For those of you who haven't realized how serious our wolf population is in British C

[ruger#1]

For those of you who haven't realized how serious our wolf population is in British Columbia I want to share this story/pictures with you.

My partner and I were elk hunting one morning and after only two bugles a pack of four black wolves moved in on us.

After knocking two of them down, one of the remaining ran right at us and stopped at about 5 yards with her teeth showing, ready to pounce.

Fortunately we were able to take her before she came at us.

I can't believe how brave these dogs are getting, especially after hearing two shots from high powered magnums.

I have seen and heard more wolves in two weeks than I have in 15 years of hunting.

I can't even begin to express my worry for our wildlife and hunter opportunity if we don't start managing our predators.

Please share this with anyone who may benefit from this knowledge.

Without direct predator control we will see already declining numbers in the game we pursue plummet drastically.

Do your hunting community a favor and pass this on! This is a email that was sent to me from one of my old trapper buddies.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/1237635_10151695769507449_366870728_n.jpg

[adriaticum]

You've seen wolves, surely not in Region 2?
I'd like to make me a nice little coat.

[Fella]

I wouldn't mind a couple wolf skin rugs. I just might have to give it a shot this year!

[835]

Year before last me and a buddy were up in Yahk... having a snooze up on a sunny mountain cutblock..... got stocked by 2... Dave woke up and hollared at me, they both ran... one up hill of us and one down... closest was only feet away.

[ruger#1]

You've seen wolves, surely not in Region 2?
I'd like to make me a nice little coat.
There are wolves in region 2, And they have been here for a long time. They have been seen in Hatzic prairie and have been shot in Dewdney and Deroche areas. I have had them run across the road in front of me in Manning park.

[Everett]

Had a whole pack answer me the other morning when I started Bugleing.

[marcus44]

Managed to get 3 shots off at a pack of 3 wolves running down the road from me last fall. Definitely on the lookout for them again this year. Nicely done taking those 3!

[ruger#1]

Not mine. It is a email from a freind of mine. He used to hunt coyotes and was good at it.

[srupp]

hmmm managed to dump my GPS off my quad and break it when I bailed this morning to grab the rifle for a shot @ a wolf along the Fraser River....too excited..lol

steven

[albravo2]

You've seen wolves, surely not in Region 2?
I'd like to make me a nice little coat.

Region 2-6. Squamish valley. PM me and I'll give you what info I have on locations.

[ruger#1]

Steven, I hope you got that wolf.

[ruger#1]

I was hunting in Chetwyn in the early eighties. They had a wolf cull going on. Lots of hellecopters and lots of shooting. I was coming up off the pine river and one was coming straight at me down the railtracks, A nice black one. As soon as it seen me it was gone. Lots of howling at night.

[Amphibious]

Predators are an integral part of the ecosystem. I spearfish around sharks often, doesn't mean I blast them. You're hunting in the wild, you are becoming part of the food chain, and not necessarily the top. I have nothing against hunting wolves, but they're far from the great evil most make them out to be.

[Hunter49]

There are wolves up the Skagit Valley. My son and I were out last November and saw one and spoke to some biologists from Wahsington State and BC who were setting up game cams at the lake to monitor the pack. They will clean out that valley in no time and move on to cattle. Clean them out if you can.

[hare_assassin]

If anyone can point me in the right direction, both location (Kamloops area) and techniques, I will whack as many as I can find.

[srupp]

Steven, I hope you got that wolf.

no..and that one cost me $600 (estimating) for a new GPS...I just wasn't expecting that kind of close encounter.

embarrased

[GoatGuy]

Predators are an integral part of the ecosystem. I spearfish around sharks often, doesn't mean I blast them. You're hunting in the wild, you are becoming part of the food chain, and not necessarily the top. I have nothing against hunting wolves, but they're far from the great evil most make them out to be.

Man is the problem, but the problems he creates often have a negative reaction on other species - the laissez faire approach results in populations/species which can be reduced to the point where they are no longer viable or cease to exist.

It all depends on whether you want the next generation to be able to see mountain caribou and wolves or just wolves I guess.

[drakehunter]

Shooting every wolf you see is not the answer to protecting our game animals for the future. Wolves are a important part of the food chain. Ive never shot anything i've not intended to eat, more hunters should be like this. The grizzly bear hunt is a joke, does anyone really eat grizzly meat? ( very few ) it's a total trophy hunt. Wolves need to be controlled I agree to manage the population but going out and shooting them at our discretion is just ruthless and a waist of life. Im no tree hugger either ( I cut them down for a living ). We need to possibly have a tag system like other animals.




Man is the problem, but the problems he creates often have a negative reaction on other species - the laissez faire approach results in populations/species which can be reduced to the point where they are no longer viable or cease to exist.

It all depends on whether you want the next generation to be able to see mountain caribou and wolves or just wolves I guess.

[remington666]

what do you do with the wolf carcass after shooting it ?

[Gateholio]

Shooting every wolf you see is not the answer to protecting our game animals for the future. Wolves are a important part of the food chain. Ive never shot anything i've not intended to eat, more hunters should be like this. The grizzly bear hunt is a joke, does anyone really eat grizzly meat? ( very few ) it's a total trophy hunt. Wolves need to be controlled I agree to manage the population but going out and shooting them at our discretion is just ruthless and a waist of life. Im no tree hugger either ( I cut them down for a living ). We need to possibly have a tag system like other animals.

what do you hope to achieve with wolf tags, and why?

[drakehunter]

No clue, I don't think there safe to eat as they carry carious forms of bacteria.

[Gateholio]

what do you do with the wolf carcass after shooting it ?

They are furbearing animals so you take the pelt if it's in good shape.

[GoatGuy]

Shooting every wolf you see is not the answer to protecting our game animals for the future. Wolves are a important part of the food chain. Ive never shot anything i've not intended to eat, more hunters should be like this. The grizzly bear hunt is a joke, does anyone really eat grizzly meat? ( very few ) it's a total trophy hunt. Wolves need to be controlled I agree to manage the population but going out and shooting them at our discretion is just ruthless and a waist of life. Im no tree hugger either ( I cut them down for a living ). We need to possibly have a tag system like other animals.

The first issue you bring up is whether hunting is or is not a tool for wildlife management. Do we manage wildlife populations (both species you can and can't eat) through hunting or is hunting strictly a recreational activity which has no benefits to the public. Areas with the greatest number of destroyed grizzly bears are often areas where hunting is not allowed. The two biggest 'morgues' for grizzly bears both occur in National Parks where there is no hunting. Ironically Banff/Jasper have the lowest genetic diversity of grizzly bears west of the foothills. Left to their own devices, without any fear of man, wildlife and predators in particular lose their fear and pay the ultimate price. So, if hunting is not a wildlife management tool you can remove every species that can be harvested that can't be eaten from the list of 'huntable' species and you can also pay someone (a park warden/CO) through your tax dollars to go out and shoot your problem bears/wolves/coyotes as opposed to having a hunter create jobs and use the animal albeit for the hide.

Secondly, the concept that wildlife only has value if its eaten is another personal choice. You're stating that if it can't be eaten there's no sense in harvesting it. So, you can write off trapping entirely, not solely recreational trapping, but trapping for beavers which flood creeks, urban deer conflicts, cougars and grizzlies which are public safety issues etc. This is not an if/and/or but argument - if you believe no animal should be killed if you can't eat it the choice is exclusive and you forgo the benefit of flood protection/property damage etc.

Lastly, wolf populations will never be managed through hunting, so the tag system would create an imaginary solution for a problem that doesn't exist. To appease the panic switch, the harvest is monitored through the hunter survey, which does not require a tag to be completed. Tags are used where conservation related concerns might exist (not applicable to wolves) and it is a way for government to capture revenue. It is likely no one would buy a wolf tag as the chances of harvesting are so low and as a result wolf harvest would go unreported.

These are all personal choices and they are yours to make, but its best if these choices are made with eyes wide open. If you don't think hunting has a role in wildlife management that is your decision, but then the benefits to the public at large are significantly diminished. Making decisions based on incomplete information generally leads to poor decisions and in the case of predators, can end up with people getting seriously hurt OR in the case of mountain caribou entire populations can and will disappear forever.

[remington666]

thanks ,thats what i figured ,like drake hunter mentioned ,i have always been told they carry all kinds of bacteria ,i hunt alot in region 5 and i have heard wolves and seen the sign but have yet to see an actual wolf.

[squeege]

I have had the same thing happen twice this year. Bugled in two packs this year three days apart.

[Jagermeister]

Hydatid disease also known as echinococcal disease has to be considered when you are skinning out your wolf or wolves. Seriously consider using a good pair or two of rubber gloves when handling wolf carcasses. The longer the gloves the better.
It is true that it is man's folly that has resulted in the rapid rise in wolf populations in BC. This wolf population rise is the result of taking the resident hunter out of the equation thus increasing prey populations (moose) which the wolves dined most graciously on.
BTW, you could dine on wolf, just don't eat the liver or other organs. Canine liver is toxic to man.

[Jagermeister]

Goat Guy's post puts it into a prespective that anyone should be able to understand. Great post GG!

[riflebuilder]

only 1 wolf to my credit so far and it was with a knife after it bit me....from now on I am going to try to use a rifle first. Definitely more wolves around the EK than in the past. We need to have a predator derby with big prizes for the most, largest and the number of different regions in the province you harvest one. I would be willing to step up and put some prizes in. Any interest?

[riflebuilder]

The first issue you bring up is whether hunting is or is not a tool for wildlife management. Do we manage wildlife populations (both species you can and can't eat) through hunting or is hunting strictly a recreational activity which has no benefits to the public. Areas with the greatest number of destroyed grizzly bears are often areas where hunting is not allowed. The two biggest 'morgues' for grizzly bears both occur in National Parks where there is no hunting. Ironically Banff/Jasper have the lowest genetic diversity of grizzly bears west of the foothills. Left to their own devices, without any fear of man, wildlife and predators in particular lose their fear and pay the ultimate price. So, if hunting is not a wildlife management tool you can remove every species that can be harvested that can't be eaten from the list of 'huntable' species and you can also pay someone (a park warden/CO) through your tax dollars to go out and shoot your problem bears/wolves/coyotes as opposed to having a hunter create jobs and use the animal albeit for the hide.

Secondly, the concept that wildlife only has value if its eaten is another personal choice. You're stating that if it can't be eaten there's no sense in harvesting it. So, you can write off trapping entirely, not solely recreational trapping, but trapping for beavers which flood creeks, urban deer conflicts, cougars and grizzlies which are public safety issues etc. This is not an if/and/or but argument - if you believe no animal should be killed if you can't eat it the choice is exclusive and you forgo the benefit of flood protection/property damage etc.

Lastly, wolf populations will never be managed through hunting, so the tag system would create an imaginary solution for a problem that doesn't exist. To appease the panic switch, the harvest is monitored through the hunter survey, which does not require a tag to be completed. Tags are used where conservation related concerns might exist (not applicable to wolves) and it is a way for government to capture revenue. It is likely no one would buy a wolf tag as the chances of harvesting are so low and as a result wolf harvest would go unreported.

These are all personal choices and they are yours to make, but its best if these choices are made with eyes wide open. If you don't think hunting has a role in wildlife management that is your decision, but then the benefits to the public at large are significantly diminished. Making decisions based on incomplete information generally leads to poor decisions and in the case of predators, can end up with people getting seriously hurt OR in the case of mountain caribou entire populations can and will disappear forever.

x2 very well put as usual

[Gateholio]

Excellent post by GoatGuy. Thanks

[beeugle]

spent most the summer with trail cams out patterning elk, had many, and I mean many pics, wolves moved in and my trail cam pics dried up, I saw 4 wolves one day up there, came across a large cow elk kill, , unfortunately wolves weren't open up there at that time, so we couldn't shoot any.... anyways, our elk honey hole dried up, I can tell you it definitely had an effect, it's like the elk we had been watching for months and months, left the valley. We're talking high country so these aren't what's known as the resident elk
that was early september, to date, it's like it's devoid of elk.. no tracks, no pics, no elk. I'm sure some will return but I'm convinced the reason they left were the wolves.

[.330 Dakota]

hmmm managed to dump my GPS off my quad and break it when I bailed this morning to grab the rifle for a shot @ a wolf along the Fraser River....too excited..lol

steven

That sucks, hope you can get er fixed..hey shoot me a pm with your cell and well do coffee this week

[BigfishCanada]

You've seen wolves, surely not in Region 2?
I'd like to make me a nice little coat.

I know of a skin under a friends pool table, taken on stave lake road years ago.

[rollingrock]

Squamish River Valley has a pack with a big alpha. Couldn't get a shot at the big male.

But the other day someone decided to let a big dog run unleashed on logging road. Good thing I had my bino. :???:

[Big Lew]

One thing those that would like to have wolves left alone might consider....when they deplete or reduce their food supply sufficiently, they will look elsewhere, and to other sources. Elsewhere means going after the high populations of semi-tame town and rural hobby farm deer, and other sources will be domestic animals, including family pets they encounter while they pursue these town deer. The additional worry or concern then will be that wolves, like coyotes, will lose their fear of man, putting our children at great risk.....put that in your pipe and meditate on that for awhile.

[Ltbullken]

Predators are an integral part of the ecosystem. I spearfish around sharks often, doesn't mean I blast them. You're hunting in the wild, you are becoming part of the food chain, and not necessarily the top. I have nothing against hunting wolves, but they're far from the great evil most make them out to be.

No wildlife area evil, they just do what they have been ecologically selected to do. The suggestion is their populations be controlled, not eliminate, as best as can be managed.

[Rackem]

only 1 wolf to my credit so far and it was with a knife after it bit me....from now on I am going to try to use a rifle first. Definitely more wolves around the EK than in the past. We need to have a predator derby with big prizes for the most, largest and the number of different regions in the province you harvest one. I would be willing to step up and put some prizes in. Any interest?

How did you get close enough to get bit and then kill it with a knife????

[Sasqman]

How did you get close enough to get bit and then kill it with a knife????

Good question! x2

[finngun]

we need 100$ bounty for dead wolf...:mrgreen:

[Muliechaser]

Had called in two different packs of wolfs hunting elk this week. Not good. And to those who say kill only if edible. Well.... If we didnt take wolfs out they would eat all the deer. Ect. So inturn you will have nothing left to eat! See who be whining then lmao. We do have to control populations. . I know what ill be doing this winter.

Mc

[Rob Chipman]

I hate the idea of dusting wolves off for no reason, but this forum indicates through reports and trail cams that there are a lot of them around. What is really surprising is the idea that you can call wolves in with an ungulate call, and that they don't bail once they find out that you're human! that seems to mean one of two things: they've lost fear of man, or never developed fear of man. If we have a recently increasing wolf population (which seems to be the case) then I'd suspect it's the latter - brave/curious wolves haven't been culled from the gene pool.

In terms of being in Region 2 there's a post on here from last year where a guy shot a wolf on the Mamquam, I believe. http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?89176-Squamish-area-wolf-down/page2&highlight=squamish+wolf

[ruger#1]

If you guys go back and look at those wolves. They are very skinny. Looks like they are under fed. We had one heifer taken down two years ago. We checked for tracks. Yes no cat but big dog. In the fall of that same year my partner shot a wolf. Its body was like a barrel. The CO said that was a very largest wolf he had ever seen. Well over 100LBs. This was shot in Deroche.

[Moosetalker]

Predator derby......does the guy who kills the last wolf alive get the biggest prize, give your heads a shake. Control their numbers don't eliminate them.

[ruger#1]

Predator derby......does the guy who kills the last wolf alive get the biggest prize, give your heads a shake. Control their numbers don't eliminate them.
You will never eliminate them. Look at the coyotes. they have been hunted hard. And still thriving.

[Salty]

GoatGuy- another thanks for that great post. Very well put.

[frenchbar]

9 wolves went through the village of fountain the other morning ...there getting bigger in numbers around here ..they'll clean that valley out in no time ..

[keithb7]

I went hunting last week in to 7-32. Exact same spot and trails that I hunted last year. I spent an entire week there. Just got home last night after a 10 hr drive. I hunted every morning from pre-dawn to 10 am. Also from 5pm to last light. I put 200 km on my ATV probably walked another 50 km. I also spent hours and hours camped on gas lines seeking elk, moose and deer. In the entire week I did not see 1 of either species. I never saw 1 animal with 4 legs until day 7 when I crossed paths with a grizzly bear. Last year in the exact same area I saw moose, elk and deer every day. I brought home an elk last year. This year something is up. I did not personally see wolves, but this thread has me wondering. Where the heck did all the game go?

[gcreek]

Brought home a bunch of cows from the range today. One calf had been recently bitten by a wolf. We are short at least 14 calves that we know of. At $850 apiece I guess there won't be a holiday again this year.

Interesting how those that don't understand the magnitude of the wolf population growth can interpret "control" into "kill them all".

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Brought home a bunch of cows from the range today. One calf had been recently bitten by a wolf. We are short at least 14 calves that we know of. At $850 apiece I guess there won't be a holiday again this year.

Interesting how those that don't understand the magnitude of the wolf population growth can interpret "control" into "kill them all".


Of course, proving that to the point where you will be compensated is not likely....and will never go down in the "official" cattle wolf kill records.

There aren't many areas left in the province that aren't being affected by wolves.

SSS

[Husky7mm]

Dana said it correct " a collared wolf will eat the last caribou"! The gov needs to grab the bull by the horns and the turd by the dirty end. The current wolf management plan is just lip service. Somewhere in the caribou mess a lessen needs to be learned and some difficult choices need to be made.

[gcreek]

Of course, proving that to the point where you will be compensated is not likely....and will never go down in the "official" cattle wolf kill records.

There aren't many areas left in the province that aren't being affected by wolves.

SSS

At the request of our MLA, I invoiced the Ministry of Natural Resources for losses during 2011 and 2012. No reply from them and still waiting for a claim form requested from the COS in late 2011. Long story. They know about it.

The main thing government needs is for the bios to recommend a wolf reduction program and I believe it would be done. Too many making good dollars from our taxes for studies would lose their jobs if anyone actually came to the conclusion that there are just too many wolves.

What happens when there is not enough game left to repopulate in our lifetime and no livestock economy (small though it is) in the province.

[Gateholio]

Predator derby......does the guy who kills the last wolf alive get the biggest prize, give your heads a shake. Control their numbers don't eliminate them.

Impossible for hunters to eliminate wolves.

[riflebuilder]

Impossible for hunters to eliminate wolves.

I know that but it is still fun to hunt them, and gives us an excuse to get out there in Gods bounty more often

[Savage Man]

The first issue you bring up is whether hunting is or is not a tool for wildlife management. Do we manage wildlife populations (both species you can and can't eat) through hunting or is hunting strictly a recreational activity which has no benefits to the public. Areas with the greatest number of destroyed grizzly bears are often areas where hunting is not allowed. The two biggest 'morgues' for grizzly bears both occur in National Parks where there is no hunting. Ironically Banff/Jasper have the lowest genetic diversity of grizzly bears west of the foothills. Left to their own devices, without any fear of man, wildlife and predators in particular lose their fear and pay the ultimate price. So, if hunting is not a wildlife management tool you can remove every species that can be harvested that can't be eaten from the list of 'huntable' species and you can also pay someone (a park warden/CO) through your tax dollars to go out and shoot your problem bears/wolves/coyotes as opposed to having a hunter create jobs and use the animal albeit for the hide.

Secondly, the concept that wildlife only has value if its eaten is another personal choice. You're stating that if it can't be eaten there's no sense in harvesting it. So, you can write off trapping entirely, not solely recreational trapping, but trapping for beavers which flood creeks, urban deer conflicts, cougars and grizzlies which are public safety issues etc. This is not an if/and/or but argument - if you believe no animal should be killed if you can't eat it the choice is exclusive and you forgo the benefit of flood protection/property damage etc.

Lastly, wolf populations will never be managed through hunting, so the tag system would create an imaginary solution for a problem that doesn't exist. To appease the panic switch, the harvest is monitored through the hunter survey, which does not require a tag to be completed. Tags are used where conservation related concerns might exist (not applicable to wolves) and it is a way for government to capture revenue. It is likely no one would buy a wolf tag as the chances of harvesting are so low and as a result wolf harvest would go unreported.

These are all personal choices and they are yours to make, but its best if these choices are made with eyes wide open. If you don't think hunting has a role in wildlife management that is your decision, but then the benefits to the public at large are significantly diminished. Making decisions based on incomplete information generally leads to poor decisions and in the case of predators, can end up with people getting seriously hurt OR in the case of mountain caribou entire populations can and will disappear forever.

X 3 well said and thought out!

[takla1]

If you guys go back and look at those wolves. They are very skinny. Looks like they are under fed. We had one heifer taken down two years ago. We checked for tracks. Yes no cat but big dog. In the fall of that same year my partner shot a wolf. Its body was like a barrel. The CO said that was a very largest wolf he had ever seen. Well over 100LBs. This was shot in Deroche.
Ill add to marks post as i was the one to shoot that wolf.HE was a very large male with a huge head on him and he was brim full of deer meat!.I encounted him half way up one of the local mountain bear trails as i was reading for a shot at a black-tail buck.He came out of no-where in steep mnt terrain and began to put the run on the trailing blacktail i wanted to shot...he got the bullet instead.Mark and I couldnt believe the size of this male wolf.Mark and i have pics of this wolf maybe mark will post one.If one is makeing his way into the lowermainland there will be more to come as well.

[davet]

so what are the legal ways of baiting wolfs, do you need a trapping license?

[burger]

so what are the legal ways of baiting wolfs, do you need a trapping license?

Predator callers seem to work from what I understand.

[ruger#1]

Something for the wolf lovers who own dogs. This will and can happen to your dog.
http://youtu.be/BXCvLzDNWz0

[Amphibious]

Something for the wolf lovers who own dogs. This will and can happen to your dog.
http://youtu.be/BXCvLzDNWz0

ERRR MERRR GERRRD! Kill them all! think of the puppies!

Seriously? this is your argument? I would FULLY expect my pet to get attacked if it was trying to steal food from a larger predator. You do understand how nature works, right?

[ruger#1]

ERRR MERRR GERRRD! Kill them all! think of the puppies!

Seriously? this is your argument? I would FULLY expect my pet to get attacked if it was trying to steal food from a larger predator. You do understand how nature works, right?. First thing, I never said kill them all. But that is your argument. Controll them like you control the carp that you spear in lakes. Is that ethical using a spear. Think of all the baby fish.

[Amphibious]

. First thing, I never said kill them all. But that is your argument. Control them like you control the carp that you spear in lakes. Is that ethical using a spear. Think of all the baby fish.

Carp are and invasive, destructive, INTRODUCED species. Wolves are a native species that are an indispensable tool of wildlife management. Apples and Canned oranges. I have no problem with hunting them, but fear mongering to push your agenda claiming peoples pets are in danger is pretty out there.

[ruger#1]

ERRR MERRR GERRRD! Kill them all! think of the puppies!

Seriously? this is your argument? I would FULLY expect my pet to get attacked if it was trying to steal food from a larger predator. You do understand how nature works, right?
They do not have to be steeling food, Your dog would be food. I have had a few of my dogs attacted by coyotes and they were not eating their food. So tell me what you point is. The wolves have to be controled. No matter what you say about it, is not going to change anything.

[ruger#1]

Carp are and invasive, destructive, INTRODUCED species. Wolves are a native species that are an indispensable tool of wildlife management. Apples and Canned oranges. I have no problem with hunting them, but fear mongering to push your agenda claiming peoples pets are in danger is pretty out there. Well if wolves are not managed then get ready for everything to be put on LEH.

[Rackem]

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/ermahgerd.jpg

Don't let the wolves eat this Pug!

[onpoint]

The first issue you bring up is whether hunting is or is not a tool for wildlife management. Do we manage wildlife populations (both species you can and can't eat) through hunting or is hunting strictly a recreational activity which has no benefits to the public. Areas with the greatest number of destroyed grizzly bears are often areas where hunting is not allowed. The two biggest 'morgues' for grizzly bears both occur in National Parks where there is no hunting. Ironically Banff/Jasper have the lowest genetic diversity of grizzly bears west of the foothills. Left to their own devices, without any fear of man, wildlife and predators in particular lose their fear and pay the ultimate price. So, if hunting is not a wildlife management tool you can remove every species that can be harvested that can't be eaten from the list of 'huntable' species and you can also pay someone (a park warden/CO) through your tax dollars to go out and shoot your problem bears/wolves/coyotes as opposed to having a hunter create jobs and use the animal albeit for the hide.

Secondly, the concept that wildlife only has value if its eaten is another personal choice. You're stating that if it can't be eaten there's no sense in harvesting it. So, you can write off trapping entirely, not solely recreational trapping, but trapping for beavers which flood creeks, urban deer conflicts, cougars and grizzlies which are public safety issues etc. This is not an if/and/or but argument - if you believe no animal should be killed if you can't eat it the choice is exclusive and you forgo the benefit of flood protection/property damage etc.

Lastly, wolf populations will never be managed through hunting, so the tag system would create an imaginary solution for a problem that doesn't exist. To appease the panic switch, the harvest is monitored through the hunter survey, which does not require a tag to be completed. Tags are used where conservation related concerns might exist (not applicable to wolves) and it is a way for government to capture revenue. It is likely no one would buy a wolf tag as the chances of harvesting are so low and as a result wolf harvest would go unreported.

These are all personal choices and they are yours to make, but its best if these choices are made with eyes wide open. If you don't think hunting has a role in wildlife management that is your decision, but then the benefits to the public at large are significantly diminished. Making decisions based on incomplete information generally leads to poor decisions and in the case of predators, can end up with people getting seriously hurt OR in the case of mountain caribou entire populations can and will disappear forever.

Great post GoatGuy, anyone with an interest in a REALISTIC view of the current state of our wildlife populations and human/predator/prey relationships needs to read that. Management is a key component of the North American model of public access to wildlife.

[Amphibious]

They do not have to be steeling food, Your dog would be food. I have had a few of my dogs attacted by coyotes and they were not eating their food. So tell me what you point is. The wolves have to be controled. No matter what you say about it, is not going to change anything.

Bat yodle dogs! why would they ever think to eat a pet! you should sit them down and explain to them the difference between Wild food and little old Rover. Right oh, lets sterilize the forest. Don't stop at the wolves (predators doing what predators do), lets start killing off all those wild herbivores too, after all they eat plants, and we eat plants too, or better yet lets just domesticate them, put them behind high fences, and farm our meat.

If you don't like dealing with wild animals, or entertaining the thought that you are part of a cycle, a link in a chain, maybe move to toronto? A nice concrete jungle where your pet will be safe and it can even wear a nice little coat while you sip your latte.



Well if wolves are not managed then get ready for everything to be put on LEH.

Dear sweet baby jebus! so you mean we might actually have to compete with other animals for our meat? how did our ancestors ever manage to survive! Hunting might get more challenging! awful, awful news!

[ruger#1]

Bat yodle dogs! why would they ever think to eat a pet! you should sit them down and explain to them the difference between Wild food and little old Rover. Right oh, lets sterilize the forest. Don't stop at the wolves (predators doing what predators do), lets start killing off all those wild herbivores too, after all they eat plants, and we eat plants too, or better yet lets just domesticate them, put them behind high fences, and farm our meat.

If you don't like dealing with wild animals, or entertaining the thought that you are part of a cycle, a link in a chain, maybe move to toronto? A nice concrete jungle where your pet will be safe and it can even wear a nice little coat while you sip your latte.




Dear sweet baby jebus! so you mean we might actually have to compete with other animals for our meat? how did our ancestors ever manage to survive! Hunting might get more challenging! awful, awful news!
The first issue you bring up is whether hunting is or is not a tool for wildlife management. Do we manage wildlife populations (both species you can and can't eat) through hunting or is hunting strictly a recreational activity which has no benefits to the public. Areas with the greatest number of destroyed grizzly bears are often areas where hunting is not allowed. The two biggest 'morgues' for grizzly bears both occur in National Parks where there is no hunting. Ironically Banff/Jasper have the lowest genetic diversity of grizzly bears west of the foothills. Left to their own devices, without any fear of man, wildlife and predators in particular lose their fear and pay the ultimate price. So, if hunting is not a wildlife management tool you can remove every species that can be harvested that can't be eaten from the list of 'huntable' species and you can also pay someone (a park warden/CO) through your tax dollars to go out and shoot your problem bears/wolves/coyotes as opposed to having a hunter create jobs and use the animal albeit for the hide.

Secondly, the concept that wildlife only has value if its eaten is another personal choice. You're stating that if it can't be eaten there's no sense in harvesting it. So, you can write off trapping entirely, not solely recreational trapping, but trapping for beavers which flood creeks, urban deer conflicts, cougars and grizzlies which are public safety issues etc. This is not an if/and/or but argument - if you believe no animal should be killed if you can't eat it the choice is exclusive and you forgo the benefit of flood protection/property damage etc.

Lastly, wolf populations will never be managed through hunting, so the tag system would create an imaginary solution for a problem that doesn't exist. To appease the panic switch, the harvest is monitored through the hunter survey, which does not require a tag to be completed. Tags are used where conservation related concerns might exist (not applicable to wolves) and it is a way for government to capture revenue. It is likely no one would buy a wolf tag as the chances of harvesting are so low and as a result wolf harvest would go unreported.

These are all personal choices and they are yours to make, but its best if these choices are made with eyes wide open. If you don't think hunting has a role in wildlife management that is your decision, but then the benefits to the public at large are significantly diminished. Making decisions based on incomplete information generally leads to poor decisions and in the case of predators, can end up with people getting seriously hurt OR in the case of mountain caribou entire populations can and will disappear forever.

[onpoint]

Shooting every wolf you see is not the answer to protecting our game animals for the future. Wolves are a important part of the food chain. Ive never shot anything i've not intended to eat, more hunters should be like this. The grizzly bear hunt is a joke, does anyone really eat grizzly meat? ( very few ) it's a total trophy hunt. Wolves need to be controlled I agree to manage the population but going out and shooting them at our discretion is just ruthless and a waist of life. Im no tree hugger either ( I cut them down for a living ). We need to possibly have a tag system like other animals.

Drakehunter, do you use all the hides from the ungulates you kill? Do you have gloves, belts, gun slings made? What about the feathers from a grouse or duck?Calling the G-bear hunt a joke is an incredibly naive and close minded statement. You are entitled to your preferences re. killing only what you eat but to say "more hunters should be like you" is at best foolish and at worst outright ignorant self-righteous. The grizzly bear hunt provides valuable revenue to both our provincial coffers and the local economies where they exist. Get your head out of your a$$.

[Big Lew]

A pack of canines, being it wolves or coyotes, will attack and/or kill a domestic dog if they have the opportunity regardless if it's near their kill or not.
Other threads have already hashed this subject to death....I personally believe a big difference between wolves 150 years ago and now is that they now have INTRODUCED species, namely our various domestic stocks to sustain them during their traditional food supply's natural low cycles, which in the past also lowered theirs. Now, thanks to these introduced species, they have a continuous increase in their population which further puts a strain on their dwindling natural prey. A further situation that gives them an advantage compared to earlier years is all the clear cut and bug killed tree harvesting which not only takes away herbivore escape areas, but gives wolves a better chance of sighting and running their quarry down.

[ruger#1]

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/ermahgerd.jpg

Don't let the wolves eat this Pug!
That thing is so ugly.

[Rackem]

A sexy little girl coyote or wolf will come and "play" with your intact male dog...prancing so pretty, bowing, jumping, cleverly leading your dog off into the woods where the rest of the pack await the arrival of dinner...keep your puggies neutered and home!

[ruger#1]

A sexy little girl coyote or wolf will come and "play" with your intact male dog...prancing so pretty, bowing, jumping, cleverly leading your dog off into the woods where the rest of the pack await the arrival of dinner...keep your puggies neutered and home!
I had them try and do that to my dogs in this yard. Lots of missing dog pictures on our mail boxxes. I think a space ship is flying around my neighbour hood and picking them up. Wolves and coyote wouldn't eat them.

[Camp Cook]

Bwaaah haa haa haa its always such good humour to read the anti kill wolf posts...

Thanks for the laugh of the day there lucky...

:lol:

[Darksith]

Bat yodle dogs! why would they ever think to eat a pet! you should sit them down and explain to them the difference between Wild food and little old Rover. Right oh, lets sterilize the forest. Don't stop at the wolves (predators doing what predators do), lets start killing off all those wild herbivores too, after all they eat plants, and we eat plants too, or better yet lets just domesticate them, put them behind high fences, and farm our meat.

If you don't like dealing with wild animals, or entertaining the thought that you are part of a cycle, a link in a chain, maybe move to toronto? A nice concrete jungle where your pet will be safe and it can even wear a nice little coat while you sip your latte.




Dear sweet baby jebus! so you mean we might actually have to compete with other animals for our meat? how did our ancestors ever manage to survive! Hunting might get more challenging! awful, awful news!

Its funny, you obviously have no idea how bad it really is in some areas. From many deer to no deer. Just that simple. Not down to "some deer"...down to no deer. If its bad enough in areas that the CO's are spending their time trapping wolves rather than monitoring humans, then that should be setting off alarm bells you would think. You would think that the wolf explosion is simply a cycle, but its not simply because of how much we humans have changed the landscape. In pristine valleys, wolves are probably not a problem. But when roads are punched in, large areas are opened up, now the prey have no where to hide, and the wolves have easy traveling from A-B. Wolves have become excellent road hunters, this is not normal. We screwed it up in the first place, now we need to regulate it to keep things stable, rather than full of peaks and valleys in populations due to our tampering. Sometimes the valley in population drops low enough that they simply don't recover. Thats the problem, thats why we need to manage wolf populations.

[Sasqman]

On the topic of wolves and coyotes, I have some family that lives up in hemlock full time. A couple times in the past few months they have mentioned hearing "coyotes" at night, what they describe as a pack. My question is will local coyotes venture up to 3000 feet?

Paul

[ruger#1]

On the topic of wolves and coyotes, I have some family that lives up in hemlock full time. A couple times in the past few months they have mentioned hearing "coyotes" at night, what they describe as a pack. My question is will local coyotes venture up to 3000 feet?

Paul
There are wolves up there. Even before Hemlock Resort was built and There was logging up there . My father seen wolves up there when he was deer and bear hunting.
And yes coyotes will be in the higher elevations also.

[Rackem]

I hear a big pack of coyotes yodelling every night outside my trailer, no doubt hoping to catch one of my kitties...

[bearheart]

Its funny, you obviously have no idea how bad it really is in some areas. From many deer to no deer. Just that simple. Not down to "some deer"...down to no deer. If its bad enough in areas that the CO's are spending their time trapping wolves rather than monitoring humans, then that should be setting off alarm bells you would think. You would think that the wolf explosion is simply a cycle, but its not simply because of how much we humans have changed the landscape. In pristine valleys, wolves are probably not a problem. But when roads are punched in, large areas are opened up, now the prey have no where to hide, and the wolves have easy traveling from A-B. Wolves have become excellent road hunters, this is not normal. We screwed it up in the first place, now we need to regulate it to keep things stable, rather than full of peaks and valleys in populations due to our tampering. Sometimes the valley in population drops low enough that they simply don't recover. Thats the problem, thats why we need to manage wolf populations.

Very useful Is there a closed season or limit for wolf hunting, sounds like an excellent winter activity, predator calling from a blind.Yes? No?

[North Star]

No doubt wolves can be a problem. A good friend who lives on the bush line in NE Sask was saying the other day that the wolves have moved in the last couple years and the elk have all but disappeared. He knows his area and the game well and if that's what he says I fully believe him. I've been out behind his house and I couldn't take two steps before stepping in elk droppings or crossing their tracks. Now they're outta there.

He lost a dog a number of months back and thinks it was the wolves. Last year he was in work camp and got a call that one of his yearling horses was dead, figures it was the wolves too. Locals are losing all kinds of domestic animals. A few weeks ago his local hunting partner saw a pack come out of the bush and in to farm field. He counted 17 wolves in that pack. That's a lot of deer, elk and moose eating machinery.

Someone mentioned wolves in the Squamish valley. While I'm totally against eradication those packs need to be hit hard or the Rosie transplant will have been for naught.

[Rackem]

Just like the Mountain Caribou Relocation......




http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/transplanted-purcell-mountain-caribou-fail-to-survive-1.1186614

[ruger#1]

Oh Please. Why can't wolves just go to the grocery store and get their food like the rest of us.Whats wrong with you people. LOL

[takla1]

Oh Please. Why can't wolves just go to the grocery store and get their food like the rest of us.Whats wrong with you people. LOL
case in point....the yr i shot the dewdney area wolf ruger and i got skunked till ruger got a young b-t buck right near the end of the season.We hunt a few different areas in this general area and up to then we saw little sign of rutting behavior where on an average yr it those area's we'd pick off @ least 1-2 blacktail bucks by nov.30th and there would be lots of sign around.Undobtebly that wolf being in the area had reduced the local b-t population as well as preditating on local farmers stock.

[ruger#1]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/wolf_021.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/wolf_020.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/wolf_018.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/wolf_015.jpg
I'm in the camo. I weigh 180,LBS

[takla1]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/wolf_021.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/wolf_020.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/wolf_018.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/wolf_015.jpg
I'm in the camo. I weigh 180,LBS
thanks for the pic mark......and im 6'2 270...that gives you an idea of the size of this wolf.

[gcreek]

Big dog, I could never get that snuggly with the flea ridden, stinkin' b-tards to have a photo taken like that.

A couple of posters mentioned roads being the reason packs are growing. What do you think they traveled on 60-70 years ago at their last peak? If there are too many, they will move. Roads or not.

[Sasqman]

case in point....the yr i shot the dewdney area wolf ruger and i got skunked till ruger got a young b-t buck right near the end of the season.We hunt a few different areas in this general area and up to then we saw little sign of rutting behavior where on an average yr it those area's we'd pick off @ least 1-2 blacktail bucks by nov.30th and there would be lots of sign around.Undobtebly that wolf being in the area had reduced the local b-t population as well as preditating on local farmers stock.

Very interesting, as me and my father-in-law have often discussed the lack of deer sightings up in the hemlock valley area. I drive that road 30plus times a year, and he lives up there. Sightings of deer both on the main road, and while off quadding have drastically declined over the last 10 years.

Paul

[ruger#1]

Very interesting, as me and my father-in-law have often discussed the lack of deer sightings up in the hemlock valley area. I drive that road 30plus times a year, and he lives up there. Sightings of deer both on the main road, and while off quadding have drastically declined over the last 10 years.

Paul
I used to work with a guy that lived at the Douglas Indian Reserve, At the the north end of Harrison Lake. I was hunting above twenty mile bay. And seen what was a grizzly bear. I asked him if there were grizzlys in that area and he told me that there are a few. So there might be some up in your parents area as well.

[Wild one]

Hunters who have a problem with hunting wolves need to look at things in a simple way. You cannot have a balanced eco system if you only remove prey animals and no predators. If you can explain to me how you will achieve balance by only removing prey animals I would love to here it.

For those who think mother nature is in charge of looking after the balance there is a major flaw here. Man has changed the landscape and impacts wildlife populations to unnatural levels do to the way we live. If you want mother nature to look after the balance you will first need to convince the human population to lower there numbers and go back to a primitive life style.

Like it or not the human race has screwed up the eco system to the point it can no longer run proper cycles.

Wolves should not be decimated but yes there numbers cannot be left to run wild.

Hunters do not have the ability to decimate the wolf population with legal methods wolves are not stupid so I would not worry about them disappearing.

[bugler]

Compared to what we used to see there is next to nothing left in the EK. We are encountering, and hearing stories about, predators like never before, and there are very few acquaintances of mine who have had any action with the elk, let alone shoot one. I have my fingers crossed that this is the top end of the pred cycle and they are about to start starving. I know many hunters around here are resolving to put some effort into hunting them this winter, and I've heard of some little tricks that some are using to help reduce the wolves...

I think very few of us want to see them disappear, but there has to be some reduction in the populations or we are going to start losing hunters. For most it just isn't much fun out there when you see f'all.

[Piperdown]

If you we hunt/control the game population then isn't it simple we have to do the same with the predators also????

[Rackem]

I used to work with a guy that lived at the Douglas Indian Reserve, At the the north end of Harrison Lake. I was hunting above twenty mile bay. And seen what was a grizzly bear. I asked him if there were grizzlys in that area and he told me that there are a few. So there might be some up in your parents area as well.


I was hunting in that area with my daddy when I was about 16, and we saw a MASSIVE grizzly. We were up on a ridge, observing the bear walk through some grass below us. His hump was clearing the grass by about a foot. Later on, when we got down into that valley bottom, we realized that the grass he was walking through was six feet tall....

[Gilmore]

Spent the last 7 days of Mule Deer season in the Yalakom last December. Never seen or heard wolves like that in my life, we heard them at all times of the day and all night. Fresh snow nearly every morning we were there and in that snow fresh wolf tracks around camp every time. This flurry of wolf activity was topped off by watching a pack of 21 wolves walk across a rock slide through the spotter. Never in my 25+ years of hunting that area have I experienced anything like that. I have nothing against a healthy wolf population and I am no biologist but to me those numbers seem extreme. There were plenty of deer around but I wonder how things will be this year. That one pack if the studies I have read are correct would need to consume at minimum 500+ animals in a year to remain healthy. I don't know the retention numbers in 3-32 but I do know I didn't see all the wolves either.

Our role in animal populations is no doubt complex. The ways we have impacted our environment in the just past 100 years simply by being here is staggering and to now bury our heads in the sand and say it will all work itself out the way it has for thousands of years is completely irresponsible and naive at best.

[frenchbar]

Spent the last 7 days of Mule Deer season in the Yalakom last December. Never seen or heard wolves like that in my life, we heard them at all times of the day and all night. Fresh snow nearly every morning we were there and in that snow fresh wolf tracks around camp every time. This flurry of wolf activity was topped off by watching a pack of 21 wolves walk across a rock slide through the spotter. Never in my 25+ years of hunting that area have I experienced anything like that. I have nothing against a healthy wolf population and I am no biologist but to me those numbers seem extreme. There were plenty of deer around but I wonder how things will be this year. That one pack if the studies I have read are correct would need to consume at minimum 500+ animals in a year to remain healthy. I don't know the retention numbers in 3-32 but I do know I didn't see all the wolves either.

Our role in animal populations is no doubt complex. The ways we have impacted our environment in the just past 100 years simply by being here is staggering and to now bury our heads in the sand and say it will all work itself out the way it has for thousands of years is completely irresponsible and naive at best.

they will be renaming it hungry valley soon ..:icon_frow..

[BearSniper]

Good shooting on the Wolves. Very brazen they are.

[180grainer]

Those don't look like healthy dogs. Maybe just a bad picture.

[Phreddy]

actually, I was talking to a rancher in the Quesnel area last year and he was telling me that because they couldn't put a bounty on wolves the Cattlemens Association up there have created a contest for the greatest number of dead wolves entered. The critters had started to run out of game and started to go to work on livestock.
I've only seen one good wolf in my life. It was dead.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Just ordered a pallet of chewing gum with artifical sweetener. Anyone want in on the deal??? Just be careful around your dogs as it's highly toxic to canines;)

SSS

[Stumphunter]

I have serious problems with Wolfs on my Farm. Is there somebody out there how knows what kind of Poison I can use and where I can get it?
Thanks in advance

[Rackem]

LOL see post above yours, Xylitol, made from birch cellulose, is highly toxic to dogs. It is in some chewing gums. comes as a granulated form as a sugar substitute...

Not sure on the legalities or ethical considerations however, consult with an authority.

http://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/pet-articles/pet-health-toxins/Xylitol-Poisoning.aspx
Xylitol PoisoningSugar Substitute Is Toxic To Pets

Xylitol is a sugar substitute commonly used in toothpastes, mouthwash, sugarless gum, certain cough medicines and children's chewable multi-vitamins. It also used in many baked goods and candies. This product is recommended for diabetics and those following a low-carbohydrate diet. However, xylitol is extremely dangerous to your dog.

How Xylitol Can Harm Your DogThe effects of xylitol on your dog are immediate and can be very severe. Signs of toxicity can be seen in as few as 30 minutes, says the American Veterinary Medical Association (http://www.avma.org/animal_health/default.asp).
Ingestion of any small amounts of the product will cause the rapid release of insulin in dogs and result in hypoglycemia, warns Dr. David W. Reinhard (http://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/veterinary-bios.aspx#Reinhard), a consulting veterinarian for VPI Pet Insurance. Hypoglycemia results in vomiting, weakness, and sometimes seizures. In some cases, xylitol poisoning can result in liver failure, Reinhard adds. As little as two or three sticks of xylitol gum could be toxic to a 20-pound dog.

[luckofthedraw]

Just got home from a 5 day hunt with Nil to show. Heavy wolf sign in the area. I remember a post, that I believe was "sticky'd" so we could help others know where wolves were spotted. I cannot seem to locate the post now. Does anyone know where that post went?

[juiceterboost]

Gilmore I hunt the yalakom alot. In the last four years I have seen one big mulie wolf kill. And probably six moose that have been killed by wolves, two of which were close to a week old and not fed on at all. The wolf population is brutal in that area and it seems that as the snow hits they move in from region 5 and the deer and moose activity dries up. our group has shot three in the past ten years, and countless more sightings they are just difficult to get a shot at. The local trapper either needs to get active or sell off that trapline to an individual that will use it.

[1899]

Same for us on our moose hunt this year. Tons of wolf sign, crazy amount of howling and no moose.

For scale, that is a 7mm RM at just under 3.4" COAL.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/1899/wolftrack_zpse730d955.jpg

[luckofthedraw]

Ya, I have similar pic to that. Big Alpha's. I heard from the CO that they flew overhead in the winter and had 6 moose on the summit surrounded by wolf everywhere. That was in region 3. Is that thread/site still out there where you can let others know where you found them......anybody? Im wanting to check it out and eventually start knocking down some of these guys.

[dingdongdenny]

its called
http://www.wolftracker.ca/
post all your wolf sitting there

[luckofthedraw]

ty tripple D.

[Getbent]

Never really had the itch to shoot a wolf...but this year...no problem as the evidence clearly shows they are on the rise. My buddy saw three two years ago up around loon lake and last year my son and I followed some tracks that were paralleling some cows that had not moved down yet...gonna take a predator call up this year.

[oldersniper]

If you get that excited you don't belong in the woods with a rifle