Wolf instincts???

[Wagonmaster]

Just watched a PBS show following an English guy by the name of Ray Mears tracking wolves in Idaho. Very pro wolf and repeatedly voiced his concern that the wolf (at least when the show was made) was about to come off the protected species list in Idaho. He made one statement which I don't believe I had heard before. It was made in response to a sheep rancher that complained that wolves had just killed 26 of his sheep and then just left them to rot. "Biologists believe that wolves are programmed to kill surplus prey". Do you buy it?

[pickle88]

just recently i read something that wolf will instictevly kill even if they dont need to eat ...i dont remember exactly but the numbers were 10 dead deer and 1 eaten deer

[Gateholio]

I don't know if they are programmed to do it but they certainly kill for fun. If food is plentiful, they will amuse themselves by killing stuff.

[Monashee]

As for wolves being programmed to kill surplus prey , at times yes , especially domesticated sheep since they can't run fast and will mill around rather than run away.

It is not unusual for a flock of sheep to be killed by a predator , not just wolves do that . Cougars and bears will too.

You get a bunch of domesticated animals in a pen like sheep or poultry then the killer instinct takes over.

Mink and weasel will kill a whole flock of chickens , raccoons usually take one per visit so are easier to trap or shoot if you are ready for them.

[boxhitch]

Surplus ? as though they can count

Programmed ? This guy has been watching too many cartoons with Sam and Ralph
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOSuhxFo76o

[Drillbit]

They always try to make hunters look bad and say that humans are the only animals that hunt for fun (and could really be buying meat at the market, or that only kill what you're going to eat). Social programming.

When in fact, predators will kill more than they can eat; if the opportunity arises, or there is a competition for a food source. Happens all the time....too many examples to list.

[proguide66]

All wolves act naturally.They DO naturally kill and not eat it.Its all in the natural role.The pop goes high , the prey goes low , the roller coaster rolls along for years and years , #'s bounce back , it all 'fits'.
The only thing that doesnt work too well is them acting natural with 'our shit' or where we like to hunt
wich makes us act 'naturally' and want to kill them...and we do...and we all play a role on the roller coaster.
So , I would say it deffinitely is normal for them to kill off the prey....because they do...

[The Dude]

Wolves will kill what they can kill, period. If that means killing 12 Moose or 26 deer in the deep crusted snow, or 18 sheep in a pen, they will.
Also, when Wolves are well fed, they get picky, and rip fetuses out of Elk, moose and deer, and leave the mother to die.
I have lotsa pics, but won't post here. Pretty gruesome.

Here is one of the first bulls killed in Yellowstone and left to rot. The guys in the pic are the Bios that introduced the Grey Wolf to the Park, and they're having their first "OOPS" moment as this pic is taken.
Pretty prime bull, if you ask me, and it was the first of MANY.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj313/Heliox18/Wolves/wolfelkbulllargereflexkillingwastedsurplusyellowst one.jpg

[The Dude]

Aww, crap, realized who Ray Mears was. Why is it ALWAYS Pommies that are Wolf-huggers? You don't see many American or Canadian Wolf huggers, but every time the BBC gives some starry-eyed Fool a camera crew they fly around telling others what to do.
You know why? They've never really hunted (Royalty owned the animals, and it was punishable by death to kill a deer for food), they gave up all their guns, WILLINGLY, and they killed ALL their Wolves hundreds of years ago.
I think they're green with envy that we have a surplus of Wolves, so they try and ruin OUR party.
Screw 'em.

[Jelvis]

Skinny bull elk with uneven rack so a management kill, otherwise a male wolf will kill male pups so they can't grow up to take out his girl friends later on .. couple bites and a shake and the lil male pups are deader than a door nail and the females are left to grow so he can breed them year after year after year til he's too old to cut the mustered.
Jel .. Male lions to the same .. natural selection .. strongest survive to spread their genes ..
If you don't know how high the gender count on the hormones are just pull the genes down .. lol .. I said hormones lol.

[hunter1947]

Wolfs will kill at anytime even when they are not hungry my opinion are after they kill the prey they leave it and will return latter or the next days to come to feed on it or forget about the prey animal they had killed because they have taken down other prey animals ???????????..

Another opinion is that the wolf pack will kill prey animals at anytime to show the younger wolfs this is how its done within the pack its called a learning experience ?????????.

I myself have come across wolf kills where there is 80 percent of the animal left the wolfs have not been there for days snow that is on the ground tells me this,,, I have also heard stories about wolfs killing prey animals and not eating very little off the animal then abandon the prey animal they had killed and no t returning...

[kendoo]

Practise makes perfect wolves practise killing & I go to the range to perfect my bang flop on wolves. Wolves will kill the slowest not the sickest. A big fat dry cow that can't run as fast as the rest of the herd dies first.

[Jelvis]

Wolves like warm blood to drink from a freshly killed or wounded animal even if it is still living will rip chunks of the elk, deer, moose whad ever it wants, bison or rabeeeet and drink the hot thick slimey blood.
They chew the nose off so the blood will spurt out and then they lap it up while another wolf rips its hamstrings off so it can't run. Wolves run an animal by using a relay team so the animal gets exhausted and trips, then they pile on the wasted elk and rip it into a million pieces. The female then gourges itself on the raw bloody venison, goes back to the den and pukes it up so her pups can eat and become killing machines.
Have a great breakfast folks and a great day.
Jel ..

[Goliath]

Hunter1947, you're right.

Wolves will chase down and tear apart a coyote...and not eat a single shred. I've seen it only once...in Vanderhoof...and made me wonder if they instintively destroy their "competition". Regardless if that's the case, they sure had a good time terrorizing the coyote to the very end.

As Earthlings, we humans have a habit of trying to figure out why animals (esp. predators) do what they do...as if everything needs an explanation or justificaiton. I guess being higher creatures, we're predisposed to solving all of lifes mysteries...

[bcyukonair]

Aww, crap, realized who Ray Mears was. Why is it ALWAYS Pommies that are Wolf-huggers? You don't see many American or Canadian Wolf huggers, but every time the BBC gives some starry-eyed Fool a camera crew they fly around telling others what to do.
You know why? They've never really hunted (Royalty owned the animals, and it was punishable by death to kill a deer for food), they gave up all their guns, WILLINGLY, and they killed ALL their Wolves hundreds of years ago.
I think they're green with envy that we have a surplus of Wolves, so they try and ruin OUR party.
Screw 'em.
well said.

[brian]

They always try to make hunters look bad and say that humans are the only animals that hunt for fun (and could really be buying meat at the market, or that only kill what you're going to eat). Social programming.

Aww, crap, realized who Ray Mears was. Why is it ALWAYS Pommies that are Wolf-huggers? You don't see many American or Canadian Wolf huggers, but every time the BBC gives some starry-eyed Fool a camera crew they fly around telling others what to do.

Ray Mears is a hunter, he also happens to love wolves as a part of the natural balance of things.

[bellero]

Just watched a PBS show following an English guy by the name of Ray Mears tracking wolves in Idaho. Very pro wolf and repeatedly voiced his concern that the wolf (at least when the show was made) was about to come off the protected species list in Idaho. He made one statement which I don't believe I had heard before. It was made in response to a sheep rancher that complained that wolves had just killed 26 of his sheep and then just left them to rot. "Biologists believe that wolves are programmed to kill surplus prey". Do you buy it?

Anybody got a link to this show?

[proguide66]

90% of my worst insults/threats on my youtube trapping videos are from Brit douch bags. Funny as their ancestors have been some of the worlds most nastiest killers and thieves of land in history .

[HarryToolips]

Don't care what they do I'll shoot em just like yotes' if I see one they're competition to my ungulate huntin..

[MRP]

Any dog or cat. If it runs they will chase it. The end results .......