Thank goodness, BC is culling wolves
- Thread starter elker
- Start date
Nature stopped following its natural course when man discovered agriculture which was quite a while ago. The political spin on this wolf cull is for caribou protection. Cannot really agree with that as I believe the caribou are in trouble for entirely different reasons. Habitat loss being the major factor. The moose #'s in our area of BC are down and this problem extends across much of the province. I am not sure what the main cause of this population drop is but predator #'s are up. The moose population will have a better chance of rebounding if the wolves are knocked back, especially when the calves are starting out. That can only help. What is of greater concern is what caused the #'s to drop and so drastically? I do not think predator/prey relationship was the major reason, so while this may be a temporary bandaid it is not a long term solution.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Exactly. The same can be said of people that claim they hunt only because of the meat. Any other reason may give the impression we're barbaric.
Unfortunately the association requires you to be a member to recieve th bounty I looked into it after I shot my wolf to help out with the taxidermy costs
If you know of any willing land owners in BC who have accommodations and enough land to run a line on I would be happy to do it. The reason for wanting a trap line is so that I can build accommodations to stay as it would be nowhere near my home and would need to be profitable to run. Under the trapping regulations traps have to be checked regularly which is impossible without living on or near the line during the season.
Pine beetle clear cutting and wolf predation are having huge affects across the province.
I had face to face and emptied 2 mags on a large pack of wolves in the pemberton valley of all places. Never seen sign of them in a couple decaades hunting my spot there.
Up home in 100 mile, the windy mountain/bridge lake (north) area is infested with wolves.
In my area, predation and vehicle hits are taking out huge numbers of deer.
The clinton/loon FSR from vidette to chasm suffers from simply massive numbers of semi trucks that are decimating game populations in that area.
Wolves are but one problem facing game populations, along with the cull I'd like to see measures put in place to fine truckers and their corporate employers on haul roads thru heavy game corridors.
I had face to face and emptied 2 mags on a large pack of wolves in the pemberton valley of all places. Never seen sign of them in a couple decaades hunting my spot there.
Up home in 100 mile, the windy mountain/bridge lake (north) area is infested with wolves.
In my area, predation and vehicle hits are taking out huge numbers of deer.
The clinton/loon FSR from vidette to chasm suffers from simply massive numbers of semi trucks that are decimating game populations in that area.
Wolves are but one problem facing game populations, along with the cull I'd like to see measures put in place to fine truckers and their corporate employers on haul roads thru heavy game corridors.
heres my take. I'm a bc resident and like to think I'm informed on a lot of things that go on in our province. I hunt a lot and know a lot of guys who spend huge amounts of time in the field in bc. for one, bc has a ton of logging roads connecting the Okanagan to the kootenay, to the caribou etc.. wolves are highly efficient hunters, and the road networks allows them to travel with ease to different regions. so in the past when logging wasn't as abundant the wolves didn't travel distances like they do today. in the past the area within about 100 km in any direction from my house had minimal wolf sign. now they have moved in and are taking advantage of the small amount of ungulates we have left. I'm not sure why but the mule deer numbers have taken a major dive in the last few years. it could have something to do with us building houses all over their winter range, or it could simply just be a natural cycle I'm not sure. one of the areas a good friend of mine hunts is almost devoid of elk. the valley used to be crawling with elk as it was prime habitat. now the said valley has minimal elk numbers, but plenty of wolf sign. they witnessed the area go almost completely void of game in a few short years. and the wolves simply showed up, wreaked havoc and moved on. this is a natural occurrence but it is no misconception that bc has an over abundance of wolves. I am glad the government is taking action as the wolf numbers are out of control. and those who think we need to let nature take its course are so out of whack they need to give there head a shake. we have screwed things up so bad, things wont balance out on there own.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
So, do I understand correctly: we mess things up, or it could just be be nature following it's course and either way, the solution is to kill off the wolves?
the numbers are way too high, we could leave and let be. but the best choice is to send out the gunners. and no we are not "killing off the wolves". we are controlling a population that is above healthy levels.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
If the numbers are too high, it's only in relation to a prey population that is in decline due to factors other than that represented by their natural predator. Where is the proof that predation is the cause of the decline? The fact that adults currently constitute a larger than normal percentage of wolf kills is not proof that predation was the cause of the decline. In fact, it's more likely to be evidence that the populations age distribution structure is seriously skewed due to the pre-existing decline.
Now, having said that, if people want to hunt wolves legally, that's one thing, but "knocking them back" or "culling" are just euphemisms for slaughter, government run slaughter in the case of the latter term. I'm not a fan of predator culls because they don't solve the problem; they are band aids to a sucking chest wound. However, for us as a species, it is easier to shift the blame and have another species pay the price, rather than look for the real solution and how we contributed to or created the problem in the first place.
sure go with that. I would rather see a cull as it does give results.
Last edited:
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Okay then. Since you state that predator culls yield results, can you provide documented examples of predator culls that restored ungulate populations and ecosystem health?
iirc wolves eat approximately 18 deer a year. do the math. if the cull takes out 100 wolves in the caribou recovery area is it going to help or hinder the caribou population? I'm done talking.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Wolves eat ungulates, among other things. It's what they do. Habitat change/loss/destruction has a far more devastating impact than the number of animals eaten annually by wolves.
not directed to me but here s an answer
the page 14 is giving an answer and asking more questions and actions, enjoy the reading
yfwcm.ca/YukonWolfPlanReview/going/documents/WolfmgmtprogramreviewNov62010.pdf
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Thanks for the info. I am going to read it thoroughly over the weekend. From a quick scan of pg 14, it seems that culls are not a sure thing. But, more after I have read it in it's entirety.
burnt_servo
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- right in the middle of b.c.
last fall I ran into a deactivated in area 7-08 ( behind dunkleys ) . the road was a couple km long and was solid wolf crap . there was literally not a single set to be taken without stepping in a pile .
I have never seen that high of a concentration of wolf sign in my entire life . later I we drove over and I showed my dad and he just shoot his head and said "no wonder there isn't a moose to be found around here " .
10 years ago it was a bad problem ..... now it is going to take easily 10 or more years to get the moose populations back to where they where 10 years ago ..... assuming the problem is fixed tomorrow and all hunting is stopped for moose ( ie guides , natives and the rest of us ) .
I have never seen that high of a concentration of wolf sign in my entire life . later I we drove over and I showed my dad and he just shoot his head and said "no wonder there isn't a moose to be found around here " .
10 years ago it was a bad problem ..... now it is going to take easily 10 or more years to get the moose populations back to where they where 10 years ago ..... assuming the problem is fixed tomorrow and all hunting is stopped for moose ( ie guides , natives and the rest of us ) .
