Wolf Attack made the paper (Van. Sun)

[Rock Doctor]

Family fun turns into a wolf scare for tobogganers

Dog suffers bruises after chasing away wolves that came too close

Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun

Published: Monday, December 24, 2007
FORT NELSON I A tobogganing trip near Fort Nelson went from fun to fright for two families after they were chased by wolves.
The families were on an outing 100 kilometres east of Fort Nelson Friday when two wolves started to chase a sleighful of three children, said 36-year-old Kyle Keays, who was among the group.
The children -- one aged four, and two others, both three -- were being towed along the base of a hill by an all-terrain vehicle when the wolves appeared.
Keays said his wife first noticed the wolves and shouted at him to watch out. The ATV's driver, Rod Barrie, turned around and pulled the sled back toward his truck.
"I looked back and I just saw the wolves coming out of the ditch," said Keays, who works in the area as a gas plant operator.
The wolves were within six metres of the children when the youngsters were hustled into the truck. At that moment, Keays' Rottweiler-cross, Shadow, intercepted the lead wolf and got into a scuffle.
"When Shadow saw the wolves, he immediately broke free and bee-lined down the hill to attack the lead wolf," Keays said.
As Barrie swung a shovel at the wolves, they backed off, but didn't run, said Keays, who grabbed his rifle from his nearby camp.
"They definitely weren't afraid," he said. "They backed off 50 feet and started circling side to side."
Shortly after returning to Keays' camp, the families noticed one of the wolves nearby and Keays immediately shot it.
When Keays awoke Saturday morning, the carcass was gone. He said he tracked it about 300 metres away, where it was being eaten by the other wolf, which he also shot.
"They were starving," he said. "Both of these wolves I shot were quite skinny."
Despite the potential dangers, Keays said the children were unaware of what was happening and none was injured in the confrontation. Shadow was "bumped and bruised," he said, but otherwise unharmed.
The confrontation hasn't stopped Keays from going out tobogganing again.
"We were just out," he said. "The wolves are gone."
Ministry of Environment spokeswoman Kate Thompson said Sunday conservation officers had been told about the shootings and would investigate further today. Hunters are required to report wolf kills to conservation officials, she said.

[BlacktailStalker]

City slickers. They just have no clue the rarity and severity of it all.

[Radar]

Can some tell me if once again the MOE have no clue what they are talking about when they speak to the media. In the newspaper article they are quoted as saying


Ministry of Environment spokeswoman Kate Thompson said Sunday conservation officers had been told about the shootings and would investigate further today. Hunters are required to report wolf kills to conservation officials, she said.However what I could find in the Hunting Regulations States:


COMPULSORY REPORTING
A person who takes or kills the following species
in any Management Unit:
• lynx • bison • wolverine • bobcat
• moose in Regions 5, or 8
• wolf in Regions 1, 2 or 4
• elk in Region 1
must, within 30 days after the date of the kill,
report in person or by mail:So that would mean in Region 7 which I believe is where this occured Compulsary Reporting is not required. Assuming the person who appears to be a member of this site had his hunting licence he is ok to shoot and not report, it also appears Wolf were open:


WOLF 7-19 to 7-22, 7-31 to 7-36, 7-42 to 7-58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .▼Aug 1 – Mar 31/2008 . . . . . . . . . .3

Your thoughts?

[Elkhound]

According to the regs Rocdoc did not have to report.

[Rock Doctor]

Shooting a wolf does NOT have to be reported, but shooting a wolf in self defence IS REQUIRED to be reported

[Steeleco]

Can some tell me if once again the MOE have no clue what they are talking about when they speak to the media. In the newspaper article they are quoted as saying

I would wonder if the reporter heard what they wanted and wrote it this way for dramatic effect??

[wolverine]

RocDoc,
I read your original story that you posted and it was a good one. Too bad the media butchered it. They could screw up a county fair! Anyway, earlier this year in around the same area you are in (a little N.E. of Ft. Nelson) a friend of mine took two wolves that were tracking him. There were actually three but he managed to bag two. Good looking animals and didn't seem to be starving but they were definately on his track as he had gotten off his quad in a cut and was walking and decided to back track. Makes you wonder if this is more than an event (something that happens once) or part of a trend (something that is a repeated occurance)

Anyway, glad to hear that you all came out of it none the worse for wear except for the hero of the day, your dog. I hope he's sleeping in the most comfortable bed in the house after he finishes his steak dinner.

Merry Christmas to you and yours and scratch the dog behind the ear for me!

Cheers:)

[pmj]

Rock Doctor,
It was my pleasure to help with the news release. I was glad to see the story run8). Do not worry about the errors they made, actually having them get the story correct would be a miracle based on my past experience:roll:. It is frustrating when you give them something they can cut and paste and they still get it wrong. The important thing is that you got your story some exposure. You may get some more calls from other media once the story sees daylight. Can you send me a copy of the final version you sent to the papers?
Merry Christmas to all,
Paul and Marianne

[hunter1947]

I guess you got to be there and holding there hands when they are typing out an article you wright.

[Woodrow]

at least the story got out, its good to educate those who think wolves are to be protected at all costs.

[Ciskman]

I hate the media. Ive been in the militaty for the past 10 years and have seen them butcher too many stories. To the point in fact of cutting out certain words/phrases and completly changed what a freind of mine was saying tio suit THEIR needs. They are about sensationalism and promoting their view. However I am glad your story at least got out and hopefully it will educate those that need it.

[Ciskman]

"Ministry of Environment spokeswoman Kate Thompson said Sunday conservation officers had been told about the shootings and would investigate further today. Hunters are required to report wolf kills to conservation officials, she said."

And why does this even need to be in the story? I think its a subtle shot at hunters. Your childrens lives were saved by quick thinking and a loyal dog but they finish it off the story by insinuating that you were hunting and failed to report a kill.wtf??

rant ends.

Merry Christmas!

[M.Dean]

Glad you got it on the news, lets everyone know that even a family outing can turn into a night mare in a matter of seconds! Bet no one bitches now when i pack a gun to the our local toboggan hill!!!

[Will]

Bet no one bitches now when i pack a gun to the our local toboggan hill!!!
I like your Style ! 8-)

Good to see Animals portrayed in a realsitic way for a change.......instead of licking some kids icecream cone at the zoo:roll:

Awesome Experience no doubt you'll share for years to come:wink:

[Wrayzer]

Rock doctor, Just seen your story in the Vancouver province, Glad to see your story is getting so much media attention!!

[hunter1947]

Glade to see you got it in the news paper ,people will read this attack and be more weary when they are out there.

[M.Dean]

The Rock Doctor and his family and friends are Movie Stars!!! Glad you got the news out, hopefully people will watch a little more now when enjoying the outdoors! Sure glad every thing worked out for the good, if not for such a group effort it could have been a much more tragic ending!!! Your all hero's!!!

[Steeleco]

Saw you guys on the Global news cast tonight, well done. A real eye opener for city folks without a clue!

[Rock Doctor]

Well............This has gone alot farther than I ever thought it would.
My Aunt, in Ottawa, emailed us and said that she read about us in one of the papers there:o.

[pmj]

Rock Dr.
It is a story that needed telling. Glad to hear it is making the rounds.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/images/smilies/new/cheers.gif http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/images/smilies/Banane01.gif http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/images/smilies/Banane01.gif
Just saw the clip on Global 11:00 news. 3rd story in! Good sound byte Dr.

[mark]

Hey Roco, seen yer story on the news like 3 times now!!! Nice to see a Rotti getting some positive PR for once! Big celebrity now, dont forget about us common folk! :lol:

[browningboy]

Hey Roco, seen yer story on the news like 3 times now!!! Nice to see a Rotti getting some positive PR for once! Big celebrity now, dont forget about us common folk! :lol:

X2, got to see what those glasses look like instead of just the sides (Headset videos!)LOL
Surprised they air that without calling it poaching!LOL

[mrdoog]

I watched your story on Global last night.
Nothing negative about shooting the wolf.
More along the lines that your pup was a hero and your family was safe.

[mbdoc]

Thanks for sharing your story...

We moved onto our property 8 years ago. First spring a bear came and watched one of my daughters hang laundry on the line. A day later he came back, stood up, and put his paws on our picture window to look inside the house.

Read a thread the other day promoting NOT carrying protection of any kind while paddling the far north. I make part of my living in the bush. Greatest tragedy is that some new person's going to make a behavioural decision based on someone else's subjective lack of experience and may pay dearly for it. Without experience you really aren't making a choice between things that are concrete, you're just making a decision in regards to something theoretical.

I now buy tags every year that may never get used. I don't have to explain anything to anyone that way.

...and I keep my councils to myself.

Doc

[Rock Doctor]

I could'nt help myself, I had to show some of the comments that this story has recieved in the Province :roll:. (Glad to see that there are so few comments like this)
I thought that all of this would die down a bit, after the new yr...........but, I guess, 'round and 'round we go.

Glad the family is home and safe, but I have to say it, those wolves were MAYBE, going to attack the children, but would not have even been attempted if the kids were at home where they belong to start with. The man went out and HUNTED thouse wolves down and killed them. Who in thier right mind would drag 4 todlers and a baby in a car seat out into the blistering cold to have a little fun. I live in Kansas, and let me tell you, if a parent took a todler and infant out into that kind of weather and was indangered by a cougar, bobcat, whatever, the parents would be loosing thier children to the SRS for child indangerment...guarateed! Not only that, wolves can run up to 40 miles an hour, so if they REALLY wanted those two todlers, they would have already had them. And before you pipe off your mouths at me, only common sinse tells you that a starving animal would eat anything they can get thier mouths around.,...even us so called
civilized humans. ....

You can't blame the wolves they were hungry, it's survival, it's truly sad that they were shot and killed.( :eek: this one kinda blew me away)

It's a load of CR*P this just doesn't happen and never has happened

I used to live in Fort Nelson. The people there are kill-happy. They'll kill deer, moose, caribou, when they don't even need it.

why was buddy out toboganning with a gun? They weren't just toboganning. He was looking for some deer to shoot - probably illegaly

[mark]

Ya I read all them comments, pretty sad to see how some think! There sure was alot of comments supporting you though, which was really nice to see! (sure glad I didnt grow up in Kansas.:rolleyes:)