf plan and abolish the state's Office of Species Conservation. "Some people think I'm this outfitter sitting up here in Stanley that wants to shoot anything that moves," Gillett said. "Our logo says, 'Dedicated to the preservation of the big game herds of Idaho, both for hunting opportunities and for viewing."
Do you support or oppose the Interior Department's proposal to take gray wolves off the endangered-species list in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming? Why?
Delisting is never going to happen in Idaho. The environmentalists are never going to let it happen.
This is an exotic species. It was never native here. Across Idaho, if you went out and asked people how they feel about wolves, you would be shocked at how badly people want these wolves out of here. They're furious. They're just sick of this mutilation, this devastation. The Canadian wolf is the most cruel, vicious predator in North America.
Once these wolves are dumped into an ecosystem, they kill everything. They hunt 365 days a year, and they only hunt red meat.
Wolves above I-90 supposedly come down from Canada and are covered by the Endangered Species Act. The wolves dumped on us below I-90 are in a different classification. They're classified as nonessential or experimental. If there's a problem, they can be relocated or shot. The first choice of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been relocation: Take a problem wolf from one area and move him to another, where he becomes a problem for somebody else.
We have the research and the facts to show how and why the wolves should be removed immediately. If we can't get this to court because of all the little roadblocks the environmentalists put up, I'm afraid there will be civil disobedience. I don't support that. My group doesn't support that. But I'm afraid it's going to happen.
In fall, until the first of November, we really depend on hunters filling our cabins. In the past, a lot of those have been out-of-state hunters. Normally we have 30-some, maybe 40-some. This year I had five. That's just me. The rest of the town would be going along with the same ratio. The out-of-state hunters are so disillusioned with their hunting opportunities here, they're just not coming now. Why? Because the wolves are killing the elk and the deer.
No promises have ever been carried out by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Idaho regarding the dumping of wolves in Idaho. Congress promised: One, local economies would not be hurt. Two, big-game hunting would not be affected. Three, they'd monitor packs, take care of problem wolves. That has not happened.
It hurts the tourism industry, the little mom-and-pop motels and restaurants. People don't want to come up here into the Stanley Basin and have to sit up all night with guns keeping wolves away from their kids. You may think that's far out, but it isn't.
My heart is just in the ground here. I'm not going to get down to two head of elk in the Stanley Basin just because some wolf lovers want to hear them howl. I'm sick and tired of Suzanne Stone saying these are cuddly little puppies that just want to be petted.
Do you trust Idaho to manage the state's wolf populations? Why or why not?
No. The Idaho Legislature has been against this wolf dumping from day one. That's why they passed House Joint Memorial 5 in 2001. Out of 105 legislators, 100 of them voted for HJM5, which calls for the immediate removal of the Canadian gray wolf from Idaho. Two of those five are left-wing environmentalists from Sun Valley and the other three were sleeping.
We're not happy with the governor and his Office of Species Conservation. We do not believe they've put any effort into handling this wolf problem. I'm not trying to start a war with the governor, but he has not put effort into solving this.
We have been adamant, and we have never changed our objective: to remove wolves from Idaho. There's no way to manage the gray wolf in Idaho because of the terrain and topography. We have the roughest terrain in the lowest 48. In Alaska, they've been successful in aerial hunting. You can't do that down here. There's too much cover. The country's too rough.
Wolves follow elk herds and kill the young ones in spring. The government owes us for all these animals being killed by this land piranha they dumped on us.
Do you support Idaho Fish and Game's proposal to kill wolves in north-central Idaho to help declining elk herds and why?
Absolutely. In the department they were split: people for wolves, people against. Now even the ones for wolves are seeing what we have said all along is true. We think they're going in the right direction.
At Idaho Fish and Game, the light finally came on. They saw what the wolves were doing to the elk in the Clearwater. They wanted to thin them out. Suzanne Stone of Defenders of Wildlife is ready to file a lawsuit if they kill one wolf. They don't want management. They don't want something realistic for the big game. All they want is wolves.
We're not just a bunch of Aryan Nation wolf-killers. We're concerned about our wildlife. The wolves are here. The overzealous Fish and Wildlife Service, and their friends in Defenders of Wildlife, brought them in and dumped them on us.
http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/wolves/viciouspredators_idaho021506.htm (http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/wolves/viciouspredators_idaho021506.htm)
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml)
Post by: wolfbait on May 19, 2014, 07:23:46 AM
By T. R. Mader, Research Director
Abundant Wildlife Society of North America
1991
I'm convinced, based on several years of wolf research, hunters will bear the brunt of wolf recovery/protection regardless of location.
There is no language written in any wolf recovery plan to protect the hunter's privilege to hunt. Wolves are well known to cause wild game population declines which are so drastic hunting is either eliminated or severely curtailed. And there is no provision for recovery of wild game populations for the purposes of hunting. It simply will not be allowed.
Example: A few years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) agreed the state should take over the responsibility of wolf management. The DNR felt wolves were impacting their deer populations and wanted to open a short trapping season on the wolf.
The environmentalists sued and won. The USFWS could not give wolf management back to Minnesota in spite of a desire to do so.
The problem with wolf recovery is that most people, especially hunters, have not looked "beyond press releases and into the heart of the wolf issue."
It must be stated clearly that the wolf is the best tool for shutting down hunting. The anti-hunters know this. Most hunters don't. Thus, wolf recovery is not opposed by the people who will be impacted most.
In order to understand the impacts wolves have on hunting, let's look at some biological factors of the wolf and compare some hunting facts.
The wolf is an efficient predator of wild game and domestic livestock. Due to its ability as a predator, the wolf was removed from areas of the U.S. where man settled. There is no such thing as peaceful coexistence between man and wolf - one has to give to the other since both prey/hunt the same wildlife/ungulate populations.
Did the removal of the wolf cause it to become endangered? No, there are 40,000 to 60,000 wolves on the North American continent. The animal is doing quite well. During the years of wolf control, the wolf's territory was eliminated throughout most of the lower 48 states. That factor is the reason the wolf is on the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
A wolf requires five to ten pounds of meat per day for survival, thus the wolf requires a considerable amount of meat in one year - nearly a ton of meat per year per wolf. A wolf is capable of consuming great quantities of meat, up to one fifth of its body weight, at one time. Thus, a wolf does not have to kill each day to survive.
Wolves hunt year around - 365 days a year. Wolf predation is not limited to two weeks, one month or whatever a hunting season length may be, it is year around.
Wolves are opportunistic hunters, meaning they kill what is available and convenient. For years, hunters have been fed the line, "Wolves kill only the weak, sick and old." Worse yet, hunters have believed it.
It is true, wolves do kill old animals, but so do hunters. Those are the big bulls or bucks prized by many who hunt. In fact, biological studies have shown wolves kill older male animals more than any other adult member of a wild game population.
Regarding sick animals, there are not many sick wild animals today. Hunters and trappers are directly responsible for healthy wild game herds today.
In the cyclic "balance of nature" of years past (no hunting by man), ungulate populations would thrive until they overgrazed their habitat and starved. This malnutrition made ungulate populations susceptible to disease. Consequently, disease was more common. Lewis and Clark wrote of such herds. (The other major factor contributing to the decline in wildlife populations was predation.)
Hunting controls this cycle so that herds are kept at proper levels for habitat, preventing malnutrition and susceptibility to disease. Hunting dollars went to habitat improvement and biological studies which, in turn, help maintain healthier herds of ungulates.
Even agriculture plays a part in the dispersal of salt and other minerals to domestic livestock. Wild animals access these nutrients as well. Thus, disease is not as rampant as when nature regulates it naturally. It is also interesting to note that where disease is a problem today, such as Yellowstone National Park, hunting is not allowed.
Trapping completes the cycle of game management by controlling the predator. The predator is to wildlife what weeds are to a garden. They must be controlled or they will take over. Additionally, predators are disease carriers. Some people are aware predators carry rabies since reports of rabid animals or some person being bitten by a rabid animal are often in the news, but few realize predators also carry other deadly diseases, i.e. raccoons carry a deadly fowl cholera. And finally, trapping benefits the predator by keeping their numbers in check. This keeps the population healthy. If predators do overpopulate, they become more susceptible to rabies, mange and other diseases.
Wolves do not eat sick animals unless forced to do so. We have found this true in many cases.
Example: A Conservation Officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) found a moose with brain worm. Brain worm completely destroys an animal's instinctive and natural behavior. This moose had wandered out on a frozen lake in winter and was slowly starving to death. Wolves came by, checked the moose out and went their way. Tracks in the snow verified it. They did not kill it even though it would have been extremely easy to do so.
Wolves do kill the weak. Weak animals are not sick animals, they are simply the "less strong" of the herd. Wolves target these animals - the young and pregnant - due to their inability to escape. This is an important factor in limiting wildlife population numbers. Wolves prey directly on the recruitment and reproductive segments of ungulate populations.
While doing research in British Colombia, a wolf biologist from the British Colombia Ministry of Environment took the time to show me how wolves could impact hunting so severely. Here's his example.
In this particular example he used a number of 300 females in a herd of elk. In his region, wolf predation is often 90% on the young (100% mortality rates due to predation are common in the north). If 300 females gave birth in an area of wolves, the approximate loss would be about 270 young calves killed during the summer months, leaving 30 yearlings to serve as replacements. A regular die-off rate on such a herd is about 10%. So the 30 yearlings would balance out the regular mortality rate of the female segment of the herd.
But overall there is a decline in the elk herd due to the fact that the 30 yearlings are usually sexually split in half (15 females and 15 males), thus the reproductive segment of the herd declines although the numbers appear to balance out. Without some form of wolf control, the rate of decline will increase within a few years.
There were approximately 100 males in this herd of elk. Figuring the regular mortality rate and compensating with the surviving young leaves 5 animals (males only) that could be harvested by man.
Now if this herd of elk were in an area of no wolves, there would be approximately 60 - 70% successful reproduction (calves making it to yearlings) or 200 young. Half of those surviving young would be male (100 animals). After figuring a 10% mortality rate, 90 older animals could be harvested without impact to the overall herd numbers. In fact, the herd would increase due to additional numbers of the reproductive segment (females) of the herd.
Now you have some insight of the impacts wolves can have on hunting.
In spite of the negative publicity generated by the anti-hunting, anti-trapping movements, hunting and trapping are some of the best wildlife management tools.
Hunters' harvest can be limited through numbers of licenses issued, bag limits, length of seasons, and specification of sex of the animal harvested. Thus, only the surplus of an ungulate population is generally hunted. If the need arises that an ungulate population needs reduction, it is easily accomplished by allowing an "any sex" hunt and increasing license numbers. Additionally, hunters will pay for the opportunity to hunt which in turn pays for wildlife management.
Wolves do none of the above. They simply kill to survive and for the sake of killing. Studies have shown that ungulate populations cannot withstand hunting by man and uncontrolled predation by wolves for any length of time. One has to give to the other. In this day and age, the wolf will be the winner, the hunter the loser.
A point which should be stressed is "wolves kill for the sake of killing," not just to survive. Many are convinced wolves kill only what they need to eat. That simply isn't true.
Remember the moose with brain worm the wolves didn't eat? In the same area, the same winter and only a couple of months later, the same Conservation Officer followed two wolves after a spring snow storm and found the wolves had killed 21 deer. Only two were partially eaten.
The snow gave the wolves the advantage. These deer were autopsied and many were found to be pregnant. The total number of deer killed in 2 days by these 2 wolves was 36.
Such incidents of surplus killing are common. For example, Canadian biologists came upon an area where a pack of wolves have killed 34 caribou calves in one area. Another example came from Alaska. In the Wrangell Mountains, a pack of five wolves came upon 20 Dall rams crossing a snow-covered plateau. All 20 rams were killed by the wolves. Only six were partially eaten by the wolves.
Dr. Charles E. Kay, PH.D. has lectured on the impacts of wolf recovery. To illustrate the impacts of wolves on hunting, he did a comparison of moose populations in British Colombia versus Sweden and Finland. Both areas have a comparable amount of moose habitat.
Dr. Kay stated, "During the 1980s in Sweden and Finland, the pre-calf or the wintering population of moose was approximately 400,000 animals and was increasing. While in British Colombia, it was 240,000 animals and decreasing.
"In British Colombia where they have a population of 240,000 animals and after a calving season they killed only 12,000 animals which is a 5% off take. In Sweden and Finland, on the other hand, they have 400,000 moose and guess how many they killed in the fall? They killed 240,000 moose in the fall which is a 57% off take rate.
"Now the two main differences, I don't want to imply that there's not vegetation difference and other things, but the two main differences is that British Colombia has somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 wolves, all sorts of bears, grizzly bears and black bears which are also important predators, and mountain lions. Sweden and Finland have none of the above."
Veteran wolf biologist, John Gunson, Alberta Ministry of Environment, summed it up when he said, "Really, there isn't any room for harvest by man if you have a healthy wolf population."
Hunters, please understand the impacts of wolf recovery on hunting and the role wolf recovery plays in the anti-hunters' agenda. Natural predation, especially wolf predation, can replace your privilege to hunt.
****************************
Copyright 1991 - Permission granted copy this article in its entirety with proper credit given to the source.
T. R. Mader is Research Director for Abundant Wildlife Society of North America (AWS), a private wildlife research organization dedicated to the preservation of the Great North American Traditions of Hunting, Fishing and Trapping.
http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/wolves/wolveshunting1991.htm (http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/wolves/wolveshunting1991.htm)
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml)