Is there somewhere to have a rational discussion about wolves?

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Rugdoc

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The subject of wolves really gets people going.

Despite all the reports of people reporting on this site and others that they see more wolf sign than deer or moose these days, very few report actually seeing any wolves and even fewer report shooting one.

Yet at the same time people say that wolf numbers have to be reduced.

Is it realistic at all to think that hunters can have any impact at all if they aren't seeing them, and even if they do see one or two and shoot them, does that really have an effect on the overall population?

I know in about 30 days in the field last fall despite seeing plenty of sign whenever I was in snow, though I heard some, I never saw one in regions 2, 3 or 8.
 
Aldo Leopold said “Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of the wolf.” You are unlikely to have a rational discussion with very many people on this subject. I like wolves, have hunted wolves, I don't mind sharing my hunting area with them, and become concerned when they seem more numerous than the elk and moose. it's not all that complicated, but people make it so.
 
Rugdoc said:
The subject of wolves really gets people going.



Is it realistic at all to think that hunters can have any impact at all if they aren't seeing them, and even if they do see one or two and shoot them, does that really have an effect on the overall population?

I know in about 30 days in the field last fall despite seeing plenty of sign whenever I was in snow, though I heard some, I never saw one in regions 2, 3 or 8.
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hey mate, my interest peaks cos of this question, it is not in relation to Wolves but to our sambar deer..

in NZ in the 50s an such there was plague proportions of Red deer, the hunters /cullers/ then heli choppers shot a lot of the deer down later on introduction to 1080 poison in form of carrots or baits dropped from choppers, then the export trade fell an the big numbers of killings had ceased now only the recreational hunter and the 1080 drops occur, an deer numbers dramatically drop from the poison but so does all birds an such.

I know your not hear for deer, but in regards to the hunters who may often see the Wolf yet not shoot the Wolf, is our primary reason why there is SO many of our 'problem' deer behind farm land..
All these hunters go into property and forest, looking for Antlers- if it desnt have antlers, it seldom gets shot. if seldom shot quickly breed up..

what I have began to do is highlight that the fact is the hunters are the front line for humanly killing these Deer, heli copters don't work in my woods being so thick, an 1080 is the devil as we love the deer but they need to be lowered.

So its not an over night thing, its a long haul, education highlighting your key points and word of mouth to have hunters shoot the hind or in your case, Shoot the Wolf!

I want our hnters to give 5 good years wacking and stacking deer and see where it gets us.... I think it would be suprising, once the major tide turned!

anyway, cheers
WL
 
Out of any time I have spent in wolf country, between moose hunting, fishing and camping I've only been lucky enough to see 1 wolf. We went to a new to us area to moose hunt. We went a day before the rifle hunt opened to kinda get a lay of the land and look for sign. I was walking a atv trail with the shotgun doing a bit of grouse hunting and stopped at a beaver pond with a rock cliff on one side.
After sitting for a few minutes I looked twords the rocks about 125 yds away, and their was a big pure black wolf sitting there looking at me. It was great to see being as I had never seen 1.
Anyway when I got back, I was telling the guys and camp owner about my sighting and the owner got some ugly I didn't shoot at him. I said at that distance with bird shot, what was the sense?
He just cursed a bit, and stomped away. I do totally understand that guys in his occupation make their money off hunting, moose huntng especially, and wolves aren't good for their business.
 
Rugdoc said:
The subject of wolves really gets people going.

Despite all the reports of people reporting on this site and others that they see more wolf sign than deer or moose these days, very few report actually seeing any wolves and even fewer report shooting one.

Yet at the same time people say that wolf numbers have to be reduced.

Is it realistic at all to think that hunters can have any impact at all if they aren't seeing them, and even if they do see one or two and shoot them, does that really have an effect on the overall population?

I know in about 30 days in the field last fall despite seeing plenty of sign whenever I was in snow, though I heard some, I never saw one in regions 2, 3 or 8.
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Well if you're seeing more wolf sign than deer sign, then that's a pretty strong indicator that there's too many around, even if they're not getting shot. They're a notoriously difficult animal to effectively hunt, that's why the only effective measure of population reduction are airborne culls, trapping or poisoning.
And no, the odd hunter shooting a wolf while deer or moose hunting doesn't have an impact on the population.
 
Hunters shooting random wolves won't reduce the population. Only thing individuals can do without a government program is organized legal trapping. Fund a trapper is something that is starting up in BC right now. Organizations can only lobby the government to do something, and government won't do a general wolf cull, so it's up to individuals to do something about it.
 
have only seen 2 wolves while in the bush so far in my life...would have shot them but my .22 was not the gun for the job.
 
I saw a wolf while hunting this year, I have four on camera since November. Hunting them where I live is forbidden.
There was a deer killed by wolves, or rather the stain on the snow, tracks, and a chunk of hide, about 500 yards from my driveway.
Coyote/wolf cross? Wolf? or some sort of 'other' wolf like species. The deer are the losers.
 
John Y Cannuck said:
I saw a wolf while hunting this year, I have four on camera since November. Hunting them where I live is forbidden.
There was a deer killed by wolves, or rather the stain on the snow, tracks, and a chunk of hide, about 500 yards from my driveway.
Coyote/wolf cross? Wolf? or some sort of 'other' wolf like species. The deer are the losers.
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Usually with a wolf kill, there's nothing left except for hair. Coyotes don't have the jaw muscles to chew up vertebrae,leg bones, etc.
 
Rugdoc, don’t really think there is a need to discuss targets of opportunity during. Lawful game Season .

Especially when we as hunters know just how well oiled those killing machines are.

Few years back in 5-13b a group of hunters killed four moose legal LEH in one open area.
All that was left of the gut pile where the heads with racks removed of course a few tufts of hair and one sphinchter.

Yup, not much left of those four gut piles.

Rob.
 
Best guess right now is advantage moose. Deep snow and still snowing as this is being written, this will thin out wolves quicker than any cull. Been a while since we had this kind of snow and the moose #'s seem to be rebounding a bit in this area during the past year. This should be good. Living on a large lake gives us the opportunity to see wolves fairly frequently. The local guide takes out between 20 and 50 wolves each winter. Still wolves around. They are showing themselves quite a bit lately so best guess is I better keep a close eye on the pup.
 
I know there was a ridiculous amount of wolf sign when I went moose hunting in 3-37, Adams lake area... Didn't see any wolves though, just tracks and distant howls...
 
There are plenty of wolves where we moose hunt. I have had them around me deep in the bush on a few occasions but have only actually seen 3. Trapping is the only real way to reduce wolf numbers.I have a friend who traps for an outfitter and he gets a dozen or so every winter out of an area of about 250km2. Shooting wolves doesn't seem to put much of a dent in the population. 20180125_044430.jpg
 

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While moose hunting this year I saw 3 wolves around our camp. Two were black and one grew.
This was over a one week hunt north of thunder bay.
I had a wolf license but could not get a clear shot.
They were after the remnants of the moose we had cut up, they even ate the hide and only left the hair.
 
Rugdoc said:
The subject of wolves really gets people going.

Despite all the reports of people reporting on this site and others that they see more wolf sign than deer or moose these days, very few report actually seeing any wolves and even fewer report shooting one.

Yet at the same time people say that wolf numbers have to be reduced.

Is it realistic at all to think that hunters can have any impact at all if they aren't seeing them, and even if they do see one or two and shoot them, does that really have an effect on the overall population?

I know in about 30 days in the field last fall despite seeing plenty of sign whenever I was in snow, though I heard some, I never saw one in regions 2, 3 or 8.
Click to expand...

Sounds very similar to the wild boars here in Sask. You read articles done by the U of S guys studying them and you would think they are out of control but you talk with other hunters and go after them yourself they really aren't as high in numbers as some would make you believe. At the same time wolves as well as pigs are highly intelligent and its possible alot of hunters are outwitted by them...I know Ive been :)
 
scott_r said:
Sounds very similar to the wild boars here in Sask. You read articles done by the U of S guys studying them and you would think they are out of control but you talk with other hunters and go after them yourself they really aren't as high in numbers as some would make you believe. At the same time wolves as well as pigs are highly intelligent and its possible alot of hunters are outwitted by them...I know Ive been :)
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I personally think that is exactly right....

For years, I did an annual pilgrimage to an outfitter to hunt timberwolf...... 6 to be exact..... in those six years, I saw 8 wolves, only got a shot at 3 and only actually took two (yes, I wiffed on one)....

They are very wiley, elusive and smart....

Just look at Chas' "blew it on a wolf" thread and you will see how many they get on cams or see without even getting a shot off.... hands down the hardest hunt to be successful on that I have ever participated in.....
 
I used to hunt ( shoot ) wolves on full moon nights. I would put out a gut /bait pile on a lake and then time then until the moon was bright enough to see. Then sit at my bench on my deck and wait. Over the moon if the weather was good I could get 3 or 4 in a month. Money from the hides paid for the heat in my house for the winter. And I know this is shooting not hunting.
pounder
 
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