Wolves in Colorado

[Slugz]

All why we should stay active with the RMEF and other conservation groups. Key thing to remember is they are a predator and should be managed as such. State laws to govern the hunting and control of them not federal. This whole thing got messed up when they went on the endangered species list then control never given back to the states when the quota or breeding pairs were met. I'm all over Colorado and haven't seen one yet, not saying they ain't there cause i'm sure they are. It concerns me. Dont wanna see the elk herds messed up not to mention our great moose population that is thriving.

 

[SunnyInCO]

The end game is to eliminate hunting all together. Produce a "natural balance" with predators. Always seem to forget humans are a natural predator.

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I'm not so sure a ballot initiative would pass in CO or a majority in the front range would support elimination of hunting. With one caveat that the anti hunting bill is adequately funded. I maybe naive but if the true story was told of how much money and jobs would be lost along with the potential dangers of hikers, campers, etc if wolves were able to flourish, I (hope) believe that a measure like that would fail in CO. Obviously the front range is more left than the rest of the state but there are still pockets of right leaning areas and many on the F.R. moved here to be in the mountains.

This maybe wishful thinking but one can hope.

 

[crzy_cntryby]

I'm not so sure a ballot initiative would pass in CO or a majority in the front range would support elimination of hunting. With one caveat that the anti hunting bill is adequately funded. I maybe naive but if the true story was told of how much money and jobs would be lost along with the potential dangers of hikers, campers, etc if wolves were able to flourish, I (hope) believe that a measure like that would fail in CO. Obviously the front range is more left than the rest of the state but there are still pockets of right leaning areas and many on the F.R. moved here to be in the mountains.

This maybe wishful thinking but one can hope.

It's simple. Once the wolves take down elk deer moose and sheep populations. No tags. Therefore no hunting. Wolves and soon grizzlies will be gov. only hunted.

 

[amoor983]

This situation is never as simple as it seems. Colorado is much more populated than Wyoming or Montana, and although there is much public land, there is no Yellowstone. There will be much less acceptance of wolves, especially in the rural areas where people will have to live with them. Reintroduction will not be likely. That does not mean, however, that wolves won’t immigrate from other states. With the current situation, they are mostly untouchable due to the Endangered Species Act. It would be wise for Div. of Wildlife to make a plan, if/when wolves arrive, to get them off the ESA listing and get state control. Then hunting seasons and quota/non quota areas can be established, and the wolves can be managed as a big game species. Using hunting as a management tool can pretty much dictate the area wolves will occupy (nearly unrestricted hunting in some areas/conservative harvest in other areas). Yes, some ungulate populations will take a hit, but it will be in small areas in the home range of a few wolfpacks. This is how it SHOULD work. But it would all ultimately fall in the hands of DOW.
I won’t even get into the ecology of it, other than there are places where ungulate populations are much too dense, and it completely changes and degrades the plant community and habitat (think aspen in RMNP). Because wolves have been gone from so much of the landscape for so long, there is much we don’t know about their ecological impacts. “to keep every cog and wheel is the first rule of intelligent tinkering”- Aldo Leopold
One thing is for sure, wolves are a polarizing species. It seems like people either worship them, or despise them. And yes, there are those that want to eliminate hunting all together, but I really don’t think the presence or absence of wolves plays into that. If anything, it should be another species hunting opportunity.
I lived, worked on a national forest, and hunted in northern Minnesota for 4 years, and in that time saw exactly 4 wolves. This is a state with ~2500 wolves, several times more than any western state. They were protected with no hunting season, and still were very shy and sparsely populated.

 

[amoor983]

I'm not so sure a ballot initiative would pass in CO or a majority in the front range would support elimination of hunting. With one caveat that the anti hunting bill is adequately funded. I maybe naive but if the true story was told of how much money and jobs would be lost along with the potential dangers of hikers, campers, etc if wolves were able to flourish, I (hope) believe that a measure like that would fail in CO. Obviously the front range is more left than the rest of the state but there are still pockets of right leaning areas and many on the F.R. moved here to be in the mountains.

This maybe wishful thinking but one can hope.

*I would challenge you to find more than a handful of cases of wolves attacking people in the last 100 years (in North America). I have heard of 1 in Minnesota a couple years ago, a man got bit on the head inside his tent. He survived with a few stitches. Compared to bears and mountain lions (and snakes), wolf attacks are almost non existent.
*are you talking a ballot initiative eliminating all hunting in the state? Is there talk of this? I don't think any state is close to that. Our hunting privileges are slowly eroded, a bit at a time, by things like limitation on methods, species, areas, season lengths, etc. That is why I support all legal hunting, whether I choose to partake or not.

 

[AKaviator]

I enjoy hearing and seeing wolves, they are an interesting animal. But Colorado had better prepare for their immigration. Wolves can increase their numbers and the territory that they inhabit rapidly. When they spread to new areas, they don't need to adapt, but the animals that already live there do. Wolves do one thing very well...they kill things, that's what they do. Prey species that have not had to deal with pack animals for generations will not adapt as quickly and I believe their numbers will drop, in some cases a lot.
Does that help because of the impact on the plant life? Maybe. I would suggest that it's really a reallocation of our resources from humans to wolves.
If ungulate species are over-browsing an area, wildlife officials can increase tags/seasons to accommodate the issue and put more food on tables. Or they can add some predators to the area and let them do the management for us. The trouble with allowing management by predators is collateral issues of possibly endangering humans/livestock/pets etc. and not being able to rein them in once your goals have been met.
I agree that we don't have a bunch of wolf attacks on humans in the last 100 years but I do know of a few at least in the last 5 years or so, 2 of which were fatal. They have also killed plenty of livestock and pets lately.
I've seen the federal government abuse the ESA on many species and don't trust their application of it. If wolves in Colorado enjoy that protection...in my opinion, you'll see way more negative than positive come from adding wolves to the environment there.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

*are you talking a ballot initiative eliminating all hunting in the state? Is there talk of this? I don't think any state is close to that. Our hunting privileges are slowly eroded, a bit at a time, by things like limitation on methods, species, areas, season lengths, etc. That is why I support all legal hunting, whether I choose to partake or not.

A couple of months age the Durango Herald newspaper had an interview with a man who was giving a talk at Ft. Lewis College. He was very much involved with Fund for Animals and several other anti hunting groups. he stated that a ballot initiative mandating Parks and Wildlife to stock wolves in Colorado was a distinct possibility. He said that it would pass because of the population center was in the eastern slope. The rural areas don't have enough people to keep it from passing. People like this can easily get the $$$ they need to circulate it. I hope it doesn't come to this as it will surely divide the state more than it is already.

I'll try and find the issue and see if I can paste it here.

The story was in the September 2, 2015 paper. Search Durango Herald -wolves and you can find it.

 

[crzy_cntryby]

If we would be able to actually manage their populations I wouldn't be completely against reintroduction. As we have seen in other states, that won't be allowed. So I am against them. I'm honestly expecting to see a couple of collared wolves running through my property sometime soon. That will spell the end in CO.

 

[shootbrownelk]

According to todays news, the Wolf initiative that involved Minnesota,Wisconsin, Michigan and Wyoming was not included in the Congressional Budget Bill. Which means the Wolves will remain on the Endangered Species list. Our Republican congressmen couldn't even get that added. What a sorry bunch we have in Washington....and the new House Speaker Ryan is supposedly a hunter...caving in to the Democrats yet again.

 

[tim]

I live in north Idaho, This portion of the state harvests more wolves than any other portion of the state. And Idaho harvest more wolves than any other state. We still get our elk every year. Competition makes you a better hunter. However the vacation hunter will have a hard time killing elk. The serious hunter, nothing will change.

 

[amoor983]

All why we should stay active with the RMEF and other conservation groups. Key thing to remember is they are a predator and should be managed as such. State laws to govern the hunting and control of them not federal. This whole thing got messed up when they went on the endangered species list then control never given back to the states when the quota or breeding pairs were met. I'm all over Colorado and haven't seen one yet, not saying they ain't there cause i'm sure they are. It concerns me. Dont wanna see the elk herds messed up not to mention our great moose population that is thriving.

This is a good point. Back in the day, the only employees in the state and federal game management agencies were grizzled, good ole boys that were stone-hearted wildlife killers (this is a euphemism, I am sure many were warm-hearted) that really valued hunting and that coinciding outdoors heritage. Things have changed. Many employees now are neutral or non hunters, or new to hunting (initiated when they went to work at said agency), or even anti hunters (how they get a job at a game management agency is beyond me). The latter seems most likely to occur along the coasts. So, conservation organizations like Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, and RMEF that are made up mostly of sportsmen, are vital in keeping States and Feds in check, and supporting our hunting freedoms and privileges. Because guess what, no one else cares. This world is full of problems, and wildlife, conservation, and hunting is long down on the list for most people.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

One of the problems today IMHO is that the youngsters out of college get degrees in different areas than the traditional Wildlife Mgmt, Fisheries Mgmt, Biology, Forestry, etc). Too many are studying about environmental studies, etc. They are too worried about ecosystem relationships and the like instead how to manage out fish & game.

 

[SunnyInCO]

Not sure if this has been posted but just came upon it.

http://rmefblog.blogspot.com/

Colorado RMEF members,

First of all, we want to say ‘thank you’ for your public comments that led to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voting 7-4 last week to oppose the release of both Mexican and gray wolves in your state.

Having said that, it is extremely vital that we all remain actively engaged and vigilant. I can promise you that the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will do exactly that! The commission vote was merely symbolic and is not binding in any fashion. In fact, it is likely that pro-wolf groups will push for ballot initiatives and/or file lawsuits in order to force their will on the landscape.

As we have witnessed first-hand, there are many lessons to be learned from the reintroduction of wolves in the Northern Rockies. The impacts on elk, other wildlife and cattle remain significant in many places. You only need to visit the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to witness that. The bottom line is we cannot afford to let history repeat itself.

Thank you for your support.

M. David Allen
RMEF President & CEO

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

A ballot initiative is entirely possible, as several newspapers and wolf supporters have stated. God help us!