Ready for the wolves

[Lefty]

Last Friday and Saturday evenings I made it over to the Western Region National Trappers convenvention at the Fairgrounds in Blackfoot and took the required wolf trapping education.
A neighbor kid sparked my intrest when he asked if I had traps for wolves. He had taken the class last year because the plan was to expand the trapping area into the area where they have a family cabin.

Ill be ready when(if ? ) the state opens the southern region up for wolf trapping. And since I have permission on two ranchers where wolves have been spotted.

I see absolutly no scientific / biological reason why this area wouldnt be opened sooner rather than later. We still have three or more times the wolves the feds require and just shooting season isnt keeping the numbers down

[ElkNut1]

Dennis, hope it works out in your favor! If so share some photos of your traps set & hopefully some success ones too. Thanks.

ElkNut1

[Lefty]

Not that II wouldnt be excited about trapping or snaring a wolf or two. But I will be more than trilled if the neighbor kid catches one.

Whe I trapped fox in one area in northern Minnesota I purposely set a certian brand of trap that coyotes could sometimes pull apart so any wolf would pull them apart and i wouldnt have to deal with releasing them. I had a number of wolves pull apart traps without any stuggle.

When ever I get a chance Ive been bending the ears of politicains, biologist and Conservation officers for a state wide wolf trapping season.
Right now the Fish and game is tip-toeing around trapping and it was all because of the pic of the live wolf with the "pink snow". that many of us saw on the net.
Montana set up their wolf trapping season and the way some read the law trappers are to immediatly kill their wolves with some believing that means no pictures of live held in the trap animals

[wawhitey]

come sprinkle some traps around wa

[Lefty]

come sprinkle some traps around wa

Cage traps!! right

With Washington and Oregons trap laws it will be tough. Sounds like the numbers just keep growing out there. It took Minnesota 40 years to follow Idahos footsteps and open a season, so maybe there is a chance, slim but maybe.

[Indian Summer]

I see absolutly no scientific / biological reason why this area wouldnt be opened sooner rather than later. We still have three or more times the wolves the feds require and just shooting season isnt keeping the numbers down

What does biologically or scientifically correct have to do with politically correct? Answer: Nothing.

I'll be hunting Montana this year with no elk tag. Strictly wolves and I CAN'T WAIT! Limit 5. I guess I could stop there since it's politically correct. But then again.... I'm not even registered to vote so I could have diplomatic immunity. Stay tuned for pics.

Best of luck to you.

[lang]

One more thing to try, been hearing that straw from your dog kennel works better than anything for scent around traps.

[Lefty]

One more thing to try, been hearing that straw from your dog kennel works better than anything for scent around traps.

Just an observation: I live near a reservation.
Where my friends have been seeing a wolf about 1 1/2 miles from my place : the family that had 23 dogs a month ago now have 4 And the dogs dont leave the yard. I mentioned that to a neighbor that does a lot of biking,.. The res dog numbers have dropped dramatically this spring and summer.

[Buglemaster]

Good luck in Montana Joe! A big bad wolf is at the top of my bucket list. Wish I could join you.Hope ya "catch your limit".

[Freebird134]

Limit 5. I guess I could stop there since it's politically correct. But then again.... I'm not even registered to vote so I could have diplomatic immunity.

Do you often not follow game laws?

[Indian Summer]

Always have. But I can tell you that if they relisted wolves as endangered I would not. It would be a strictly political move and anything but scientific or biological. Common sense and love of elk and all of the other animals decimated by elk would trump the little political game that they've played with wolf management. Mostly just common sense. I have always said.... if they allow us to manage wolves and the limit is 1 then so be it. But if they take away our ability to manage them then I will admit with no shame or guilt that there is one critter that the politicians cannot protect and there would be no limit. Sorry if you disagree. It's no less ethical than the wolf huggers not sticking to the agreed population numbers until elk herds were decimated.

Just to be clear... I have no animosity toward wolves or any other predators. it's the humans that toy with mother nature for personal agendas that I have ill feelings for. The wolves are just being wolves. Too bad we don't have an open season on Judge Malloy or I'd be dropping his head of at Big Sky Beetle works. Nuff said! If you have an hour I'll tell you why I feel so strongly about the subject and Ill justify my feelings too.

If you've never had them in your back yard you wouldn't understand. Ask Welka & others with actual hands on experience.

Imagine if we told everyone in the midwest they couldn't hunt coyotes anymore? What would become of their deer herds? What would they do? think about that. Too extreme to imagine?

Keep in mind too that our local biologists and state fish and game as well as those in other states have agreed that we needed to reduce wolf populations while our hands were tied by the feds. Local law enforcement wouldn't even investigate reports of wolf kills. The governor of Montana was on the local news saying that residents should hunt wolves and he would not waste a penny to even respond to reports of wolves being hunted or trapped. So... unethical? Not.

[Freebird134]

I personally wouldn't poach anything, but I also never really looked down on anyone wanting to practice the 3 S's. But you got to remember that last "S". My biggest concern with poachers is their effect on how the non-hunting public views hunters. The benefit of poaching a wolf or 2 for the elk herd is minimal; it's effect on public opinion of hunters can be enormous. I've got nothing against wolf hunting, and was glad when we became the first state to open a season, and hope everyone tags out. But I'm not ok with boasting about poaching. I just worry about who sees those sorts of things and its effects on the rest of us.

[WapitiTalk1]

Go get em Lefty. I still have a hard time telling the difference between wolfs and coyotes You just cannot introduce that kind of an apex predator into a system that is not used to it and expect a balance. Yes, they're beautiful animals and reside quite well in the openness of Canada and Alaska but not in the lower 48. It doesn't work as evidenced by the past 15 years. They've "mysteriously" appeared in western WA. Probably not politically correct, but I'm of the opinion they should be stopped before they spread. Just my thoughts.

[Indian Summer]

If the correct management procedures were implimented it wouldn't be poaching. I guess it should also be mentioned that the area I hunt wolves is ground zero. The only unit in this country so far that has actually lost it's elk and deer tags due to wolf predation. Shooting wolves may not be a valid decision in many other places but in Montana's unit 250 even the local sherrif will tell you the ethical thing to do is cull wolves. For that unit it may actually be a little to late.

If an anti isn't afraid to say he wants to ban hunting I'm not afraid to say go ahead and try. It's similar to the situation where people say if my state bans guns I will never give mine up and the local sherrif says he's behind me. The locals know what's best for the locals and it isn't always what they dream up back in D.C. I suppose some people were called criminals for dumping the tea overboard in Boston. But to others they were the original patriots. Conform isn't really in my vocabulary. To each his own I suppose. I'm an open book.

[JoeH2o]

Managing central Idaho

[WapitiTalk1]

Managing central Idaho

Yeah baby! That's a nice wild doggie right there.

[wawhitey]

im hoping to go manage the panhandle a bit this year. you know, just for now, until we can manage washington

[JoeH2o]

Doubled up on a pack.

[WapitiTalk1]

Doubled up on a pack.

Nice double!