Anyone want to talk some sense into this guy?

87TT

WKR
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I have been to Yellowstone a few times over my long life. When I was a younger we used to see moose every trip. Since the wolves return, I have seen zero. We spent a week driving all over the park looking for moose and nothing. The ranger said they hadn't seen any and suggested down in the south Tetons. In a small town outside the park in MT they had moose but not in the park. They ranger in Madison said they used to have four big bull elk that used to be in the area but the wolves killed tree of them that year.
The USDA trapper in our area of ID told me to kill very wolf I could. I will given the opportunity. ID DFG has supported the Foundation for Wildlife Management which will pay you to kill a wolf.
 
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I have been to Yellowstone a few times over my long life. When I was a younger we used to see moose every trip. Since the wolves return, I have seen zero. We spent a week driving all over the park looking for moose and nothing. The ranger said they hadn't seen any and suggested down in the south Tetons. In a small town outside the park in MT they had moose but not in the park. They ranger in Madison said they used to have four big bull elk that used to be in the area but the wolves killed tree of them that year.
The USDA trapper in our area of ID told me to kill very wolf I could. I will given the opportunity. ID DFG has supported the Foundation for Wildlife Management which will pay you to kill a wolf.
Well that settles it

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Pacific_Fork

Well Known Rokslider
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They have to be managed like all prey species are, they cant be "reintroduced" when they are already f'n in Colorado. Why is CPW not allowed to speak their mind on the matter? ... How blatantly corrupt that sounds to me. Ballot box biology is one of the top problems with our society today, how a lonely city over weight cat lady sitting in her apartment can contribute to pushing for apex predators in the mountains and ecosystems in which she is entirely ignorant of. If we werent over populated with 350 million people in this country Id go trap wolves in canada and bring them to the sierra nevadas myself because they are amazing animals. Wolves cannot be turned off once they have eaten a large chunk of ungulates in their home range, unlike human hunters....
 

Pacific_Fork

Well Known Rokslider
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What in the holy jesus did this guy say?

"I support Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Its dedicated staff members do a great job with a diminishing budget. After all, there are fewer and fewer hunters."

Fewer hunters in Colorado? CPW has a diminishing budget? Someone provide facts to back this claim up or I am convinced that this article was written by the President of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project.
 

Marble

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This issue won't be resolved with logic because there are tons of people who have an agenda. Not science.

I have an agenda. Combined with my experience in the woods. Wolves are not needed. It serves no benefit for us or nature. There's no homeostasis that will be accomplished when. Using hunters, wolves and ungulate populations to achieve a balance won't happen.

Putting wolves back into areas they have historically been is like putting cancer back in people who used to have it. They used to have it. It should be there. We can control....right...

Its creating a problem that isn't addressing a problem.

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Wrote a research paper in college on elk and wolves..cited a study multiple times that found a direct correlation to being pro wolf and the proximity to which you live to wolves..city people love em and want em since they won’t have to deal with em...ranchers and most hunters damn sure don’t want em...hard to make a living with wolves around..I think our forefathers proved that when they shot em out

Thus the saying, "The further away you are from home...the dumber you are."
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
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I'm hoping that in my lifetime there will be apex predators thriving in a balanced ecosystem in all suitable habitat, managed by the States, with fair and equitable compensation given to livestock owners for mortalities and morbidity associated with predation.
We already have THE apex predator thriving in the ecosystem.
 

edwal

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I'm not trying to be disrespectful but 50% to even 60% proves that they don't " kill mostly the weak/sick". That percentage would have to be above 75 - 80% . It actually proves they are opportunistic hunters and I couldn't see how anyone could argue that if those numbers were put in front of them. I also have a difficult time trusting a state to make the decision to reintroduce an apex predator when they cannot figure out why the calve mortality rate has increased dramatically. Don't get me wrong I don't hate wolves I just think that in order to reintroduce a predator of that factor we had better truly understand the fragile state that we are in and what cause and effect we could be starting.
 

KHNC

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Private study conducted jointly between the ranching operation and a conservation foundation. I am not at liberty to disclose details until/if the data is published. Study area is Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in MT south of Bozeman. The basis of the research was to see what effect wolves and griz are having on a large ranch that has substantial hunting revenue from the elk resource.



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I , For One, dont trust a damn thing you have written. It directly contradicts what i have seen first hand in the mountains of Montana and Idaho regarding wolves. I dont even believe you are actually even an elk hunter.

*I looked back through a year or so worth of your posts. Only reference to elk hunting is NM and CO. Neither of which are wolf populated elk hunting states. Show me a Montana or Idaho public land elk license and maybe someone will give you some credibility.
 
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jolemons

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I'm not trying to be disrespectful but 50% to even 60% proves that they don't " kill mostly the weak/sick". That percentage would have to be above 75 - 80% . It actually proves they are opportunistic hunters and I couldn't see how anyone could argue that if those numbers were put in front of them. I also have a difficult time trusting a state to make the decision to reintroduce an apex predator when they cannot figure out why the calve mortality rate has increased dramatically. Don't get me wrong I don't hate wolves I just think that in order to reintroduce a predator of that factor we had better truly understand the fragile state that we are in and what cause and effect we could be starting.
The mathematical reason is that even if 50% of their diet cane from "sick" animals, their prey base is not 50% "sick". The proportion of "sick" prey may only be like 10%, which is a scientific wild a$$ guess, but it's definately not 50%. That is evidence that the two packs studied are targeting "sick" animals more so than "healthy". Is it an opportunistic thing? Maybe. I just look at the data.

I do agree that it's a complicated issue that Colorado is not prepared for.

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jolemons

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I , For One, dont trust a damn thing you have written. It directly contradicts what i have seen first hand in the mountains of Montana and Idaho regarding wolves. I dont even believe you are actually even an elk hunter.

*I looked back through a year or so worth of your posts. Only reference to elk hunting is NM and CO. Neither of which are wolf populated elk hunting states. Show me a Montana or Idaho public land elk license and maybe someone will give you some credibility.
Not sure what I said seems to contradict what you've seen. The elk herd will be diminished, as I stated in multiple posts.

The study area is one large ranch in the GYE with 2 packs of wolves. Take it for what it's worth. I would in no way imply that it correlates to other regions or ecosystems.



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jolemons

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Also, an important consideration that hasn't been mentioned, is not the impact on game animals, but on livestock. As a rancher, my and others loverhoods depend on the performance of livestock. Compensation from the Feds or State for a depredation is a challenge and often does not happen. The conditions have to be ideal for an investigation to take place and for compensation to be awarded. Ranching was the driver for removing predators from the landscape and we still haven't solved the issue. Without ranchers (landowners) onboard with living with the predators, there will always be conflict.

I used to do ranch consulting in the GYE, mostly in Montana, and anecdotally, most ranchers were fine with grizzlies and wolves on parts of the landscape. However, they don't want them everywhere, like in their calving area, and they want a more fair system for depredation compensation. I've spent a lot of time trying to come up with a good system, but they all seem to be full of holes.
 

Wrench

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One doesn't have to do much guessing on the subject. Look at every single state that has had wolves, look how many lawsuits have been filed regarding the subject. Look at total ungulate population trends in the time window......and somehow people think it'll be different in the next state.

I'm not great on being soft.....so forgive me if this is offensive, if you believe your state will be different, you're a dumbass.
 
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drop them off in the cities
No need in the Northeast...coywolves (coyote-wolf hybrids) now reside in the cities. In the past they were so sneaky people rarely saw them but now they a regular sight in places like the Bronx, Long Island and many other cities and states. Their primary food source? Cats, dogs, rats and trash. True story. Lotsa little pre-made "dens" in the cities for them. They are literally everywhere. First time I saw one I thought I seeing things.
 
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