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This is an interesting thread that I am enjoying. Us city kids don't have these experiences.

Keep it up!
 
The heaviest recorded gray wolf in North America was killed on 70 Mile River in east-central Alaska on July 12, 1939 and weighed 79.4 kilograms (175 lb),[50] while the heaviest recorded wolf in Eurasia was killed after World War II in the Kobelyakski Area of the Poltavskij Region, Ukrainian SSR, and weighed 86 kilograms (190 lb).[51
 
I agree with Capt awesome 100%. Some of you have never seen your livelihood wiped out or your game animals gone. Life is tough enough in the woods without outsiders telling people they are not allowed to
Protect themselves and what they value. Go run your own life.
That's the problem. Everyone thinks their nose should be in others business.
Are you(the government) going to be everyone's master.
 
Attacks by wolves on humans are very rare.

For what it's worth, Phil Shoemaker, who is a bear guide and lives in bear country in Alaska recommends a .357 with a heavy (180 grain) bullet loaded hot as defense against grizzley. His rationnale is that you need a hit in the central nervous system (maily the brain) to stop a girzzley, and a .357 might allow you a second shot.

But in the end he says it's the confidence the gun gives you that's important -- animals can sense your attitude and a confident, armed man is something they tend to leave alone.
 
mljdeckard, "If it is limping, I might call the local authorities, they might be interested in trapping it."

I have a good buddy, his son is a wildlife biologist for Ariz. Game and Fish, his studies are in the Red Wolf exclusively. This past 3 months, he has tracked, and tried to dart and tranquilize, a male Red who'd been shot in the RT hindquarter, leaving him hardly able to run down anything to eat. Traps were set, 6 of them, to no avail. Finally a week ago, he was successful in darting him, was put down at that time. Most of these wolves weigh around 80 lbs., males, females weigh around 55 to 60 lbs. So, just setting out a trap to capture a wild wolf isn't as easy as, say trapping a muskrat, they're not by any means stupid! The deceased wolf weighed in at 40 lbs., quite a ways from a healthy male Red Wolf.
 
The future of the Grey Wolf in the lower 48 is by no means clear. Management of our game animals as well as predators is an exceptionally difficult task. Choices are made based not only on science but economics and public opinion as well in an ever-changing environment. Thanks to the information age we can dig up "facts" to support our stance regardless of what that stance is, Big Bad Wolf or keystone species of a healthy ecosystem. The Fact is wolves are in several western states. So what do we do?

What justifies extirpation of the wolf?
That we are scared of them... I've been stalked by a mountain lion while elk hunting. Scared the heck out of me, however, ended well for both. Experiences like this are not uncommon, however, far from justifies the elimination of a species.
That they impact the bottom line of a sector of the livestock industry... (Some would call that "the price of doing business", besides, as stated before there are programs to offset these economic losses.)
That they reduce game animal populations... Have the ability to take out the biggest and best... In Utah vehicle-wildlife collisions account for more mule deer loss than anuall hunter harvest. The largest threats to Utah's mule deer populations 1) continued critical habitat loss due to urbanization and 2) habitat fragmentation due to urbanization and resource development .
Vilifying the wolf is far easier than grappeling with the real issues. Unfortunately, once the wolf populations are decimated we will not see rebounding game populations, just fewer wolves.
States in cooperation with the feds need to determine acceptable population levels and issue harvest tags for the surplus wolf population. I am not a big fan of wildlife reintroduction programs, the wolf is no exception. However, they are back and we must adapt.
I second the .357, 180 grain for defense against wolf, dog, black bear and of course ill intentioned 2 legged predators
 
Sorry Capt. Awesome, just because you are afraid of them doesnt make them dangerous to humans. Please back it up with some sources, because there are few legitimate records of it happening in the US that I'm aware of.

And too bad if it inconveniences hunters....be a better hunter. You are a human, you have the brains, no? And if it comes down to numbers, then our native wildlife has a right to the stock as well. That wildlife belongs to all of us, not just the hunters. Wolves are a living legacy that keep nature in balance. Hunters are an unnatural part of it. I am not against hunting but it's not a 'right.' It must be done in a way that preserves and sustains the wildlife and ecosystems that belong to all Americans.

As for livestock and pets, well I have the same. And I addressed it in my post. Wolves were nearly exterminated to protect people's livestock..that doesnt make it right. Just because that allowed you to get used to running stock without predators doesnt mean that the rest of American doesnt value the return of large predators and healthy ecosystems.

If your stock is on public lands, you shouldnt have the right to kill everything else out there....(and at this time, you legally can in many cases)....grazing on public lands is dirt cheap compared with alot of other land use and should be considered a privilege, not a right. That land belongs to all of us.

If people police (shoot predators) the areas around their homes, then cougars and wolves and coyotes learn to stay clear and you cull the animals that arent afraid of humans...and those genes get removed from the line... or the sick and weak that look for easier prey.

9MMare, ex-park ranger
 
outboard said:
. I am not a big fan of wildlife reintroduction programs, the wolf is no exception. However, they are back and we must adapt.
Click to expand...

Neither am I. Under the laws at the time that the govt decided to start reintroducing wolves to the lower 48, the laws stated that if a species listed on the endangered list repopulated an area on it's own, it was still completely protected from hunting or harrassment.

OTOH, the govt was responsible for any animals that it reintroduced and that meant compensating ranchers, etc for losses and moving/removing animals that caused problems.

Reintroduction was a huge mistake IMO. There were/are wolves in British Columbia that would have...and did...return on their own and they would have been completely protected (legally anyway) and the ranchers would have had to deal with it by changing their practices, by adapting (Yes, I realise there are many illegal options at their disposal).

The govt doesnt owe ranchers predator-free enviroments. And I love ranching and working cattle. I just would rather see a better balance and a more realistic view of the economics behind ranching....there are enough agricultural subsidies out there as it is. Cheap grazing leases on public lands and replacing livestock losses is just another form of govt handout.
 
Btw, Minnesota wolfs are native, not reintroduced, we've always had them. They are just no longer endangered here. We also do not have public grazing here. Some of you clearly don't know much about other places.
 
True. I was referring more the western wolves. MN's wolves are mostly in the Nat Park and islands in the lake.

And in a state with loads of mild-mannered dairy cattle, MN doesnt seem to have much problem with the wolves....hmmmm. I wonder why ranchers out west do?
 
...hmmmm. I wonder why ranchers out west do?
Click to expand...

Because out here we run cattle across vast areas and even ranchers who can still afford to have riders can't watch them all the time.
And the range isn't a free givaway. Grazing fees go up all the time and the number of days cattle can be on the range gets less.
Plus the Feds require expensive drift fences to be maintained and then taken down every fall.
A family ranch has a tough time getting much off the FS or BLM lands anymore.
 
9mm you must be making that up because it is wrong like just about everything else you said. Wolves don't just live in parks, certainly not on islands to any large degree. Wolves move around and hunt large areas. They are more apt to destroy flocks of turkeys and sheep although they do take down cattle. More feeder cattle than dairy. But again you wouldn't know. You must work for the government. Stick your nose in when you don't know what is going on.
I am wondering what island and what lake you are referring to?
Minnesota has over 10000 lakes. Many of them have islands.
 
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so what was the mn loss to wolves. asks the guys whose inlaws farm and raise cattle in minn and who can't recall ever having a loss to wolves
 
To the OP...

I wouldn't change a damn thing. This is the first time you've seen one, but I'd place a large bet that they've been there before and you never knew it. Just be smart about the obvious (trash, game entrails, pets) and you've got nothing to fear, regardless of what some of these creeps are preaching.

If anything, be joyous in the fact that your SO was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one of the most elusive creatures in North America.
 
d2wing said:
9mm you must be making that up because it is wrong like just about everything else you said. Wolves don't just live in parks, certainly not on islands to any large degree. Wolves move around and hunt large areas. They are more apt to destroy flocks of turkeys and sheep although they do take down cattle. More feeder cattle than dairy. But again you wouldn't know. You must work for the government. Stick your nose in when you don't know what is going on.
I am wondering what island and what lake you are referring to?
Minnesota has over 10000 lakes. Many of them have islands.
Click to expand...

I didnt say 'only' in parks. And I was thinking of Isle (island) Royale Nat Park in Michigan, sorry.


Sorry, I'll have to see if I can get the money back for my Bachelor of Science in resource management....you seem to have all the answers...altho you didnt really point out anything I wrote that was wrong....the biggest island I was thinking of is in Michigan, but....on the money otherwise.
 
There's been several news reports lately. They also caused big losses to turkey farmers in the central area of the state. They are unlikely to damage dairy cattle, hogs or chickens because most of those are big confinment farms now.
I glad you realized that Minnesota is not Michigan. The idea you have that wolves should have more rights than people bother me. You must be a little lower on the food chain.
I believe the topic is what should the op do about a lame wolf. Maybe he should call the local sheriff and see if they can capture it or put it down. Or let it ravage livestock like a three legged wolf did here in Minnesota. It's on display at the historical society in Becker Co.
 
I hope I am not the first to tell you that other people have been to college too. When you are older you will realize that it means you got a liberal brainwashing and with effort you could work at Mcdonalds unless you are vegetarian. Or then there is government work.
 
9mmmare, why is it that you are choosing to ignore the source that I sighted college boy? Any way and at cassandrasdaddy, do you not think any Indians in the history of the world ever had a story or tail translated to English and written down? I have a couple compilations sitting on my bookshelf as I type. not to mention the various ones included in my own family history books, I am a very small part Indian.

As for the hunting aspect it has nothing to do with me being a good, bad or better hunter. I am already a very successful hunter and do not need to improve my skills, though I constantly strive to.

Any one who thinks wolves are not dangerous to humans should prove it. why don't you go and try to make friends with a wolf pack alone and unarmed? I mean really try. Come back and tell us all about it.

wake up. wolves are dangerous predators, not only because they are smart, but also because they team up. Just because you don't hear of them slaughtering humans with bloodthirsty rabid rage on a daily basis does not mean they are cute cuddly friendly critters. Yes, If I was walking alone in the woods unarmed with a pack of wolves nearby I would be somewhat frightened. Any sane or smart person would and should be. Healthy fears and respect of dangerous things are what keeps people in general alive.

Is it any wonder that an ex park ranger is taking the side of the wolves. It was after all their, among others, pet project. And these are the same people (them and their cousins in the forest service) that close off access to old logging roads and such and treat their jurisdiction as though they are the only ones who have any right to it. They claim it is to preserve it for every one to enjoy but if no one can get in then no one can enjoy it, and if you have the nerve to go in by motor vehicle and enjoy it anyway they will graciously write you a ticket. That's the mentality that these people have, they know better than everyone else. A college degree gains you no respect from me as you can tell, for a variety of reasons which I won't go into here, but the self righteous attitude of "I know more than you" that so often our educated brethren exude is one of them.

The people that have chosen to argue against my reasoning have to resort to a lot of cheap shots. This is Typical behavior of another group I know of that are against the second amendment.

I am 100% pro freedom, and keeping wolf populations down to a very small number is one of the freedoms I sincerely wish Americans to have.

I Suppose I have never answered the OP's question, I would stay in groups outdoors and always carry a side arm of 357 magnum or better. This is good advice for most people, urban or rural.
 
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pretty sure there's only been two or so wolf attack's in north america, wounded or not in all recorded history... I would not worry too much.
 
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