Post by: El_morenito on October 11, 2022, 10:51:17 AM
Post by: GWP on October 11, 2022, 10:57:08 AM
Some years back I took a fair amount of time off and hit a number of area’s. Many hours spent on foot tracking and looking for sign.
I saw nothing that convinced me they were there at that time.
It certainly does not take them long to get a foothold. All it would take is one idiot bringing some in to an area because it would be ‘fun to hunt them’.
Post by: acrocker on October 11, 2022, 01:02:22 PM
Post by: GWP on October 11, 2022, 04:33:28 PM
Had them over in the Columbia basin a couple years ago (2020?), in the Desert GMU. WDFW actually shut the whole area down and brought in professional hunters to eradicate them. I think the thought process was that if they let us tax-paying/permit buying hunters do it, then it would provide incentive for whoever was releasing them to do it again. My understanding was that they put out feed stations and drew them in, then shot them. They were also supposedly doing helicopter surveys to count how many there were - I don't think there were many, but it doesn't take very many to get them established...
Any data to support that? Not saying that did not happen, just asking.
The one hand does not always know what the other hand is doing with WDFW, so I would not be surprised if there is only 'internal' documentation.
We spotted a wolf many, many years ago and reported it, along with pics of the footprints next to our big footed dog prints. The wolf's were 'easily' half again bigger.
Got two WDFW folks that stated "There are no wolves in that area" and another that had seen one, plus he had two other reports of them, and wanted to know exactly where we saw it.
Post by: Alchase on October 11, 2022, 04:41:12 PM
It seems these rumors popup every few years in Washington.
You better hope they do not get a foot hold in Washington. They will destroy the ecosystem. Grouse, Pheasant, Quail, will all be dramatically diminished. They are a plague here in the south. A plague Washington does not need.
Post by: El_morenito on October 11, 2022, 06:48:19 PM
Post by: Birdguy on October 11, 2022, 08:18:22 PM
Had them over in the Columbia basin a couple years ago (2020?), in the Desert GMU. WDFW actually shut the whole area down and brought in professional hunters to eradicate them. I think the thought process was that if they let us tax-paying/permit buying hunters do it, then it would provide incentive for whoever was releasing them to do it again. My understanding was that they put out feed stations and drew them in, then shot them. They were also supposedly doing helicopter surveys to count how many there were - I don't think there were many, but it doesn't take very many to get them established...
Any data to support that? Not saying that did not happen, just asking.
The one hand does not always know what the other hand is doing with WDFW, so I would not be surprised if there is only 'internal' documentation.
We spotted a wolf many, many years ago and reported it, along with pics of the footprints next to our big footed dog prints. The wolf's were 'easily' half again bigger.
Got two WDFW folks that stated "There are no wolves in that area" and another that had seen one, plus he had two other reports of them, and wanted to know exactly where we saw it.
I too remember that shut down. It was late fall during the bird hunting season. If memory serves there was a larger family hog farm and a few of the pigs had swam out into the brushy areas and started reproducing. The WDFW shut it down to ensure no one was in the area when they went in to remove the issue. One of the many guys who are expert "search" function guys on here can likely find something about this from back then on here.
Post by: Alchase on October 11, 2022, 09:13:47 PM
We heard from bay back in the early 2000s with absolutely no confirmation from anywhere.
Post by: acrocker on October 12, 2022, 06:14:16 AM
I'd have to do some digging, I guess, but I know that the Desert Wildlife area was closed for my annual canoe trip due to feral hog control efforts, WDFW wasn't letting anyone in the area. This would have been in August, I think it was 2020, might have been 2019, I know it was closed for fire danger in 2021... I'll check on the WDFW site and see if I can find anything...
Post by: acrocker on October 12, 2022, 06:16:59 AM
http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/free-wilbur-the-war-against-feral-swine-comes-to-washington/
Apparently, my sense of time has gotten worse as I've gotten older, I could have sworn it was only a couple years ago, but the story says 2016... Sucks to get old...
Post by: nwwanderer on October 12, 2022, 07:07:16 AM
Post by: GWP on October 12, 2022, 07:42:36 AM
Post by: flyguide on October 15, 2022, 02:19:45 PM
Post by: Humptulips on October 15, 2022, 02:48:02 PM
Post by: boneaddict on October 15, 2022, 03:05:14 PM