Wolf kills

[horshur]

These are wolf kills near my home for month of December give or take a day or two each pic represents one kill please keep in mind these are only what I have found and within twenty minutes or so drive this represents a very small area....

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y264/akdana/IMG_0156_zps25680f74.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/akdana/media/IMG_0156_zps25680f74.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y264/akdana/IMG_0179_zps945b8ea4.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/akdana/media/IMG_0179_zps945b8ea4.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y264/akdana/IMG_0214_zps53eedcb0.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/akdana/media/IMG_0214_zps53eedcb0.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y264/akdana/IMG_0222_zps8edbbac8.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/akdana/media/IMG_0222_zps8edbbac8.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y264/akdana/IMG_0313_zps6111b55e.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/akdana/media/IMG_0313_zps6111b55e.jpg.html)

[HarryToolips]

Yummy......

[horshur]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y264/akdana/IMG_0315_zps7866efd5.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/akdana/media/IMG_0315_zps7866efd5.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y264/akdana/IMG_0316_zpse6205601.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/akdana/media/IMG_0316_zpse6205601.jpg.html)

......the pack comes through every 6-8 days I can be confident that when the pack comes through they will kill at least once...

[Bc Deer Hunter]

Damn things, i would like to target a couple around close to home in the okanagon, if you would like a hand with dispatching them i would be more than happy to come out.. Feel free to PM me!

[horshur]

that is 8 that I found in 4 weeks whenever they were present they have a kill the truth of it is that they are killing a deer or two a day......and it is better then it was a while ago because they leave for a few days.....three of them were bucks... last obviously a doe she maybe carries twins the others not enough evidence for me to say. The other consideration is that these deer are tested(stressed) all winter by the wolves.....

that is my boots on the ground report for the month of December.......come November 4 point season when you all are whining about where the deer are.... now you know....

on a positive note hunter opportunity is through the roof on large predators.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

that is 8 that I found in 4 weeks whenever they were present they have a kill the truth of it is that they are killing a deer or two a day......and it is better then it was a while ago because they leave for a few days.....three of them were bucks... last obviously a doe she maybe carries twins the others not enough evidence for me to say. The other consideration is that these deer are tested(stressed) all winter by the wolves.....

that is my boots on the ground report for the month of December.......come November 4 point season when you all are whining about where the deer are.... now you know....

on a positive note hunter opportunity is through the roof on large predators.


Andy-Have you noticed any changes in the black bear population in the area the last few years??

SSS

[horshur]

Andy-Have you noticed any changes in the black bear population in the area the last few years??

SSS

yes ....I did find one den been dug up by wolves also... forgot the camera that day which was too bad cause it was neat find...we do not have near as many young bears..

[LBM]

that is 8 that I found in 4 weeks whenever they were present they have a kill the truth of it is that they are killing a deer or two a day......and it is better then it was a while ago because they leave for a few days.....three of them were bucks... last obviously a doe she maybe carries twins the others not enough evidence for me to say. The other consideration is that these deer are tested(stressed) all winter by the wolves.....

that is my boots on the ground report for the month of December.......come November 4 point season when you all are whining about where the deer are.... now you know....

on a positive note hunter opportunity is through the roof on large predators.

So if they come through every 6-8 days how do you know they are killing a deer or 2 a day.
How many of these wolves have you shot.
If they are killing bears does this not help calf survival since many say bears are the hardest on moose and elk calf when born.

[BlacktailStalker]

It's safe to assume the trapline holder isn't active in your area ? Any chance of you obtaining permission, you obviously know these wolves travels well, if not better than anyone.
No private land there that they are passing through ? I know there is lots of farms around that stretch.

I wonder if this proof went mainstream if it would help with the predator problem in BC, if there was more of this. It shouldn't take much for these kills assuming you haven't even found half, to indicate what impact the wolves are having on the population in that area. I know nothing but if the mulie populations are as low as they are there, one winter like you're having with the deer forced to one area for 4-5 months.... the final outcome is obvious.

The deer and moose need help.

[butcher]

yes ....I did find one den been dug up by wolves also... forgot the camera that day which was too bad cause it was neat find...we do not have near as many young bears..

Not sure I agree with that.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

yes ....I did find one den been dug up by wolves also... forgot the camera that day which was too bad cause it was neat find...we do not have near as many young bears..


Not sure I agree with that.

The reason I asked is that heard a "story" of a GO in the E Koots that used to take 20 "good" blackies every spring but since the wolves have moved into his area he has given up the those hunts. He can't seem to find any good sized bears alhtough he does see smaller bears. His "theory" is that the smaller bears will tree when chased by wolves while the larger bears more often stay on the ground and fight.

I have heard about wolves digging up sleeping bears.

Just looking for other opinions.

SSS

[Clint_S]

Are you sure those are wolf kills Andy?
Cause I read on the intraweb that wolves prefer to eat the stomach contents first since they really prefer a lot of greens in their diet and that is what's best for your dogs as well and I noticed all the stomach contents there in the first picture.
Likely just starved do death. :wink:

[butcher]

I don't doubt any of that. I just have my own experience to base my opinions on. I spend lots of time chasing bears in the spring and last year saw( in my opinion) way more sow/ cub groups and Honda 90 size bears than usual. So in fact this would seem to prove at least part of your theory.

[horshur]

Are you sure those are wolf kills Andy?
Cause I read on the intraweb that wolves prefer to eat the stomach contents first since they really prefer a lot of greens in their diet and that is what's best for your dogs as well and I noticed all the stomach contents there in the first picture.
Likely just starved do death. :wink:

that was a wolf kill deer hunters spooked them off I think it had a lot of birds on it which is how I found it..

[horshur]

Not sure I agree with that.

what that they eat the odd bear....I have only seen that once...we had some good boars here this spring never seen a sow with cub but you could maybe blame a big boar or two for that.

[horshur]

I am making no value judgement on this just stating what I found this December here......there were several threads regarding where the deer had got too...there are several more pushing for more restrictions...more about where the moose got.......I am just stating you know wolves are still living large eh????

[butcher]

Funny, I bet I saw 20 different sows with twins. Maybe the areas we were hunting were far enough apart that we were hunting different population dynamics. I did get south of town a fair bit but never saw much for wolf sign myself.

[dana]

Butcher,
Has your overall bear count been significantly lower the last 2 springs??? Mine has. Spring 2012 I saw lots of wolf scat with bear hair in it. I'm talking Winter scat. I assume as the hunting for moose and deer got tougher, they started targeting bear dens. Spring 2011 I was darn close to 250 bears seen while hunting whereas Spring 2012 I was lucky to have seen 100 bears while hunting. While that still was a good bear season, it was a surprise compared to 2011.

[604redneck]

I am making no value judgement on this just stating what I found this December here......there were several threads regarding where the deer had got too...there are several more pushing for more restrictions...more about where the moose got.......I am just stating you know wolves are still living large eh????
Dont blame the wolves for the deer decline everyone knows its the trophy hunters and GO's :mrgreen:

[dana]

While wannabe trophy hunters complain that they can't seem to find any monsters and blame meat hunters for shooting spikes, the wolves continue to kill anything and everything they can. Funny that wolves don't seem to worry about APRs.

[butcher]

Butcher,
Has your overall bear count been significantly lower the last 2 springs??? Mine has. Spring 2012 I saw lots of wolf scat with bear hair in it. I'm talking Winter scat. I assume as the hunting for moose and deer got tougher, they started targeting bear dens. Spring 2011 I was darn close to 250 bears seen while hunting whereas Spring 2012 I was lucky to have seen 100 bears while hunting. While that still was a good bear season, it was a surprise compared to 2011.

Some places I used to see lots of bears that are pretty thin lately for sure. Others (like the tfl) seem to be doing great. I have encountered more trophy sized blacks over the last two years but maybe I have been lucky. I haven't shot a wolf while bear hunting since 2011 and both those were north of blue river.

[dana]

I agree about the bears in the Tree Farm. No shortage there. Raft on the otherhand seems like a deadzone compared to what it was only a few years ago. Some drainages up Blue seem down as well.

[butcher]

Yep. Raft sucks. Had bad numbers up bone and gum as well. Saw a surprising number in gosnell though. Don't get out to Tum Tum much any more and mad/east mad seem real hit and miss. Nehalliston and hwy 24 have produced pretty well.

[Clint_S]

Don't want to hijack this thread but the local meat cutter mentioned to me earlier in the year that the CO had told him bear numbers were way down in the area due to some disease or parasite, possible a liver fluke IIRC.

[dana]

So wolves are finding dead bears and feeding on them in the winter? A diasease doesn't account for the amount of winter wolf scat I saw with bear hair in it in numerous different drainages. I have also talked to hunters struggling with high wolf pops in the States that have been observing lots of wolf scat with bear hair in their areas as well. My dogs love bear meat, why wouldn't a wolf?? The flights have shown that our moose pops are only 10% of what they were 6 years ago in some units. The flights also indicated an unreal amount of wolves. Wolves need to eat. If there are hardly any moose left what else are the wolves going to eat. Deer?? Yep, the numbers of deer are down drastically as well. To survive the wolves, the remaining deer have taken to hiding in some of the thickest $hit you can imagine. Makes for some serious tuff hunting for the dogs. But those dogs have good noses and can sniff out a sleeping bear pretty easily. Not much risk for a pack to rip a bear apart while it sleeps. Good fat meat to keep those dogs alive when things are tight.

[gcreek]

Don't want to hijack this thread but the local meat cutter mentioned to me earlier in the year that the CO had told him bear numbers were way down in the area due to some disease or parasite, possible a liver fluke IIRC.

Any excuse for the Ministry to not admit there is a wolf problem!

[curt]

its been documented over the years enough times a wold will eat about a deer a week on it own so a pack would likely kill at least 1 deer a day!!
So if they come through every 6-8 days how do you know they are killing a deer or 2 a day.
How many of these wolves have you shot.
If they are killing bears does this not help calf survival since many say bears are the hardest on moose and elk calf when born.

[bridger]

Eight wolves killed a cow elk in my neibhors field two nights ago and completely devoured it that night. One elk doesn't go very far.

[one-shot-wonder]

Andy,

Likely the same pack that was killing sheep down the road at the meat cutters? I know of a cat taken out that was killing sheep, and heard the wolves were doing the same. All of this with a few hundred yards of the river. Wolves appear to be very bold these days.....

[boxhitch]

I know of a cat taken out that was killing sheep, and heard the wolves were doing the same. All of this with a few hundred yards of the river. Wolves appear to be very bold these days..... We need to relocate a cat and wolves like these to the Mound Cr Ranch ...........

[one-shot-wonder]

I guess it depends if your a rancher or not.....Domestic pop's affect wild in more ways then just disease transfer.........apparent competition will affect the critters in Andy's neck of the woods as the domestic sheep and cattle prop up the wolf population to undesired populations. Unlike the areas mentioned already to the north, with little ranching activity the wolves are forced to move on when the bio mass on the land falls to such a level as the N.T.
Either way we'll be looking for the best tag soup recipes in the future if the current situation continues...........

[horshur]

Andy,

Likely the same pack that was killing sheep down the road at the meat cutters? I know of a cat taken out that was killing sheep, and heard the wolves were doing the same. All of this with a few hundred yards of the river. Wolves appear to be very bold these days.....

yes it is the same ....not taking the wolves in hand with a strong rein has resulted in the valley hills full of iron and cable...at certain times of year it is not safe to walk or hunt your dog and IMO a public relations nightmare in the making for traps are set where they never were before with folk that never had to deal with this ever... by people who are not very good at it anyway....

[one-shot-wonder]

Sad state of affairs.....lets hope some innocent canine doesn't fall to the iron and cable further fueling the anti's rage and tainting the image of hunters/trappers dealing with a problem the government ignores.

[horshur]

I guess it depends if your a rancher or not.....Domestic pop's affect wild in more ways then just disease transfer.........apparent competition will affect the critters in Andy's neck of the woods as the domestic sheep and cattle prop up the wolf population to undesired populations. Unlike the areas mentioned already to the north, with little ranching activity the wolves are forced to move on when the bio mass on the land falls to such a level as the N.T.
Either way we'll be looking for the best tag soup recipes in the future if the current situation continues...........

I have not heard that predation on domestic is at such levels that it props up the wolf populations .....I don't think that is happening at all...if anything it telling how resilient our deer are..

[one-shot-wonder]

It might not be that extreme in your area, but the way I see it is the more grub for wolves means larger packs and more energy to cover more ground and kill more ungulates, both domestic and wild.

[Drillbit]

Sad state of affairs.....lets hope some innocent canine doesn't fall to the iron and cable further fueling the anti's rage and tainting the image of hunters/trappers dealing with a problem the government ignores.

If my canine "falls to the iron" it's my fault for not supervising it properly or marking it as domestic with a vest. Dogs should Not be running free and if they look like a coyote or wolf than for sure they should be closely supervised and protected from hunters.

"Fly with the crows, get shot with the crows" =simple, don't let them fly with the crows, especially if they look like one.

[coach]

If my canine "falls to the iron" it's my fault for not supervising it properly or marking it as domestic with a vest. Dogs should Not be running free and if they look like a coyote or wolf than for sure they should be closely supervised and protected from hunters.

"Fly with the crows, get shot with the crows" =simple, don't let them fly with the crows, especially if they look like one.

Your dog has a vest that protects it from traps?

[one-shot-wonder]

DB, what your saying is a guy can't take his dog when he is out looking for predators or picking up bone? Andy said the hills are littered.....does that mean we need to walk our dogs on pavement only?

Highvis vest for the dog.......should it accompany a hardhat too?

[horshur]

guys I don't think some understand about where traps are.they are just off of the road even paved....you stop let the dog out for a piss pooch steps over the bank....snap!!! that is how easy. My issue is not that they are there.....it is a legal activity...my issue is that people do not know and never had to before so they are not taking precautions....wolves have been a good motivator to get people trapping but what they've set traps for has been mostly not wolves..

an example a young kid here new face they just moved he us cutting firewood dogs loose not causing any problem but he does not know how close he came to losing that dog for just over the bank is a cat set big conibear.....hell there is two of em within a 100m... they are only 2 km up fsr from pavement 1km from my house....I have lived here 20 years it was not like this before but damned sure is now..

[Kudu]

Don't want to hijack this thread but the local meat cutter mentioned to me earlier in the year that the CO had told him bear numbers were way down in the area due to some disease or parasite, possible a liver fluke IIRC.


Sounds about right - new parasite called Woolf-a-cidia.....

[Kudu]

DB, what your saying is a guy can't take his dog when he is out looking for predators or picking up bone? Andy said the hills are littered.....does that mean we need to walk our dogs on pavement only?

Highvis vest for the dog.......should it accompany a hardhat too?


Don't forget the steel cap boots............

[LBM]

guys I don't think some understand about where traps are.they are just off of the road even paved....you stop let the dog out for a piss pooch steps over the bank....snap!!! that is how easy. My issue is not that they are there.....it is a legal activity...my issue is that people do not know and never had to before so they are not taking precautions....wolves have been a good motivator to get people trapping but what they've set traps for has been mostly not wolves..

an example a young kid here new face they just moved he us cutting firewood dogs loose not causing any problem but he does not know how close he came to losing that dog for just over the bank is a cat set big conibear.....hell there is two of em within a 100m... they are only 2 km up fsr from pavement 1km from my house....I have lived here 20 years it was not like this before but damned sure is now..
Been dealing with this for years and only getting worse with like you say everyone wants to catch wolves but not setting them right and might as well set a bunch of conibears well we are at it, with no thought or concern about others in heavily recreated areas. Was in an area today that trapper said all snares were pulled but what do I find one set, must of forgot that one. With the hundreds they set probably cant remember them all and don't care. This particular group of trappers has caught 4 dogs I know of.

[Elkhound]

Sunshine coast deer limit used to be 2 per year. Wolves have destroyed the population and is now 1 per year. Plus a few years back while spring bear hunting we saw a couple wolves streak by us with a bear cub in one of the wolves jaws. Yup.....I think they will eat bear. lol