Wolves

[Colorado Cowboy]

There was a wolf killed on I -70 near Idaho springs that they traced back to the Yellowstone herd. There have been some recent and reliable sightings near Kremmling in the last few years. I think it's only a matter of time before we have a sizable population of them here.

There was also one found dead from "unknown causes" near Steamboat. It was also a Yellowstone collared wolf. When radio signal from collar was stationary too long, they went looking for it. I agree with you...its only a matter of time! One thing for sure, anything that looks like a wolf that I see, will get itself shot!

 

[Againstthewind]

MM get point about trapping. I think that might be one of the more successful approaches available. I doubt poisoning will ever be a legal option again. Last year I thought in Idaho you could trap five wolves a year. That seems like a lot.

Packmule, I didn't realize that coyotes and wolves could interbreed. I learn a lot on here. i guess dogs can, so it I should have known. I've seen video of Yellowstone wolves killing coyotes. As the wolf numbers decrease I think the coyotes could move back in and like the others said, they have more litters and are not pack animals that only have one breeding pair per pack so their numbers could bounce back better.

Colorado Cowboy, I think that is pretty much the attitude everywhere in Wyoming that wolves are in the predator zone. I just hope some of those sheepdogs in the Big Horns and other places don't get caught up in it. Hopefully people can tell the difference, but I have seen people mistake elk for "the biggest mule deer I've seen in my life".

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Colorado Cowboy, I think that is pretty much the attitude everywhere in Wyoming that wolves are in the predator zone. I just hope some of those sheepdogs in the Big Horns and other places don't get caught up in it. Hopefully people can tell the difference, but I have seen people mistake elk for "the biggest mule deer I've seen in my life".

I've seen wolves in the wild and know the difference between dogs & wolves. Don't think I would mistake one for the other. The ones I saw were in Wyo in the Teton Wilderness area in Thorofare. They were way bigger than dogs or coyotes.

 

[ScottR]

Once you see a wolf live it is hard to not to miss. They are ridiculous big, think German Shepherd on roids with the temper to match.


Eastmans' Staff Digital Media Coordinator

 

[Againstthewind]

I wasn't really talking about you CC, sorry about that. Other people I don't have as much faith in, including myself. I mistaken cows for bears before at a long distance. I am not sure how far away they were but across the canyon it sure looked and acted like a bear so I wasted half a day chasing after a cow. We saw some wolves in Yellowstone last year and it was pretty obvious what they were, but I thought the difference between elk and deer was pretty obvious, too. That mistake has been made more than once that I know of so I don't put it past some people to some dumb stuff.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I knew you wasn't and I was not taking anything personal. Once you've seen one you realize it would be hard to mistake it for anything else, especially at shooting distance, which for me would be fairly close.

 

[25contender]

In NC they have reintroduced Red wolves and they are inter breeding with the coyotes . One small group of enviroterrorist and a liberal judge has shut down coyote hunting in the eastern part of the state. They have spent millions on the reintroduction and it looks like there will be no end to it. Right now coyote hunting is at a standstill in those counties indefinitly.

 

[nv-hunter]

Bad news for Or and northern Ca
http://dfw.state.or.us/news/2014/june/060414.asp

 

[Musket Man]

Someone in Montana shot a Husky or some wolf looking dog they thought was a wolf.

 

[packmule]

Packmule, I didn't realize that coyotes and wolves could interbreed. I learn a lot on here. i guess dogs can, so it I should have known. I've seen video of Yellowstone wolves killing coyotes. As the wolf numbers decrease I think the coyotes could move back in and like the others said, they have more litters and are not pack animals that only have one breeding pair per pack so their numbers could bounce back better..

And bc of the coyote breeding habits, they're the wild canine engineered to survive and adapt to steadily changing situations. Can't save every species bc that's not how they were designed or dinosaurs and mammoths would still be walking the earth.

 

[shootbrownelk]

If the NPS wasn't so stupid and run by nonhunters, they would realize how much $$$$they actually could make auctioning off 50 to 100 elk tags to cull them there. They hide behind "we can't hunt in a NP". Hell if the President can make executive orders for the stuff he has done, he sure could allow hunting for population control there. Just wishful thinking....never happen!

They can't even hide behind that CC. We can hunt Elk in GrandTeton National Park. why not RMNP? There has never been a case of hunters shooting one another there when using legally licensed hunters...and not SHARPSHOOTERS! They could, as you say...MAKE money selling Elk tags. I guess that thought is out of line with the current administration.

 

[packmule]

The prob with RMNP is its location. All of the candlelight vigils in honor of the "murdered" animals would create serious forest fire concerns. You'll also have all the crazies from Democrat row (i25) coming out to act as martyrs.

 

[micropterus79]

Amen PM. 100 million years ago the fish and wildlife service would have been spending $$$$ to save the dinosaurs.

 

[packmule]

Operation Prehistoric Protection....Down with OPP? And there would have been the first wildlife NFPO and its slogan.

 

[Alabama]

Operation Prehistoric Protection....Down with OPP? And there would have been the first wildlife NFPO and its slogan.

Down with OPP? Yeah you know me! Hahahahahahaha!

 

[micropterus79]

Operation Prehistoric Protection....Down with OPP? And there would have been the first wildlife NFPO and its slogan.

lmao...nice on PM except you shouldn't be giving those kinda folks such good ideas...

 

[CrimsonArrow]

Coyotes are abundant, but wolves got "shot" to extinction. Somehow think that's not quite right considering coyotes seem to be the dumber of the 2. Or could it be they are a smaller animal requiring less maintenance and when the elk & bison herds tanked, so too did the wolves.

The general consensus among serious trappers I've talked to around here tell me that wolves are far easier to trap than coyotes. They say wolves lack a lot of the natural fear that causes coyotes to be so trap-shy.