BC wolf hunters...info needed,please enlighten me!

I strongly encourage people to get out hunting and trapping wolves, their numbers are high right now...so are cougars (in Alberta anyways)....but I wouldn't be so quick to believe the official government word that predation on moose is the main reason for a reduction in numbers. In my opinion it's all habitat related, most of the time. New roads and cutblocks really hammer moose numbers back...this has been proven. It takes sometime for the forests to grow back into good moose habitat. It's easy to blame wolves, bad winters, natives etc...but the #1 limiting factor to game species and hunting opportunities is p!ss poor habitat management...unfortunatley, when the discussion turns to that many people prefer to just put on the blinders and scoff at it. That's my piece....keep on...

Oh, BTW...I am currently working on building a homemade E-caller....hopefully I will have some wolf pics of my own to share after big game seasons wrap up.
 
H4831 said:
When we have our proposed visit at the Vernon gun show, I see I will have to fill you in on wolves.
I always have and will continue, to shoot at every wolf I get the chance at. When wolves are thick, like they are now, every moose hunter in the bush shooting at every wolf they see, will still allow the wolves to increase.
When wolves are at a "normal," population level, meaning their prey species are plentiful enough to allow the wolves to easily catch a game animal, hunters in the bush very seldom see a wolf.
The official BC government estimate is that moose are down 50% to what they were a few years ago and they give predation, wolves and bear, as the main reason for the decline.
Not hard to figure out where the moose population is going from here.
Eventually, the wolves will die off, because of lack of food. Then another generation of moose hunters will again, hopefully, be able to hunt moose from a healthy, increasing number of them.
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"Culling" the wolf population is good wildlife management for the wolve's. Keeping there population strong and healthy preventing the what should be an inevitable crash in their population. In other words, by killing a few here and there we're only helping maintain a high wolf population, just like we do for "desirable" species.
 
bisonhd said:
"Culling" the wolf population is good wildlife management for the wolve's. Keeping there population strong and healthy preventing the what should be an inevitable crash in their population. In other words, by killing a few here and there we're only helping maintain a high wolf population, just like we do for "desirable" species.
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I guess I didn't express myself too well, because you got the wrong meaning of what I meant.
I was not advocating a cull of the wolves, as would occurr if every moose hunter shot any wolf he saw.
What I meant was with wolves at a high number like they are now, even every moose hunter shooting every wolf he saw, would not lower the wolf population, or help the moose to wolves ratio.
Let's face it. Wolves and black bears are out of control in BC and the government will do absolutely nothing about it.
 
H4831 said:
I guess I didn't express myself too well, because you got the wrong meaning of what I meant.
I was not advocating a cull of the wolves, as would occurr if every moose hunter shot any wolf he saw.
What I meant was with wolves at a high number like they are now, even every moose hunter shooting every wolf he saw, would not lower the wolf population, or help the moose to wolves ratio.
Let's face it. Wolves and black bears are out of control in BC and the government will do absolutely nothing about it.
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Agree 100%
 
It looks like the ingrained medieval fear of wolves from Europe continues here today.

That and the anthropocentric view that any animal that competes with us for "our" game should be eliminated.

For one thing I'd like to see the real biological data that proves that black bears have any impact at all on deer and moose populations.

Sometimes I get the feeling that hunters would just like to have a sterile environment crawling with deer, moose and elk like in a beef cattle feed lot and that the only good predator is a dead one.

People can shoot all the wolves they want. They're just gonna knock off the stupid ones.

Meanwhile carry on with the beer parlour biology.
 
Rugdoc said:
It looks like the ingrained medieval fear of wolves from Europe continues here today.

That and the anthropocentric view that any animal that competes with us for "our" game should be eliminated.

For one thing I'd like to see the real biological data that proves that black bears have any impact at all on deer and moose populations.

Sometimes I get the feeling that hunters would just like to have a sterile environment crawling with deer, moose and elk like in a beef cattle feed lot and that the only good predator is a dead one.

People can shoot all the wolves they want. They're just gonna knock off the stupid ones.

Meanwhile carry on with the beer parlour biology.
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Read much?
No one said black bear have impact on game population, only that their pop is up
 
What can the government really do? Knee jerk would be to go out shooting them from aircraft, paying bounties, etc. etc. All of which would be very expensive and really a waste of effort. We'd be just managing and maintaining a large and healthy wolf population.
Wolves are naturally filling up the excellent habitat we create for them. I doubt forest managers consider how they're helping wolves with roads and huge open cut-blocks. (for example)
As for shooting the odd random wolf, go for it, I will, but know it's not making the slightest bit of difference.
 
Rugdoc said:
For one thing I'd like to see the real biological data that proves that black bears have any impact at all on deer and moose populations.

Then why don't you contact the Saskatchewan Department of Natural Resources, and ask them about the elaborate studies they made some years ago, maybe fifteen or twenty, about the relationship of black bears and moose in the Saskatachewan River Delta area near Cumberland House.
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In my area, in early summer, you can poke through bear crap along the roads and find little tiny undigested hoofs. The fawns/calfs lie down when predators approach. There faint odor almost undetectable by predators. Almost.
I've driven up on so many bears walking roads, I've go to think some have learned to target this prey.
 
Rugdoc said:
It looks like the ingrained medieval fear of wolves from Europe continues here today.

That and the anthropocentric view that any animal that competes with us for "our" game should be eliminated.

For one thing I'd like to see the real biological data that proves that black bears have any impact at all on deer and moose populations.

Sometimes I get the feeling that hunters would just like to have a sterile environment crawling with deer, moose and elk like in a beef cattle feed lot and that the only good predator is a dead one.

People can shoot all the wolves they want. They're just gonna knock off the stupid ones.

Meanwhile carry on with the beer parlour biology.
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You should stop...there actually is quite a bit of data out there proving black bears are pretty good at eating calf moose.

Some body touched on an important tidbit in one of the above posts...The way governments manage wildlife habitat favours predators.
 
Rugdoc said:
It looks like the ingrained medieval fear of wolves from Europe continues here today.That and the anthropocentric view that any animal that competes with us for "our" game should be eliminated.

For one thing I'd like to see the real biological data that proves that black bears have any impact at all on deer and moose populations.

Sometimes I get the feeling that hunters would just like to have a sterile environment crawling with deer, moose and elk like in a beef cattle feed lot and that the only good predator is a dead one.People can shoot all the wolves they want. They're just gonna knock off the stupid ones.

Meanwhile carry on with the beer parlour biology.
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A) I do not fear wolves, as stated above, I think they are majestic creatures and have always had a fasination with them.
But until last week had never seen them as up close or so frequently. Evedently there are more than normal numbers.

B) I would love to have a steril environment to hunt in, however the only thing that I would compleyely eradicate would be the deerflies...they were murderous!

C) Thank-you for your permission to carry on a discussion that was evolving without your aproval.

I broke a rule I have lived with for many many years because I believe the wolf population is getting out of control.
If you do or do not agree is your buisness, I welcome your input in this thread, however, insults or belittling comments are un necessary...It,s not just a beer parlor you can get highballs too!!:p
 
Big Jon said:
You should stop...there actually is quite a bit of data out there proving black bears are pretty good at eating calf moose.
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Newfoundland has plenty of data on black bears and predation on moose and caribou.

Here's a BC website:

http://www.bearsinbc.com/pages/01black/01population2.html



Percentage of Moose Calves Killed by Black Bears

Location Killed

Newfoundland 30%
Saskatchewan 40 - 48%
Alaska 2 - 50%
 
The heat was in the 32C range most of the time and there were altogether too many wolves in the area to see any moose. Talking to a fella who flags off the wooded blocks for clearcutting said they found 26 winter kills from wolves this year.
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Since when does the 'guy who flags' registered as someone who can ID a wolf killed moose ?LOL.

No of course you did not see many moose at 32 degrees celcius what does that have to do with wolves???? ?

It is sad that every tom #### and harry that spends 4 mins a year in the woods thinks they might know something, all the more so when it is P.C at the time. If you care about B.C wildlife do some real homework and educate yourself. While your at it use up your bear tags and put a nice wolf rug on the end of the bed just don't contribute to the poor understanding of the challanges facing B.C's wildlife populations by spouting B.S.
 
david doyle said:
It is sad that every tom #### and harry that spends 4 mins a year in the woods thinks they might know something, all the more so when it is P.C at the time. If you care about B.C wildlife do some real homework and educate yourself. While your at it use up your bear tags and put a nice wolf rug on the end of the bed just don't contribute to the poor understanding of the challanges facing B.C's wildlife populations by spouting B.S.
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By the sound of "the problem", the experts have a real handle on the situation. No doubt it's a very complex situation, but don't for a snotty minute think those with a degree on the wall are the only ones who's opinions matter. If only those with their noses in the air were allowed to give there opinion on this recreational forum, then there really wouldn't be very much conversation would there?
 
david doyle said:
Since when does the 'guy who flags' registered as someone who can ID a wolf killed moose ?LOL.

No of course you did not see many moose at 32 degrees celcius what does that have to do with wolves???? ?

It is sad that every tom #### and harry that spends 4 mins a year in the woods thinks they might know something, all the more so when it is P.C at the time. If you care about B.C wildlife do some real homework and educate yourself. While your at it use up your bear tags and put a nice wolf rug on the end of the bed just don't contribute to the poor understanding of the challanges facing B.C's wildlife populations by spouting B.S.
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If you re-read the post you will see I was listing off things that contributed to the lack of me seeing as moose not blaming the heat on the wolves. If you were not trying to be a pompus ass hat you would have noticed that. Also if you read more than the 1st post before commenting you would see that I never claimed to understand the challenges facing BC wildlife. What I did say was that I spoke to people who work in the forrest in that area and this is what they said.
You speak as though you are specialized in some feild that spends a majority of their time in the forrest and you must have some letters behind your name...so fess up what makes your opinion far more valid than ours or the men and women that live and work in the area I was in?
 
I know I'm going catch hell for this, but I've only ever turned down a shot at one wolf. I live on a farm and work full time in a remote area of the north and am very aware of what predators are capable of. I was hunting spring bear in late May a few years back and a lactating female wolf crossed a wide open area within 100 yards of my muzzle. It was a tough decision not to drop the hammer but seeing her "milked up" and hearing her clan squawking and yipping just a little ways into the bush...screw it. "Go feed your kids" I said out loud as I lowered the rifle. She stopped and just stared at me, then turned and carried on trotting towards her pack giving me a couple sideways glances before vanishing into the spruce. Crappy wildlife management on my part? Perhaps. Had it been fall or winter I would have dropped that she-wolf without a second thought but in this instance, I sided with the wolf.
 
but don't for a snotty minute think those with a degree on the wall are the only ones who's opinions matter
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never said that, that is something you made up in your head. I said every tom, #### and harry that spend 4 mins a year in the bush. No mention of academic qualifications made.

so fess up what makes your opinion far more valid than ours or the men and women that live and work in the area I was in?
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You fail to notice that I did not give any opinion what I thought the "problem" was. I simply stated that 3rd hand accounts of "wolf kills" by some guy hanging flags on cut lines does not mean SFA other then he told you what you wanted to hear. I also encouraged everyone to get out and kill a couple bears and to enjoy owning a nice piece of wolf fur.

I did not need to read further then your first post any time someone comes along and starts crying about wolves decimating ungulate populations and basing thier blather on nothing I am well with in my rights too call it as I see it.
 
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