G&F wolf release news

[Couzer]

I know a fellow that had a problem with a few over at silver creek.

 

Btw 2000 the post, I had to get one in.

[Non-Typical Solutions]

Buddy of mine called me today. He was camping on the rim off the 300 road with his grandkids. He had a 1-year old on his lap and saw what he thought was a coyote. He plucked a blade of grass and squeeled on it and this beast RAN towards him and at about 20 yards he realized that it was the largest coyote he had ever seen in his life. He stood up and it did not flee, but it continued to circle around them in the forest. He yelled for his son in law to come out of their trailer with his AR-15, but he was unable to get a shot off. They went out and saw its prints, which were too huge to be a coyote. As the sun began going down they heard this wolf howling going on right behind their camp.

 

So his question, which I am passing on to you is this: Have our wolves spread up to the rim country already? They were going to shoot this beast without a second thought as they figured the wolves were only in unit 1 or unit 27.

 

If they are there, I will be a little more worried sleeping on a cot outside while bear hunting.

Kidso, I hate to say it but this is only the beginning of the wolf encounters and the range will not be controlled......despite what the wolf people say.

 

I really don't have a problem with the wolf idea as long as it becomes a part of the regular hunting draw along with all other big game animals.......

[elkaholic]

It's only a matter of time before someone is attacked and killed by one or more of these wolves- they are not afraid of humans.

 

our history showed that they were very dangerous and they were killed- hunted down- destroyed - wiped out for a reason.

 

a reintroduction in areas where they will have close contact with people whom won't be able to escape or even know what happened is almost a guarantee-most will be totally unaware of any danger.

 

It may be on your next vacation- summer time outing - camping or even sitting at a lake fishing

 

enjoy your family outing and take that nature walk - watch your children out picking flowers in a meadow with out a care in the world .

 

a silent deadly killer is watching and waiting

 

I pray it never happens but we all know its coming.

[111]

There is no reason to ruin Arizona hunting due to Wolves. Once Wolves begin to multiply throughout Arizona they will destroy hunting throughout the State, and the proof is what Wolves have already done to Idaho and Yellowstone Park. Once Wolf numbers hit a certain population they eventually kill too many big game animals and will have to be controlled. It's very expensive to control Wolf populations and is an ongoing endless effort on ranchers, hunters and trappers. Idaho often establishes multiple bag limits on Wolves just to keep some kind of control to the population explosion. If Arizona can not stop the re-introduction of Wolves, we'll be wasting a lot more money and reading plenty more stories like the one's below.

 

--BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho wildlife officials say it cost $30,000 to kill 23 wolves last month in northern Idaho.

Idaho Fish and Game announced earlier this week the money is coming from licenses the agency sells. The agency last month said USDA Wildlife Service agents killed the wolves using a helicopter in the Lolo elk zone near the Montana border to improve elk survival in the area. It’s the sixth time the agency has taken action to kill wolves in the Lolo zone in the past four years. Forty-eight wolves have been killed in all. The state’s predator management plan calls for killing wolves when Idaho Fish and Game determines they are causing conflicts with people or domestic animals, or that they are a significant factor in declining numbers of elk or deer.

 

 

Idaho Officials hike bag limits for 2012 Wolf hunt

--BOISE, Idaho — Idaho wildlife officials have agreed to boost bag limits, expand trapping and extend hunting seasons in some areas to help further reduce wolf populations in all corners of the state. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved the adjustments Thursday to the 2012 wolf hunting rules. The changes will go into effect when hunters set out for the backcountry later this year. Idaho's wolf managers estimate there are now 500 to 600 wolves roaming the state, down from the more than 1,000 when the 2011 hunting season opened in August. Hunters and trappers have killed 364 wolves since the season opened, while dozens more have died of natural causes, been killed for preying on livestock or targeted as part of strategy to lessen impacts on specific elk herds in the state. "Our harvest focus is to be more aggressive in areas where we anticipate more conflicts ... and providing relief on big game animals," Jon Rachael, Idaho's wolf manager, told the commission.

Idaho is one of two states with authority from the federal government to manage wolf numbers using public hunts. Federal officials require Idaho to maintain a population of at least 150 wolves and 10 breeding pairs. After protections were lifted last year, game managers in both states drafted rules for hunting and trapping. In Idaho's first season with trapping sanctioned by the state, trappers have made a significant impact on the 2011 harvest, accounting for nearly one-third of all wolves killed during the 10-month season. "Trapping has been a very effective tool," Rachael said. In Montana, ranchers and some sportsmen are growing more irritated with hunting rules that have not led to population control results shown so far in Idaho. The state's hunt that ended earlier this month netted just 75 percent of the quota of 220 animals set by game managers. Some local leaders in Montana say that's insufficient to control wolf growth and have pushed to raise the state quota or even offer bounties that pay $100 for an adult wolf carcass or $20 on a pup. Tweaks to Idaho's wolf hunting rules approved Thursday are aimed at boosting harvest numbers next year. The changes include:

 

• Increasing bag limits to five wolf tags for hunters and five for trappers in five northern hunting zones.
• Extending season length on private land in a northern Idaho hunting zone and on public land in two zones in eastern Idaho.
• Expanding bag limits in two hunting zones and adding trapping to two hunting units in central Idaho.

 

Rachael said it's too soon to measure the impact of Idaho's hunting and other management tools on the goal of stabilizing wolf numbers and bringing the species' population in line with other wildlife. A more accurate picture will emerge next year after biologists can analyze the impact of two years of hunting and reproduction cycles.

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/idaho-officials-hike-bag-limits-for-wolf-hunt/article_c9a06f4f-f6d1-5656-9dd6-f578210ffddb.html#ixzz309jKEr2k

 

[ctafoya]

I don't see the big deal. Tree stands and suppressed AR's and this sound like fun to me!!

[ctafoya]

On a seroius note, don't go out there unarmed. If you see one, then you don't see the other two circling and closing in. My inlaws run into these things almost every time they go out in the woods. They've been circled a few times and I'm sure more then they know.

[ThomC]

Everyone should carry a shovel in their truck.

[Non-Typical Solutions]

We were out coyote calling one wintery day a couple of years back......had a larger than life predator coming in when we noticed the collar.

Not wanting to end up in prison we abandoned the spot, got up and just watched as the wolf watched us.

 

We attempted to scare the wolf off by jumping up and down and yelling at it.......it was not even fazed. Just stood there glaring at us like we were idiots...........the wolf was not afraid of us what so ever.......

 

 

[kidso]

We were out coyote calling one wintery day a couple of years back......had a larger than life predator coming in when we noticed the collar.

Not wanting to end up in prison we abandoned the spot, got up and just watched as the wolf watched us.

 

We attempted to scare the wolf off by jumping up and down and yelling at it.......it was not even fazed. Just stood there glaring at us like we were idiots...........the wolf was not afraid of us what so ever.......

[/quote

 

Been there and done that, but almost squoze the trigger as it barreled out of the brush at me as a reflex response while calling alone

[bonecollector777]

Kidso, we talked to some white mountain apache game and fish biologists up where I live that were setting up cameras along the 3c and reservation line. They said the azgfd had trail cam pics of four different wolves between my house and gentry lookout tower and they were trying to pattern where their range was. Those wolves are in more places than we think. The azgfd will never admit how far they have spread but stories like some have told in this thread tell you it's true.

[WhtMtnHunter]

The only group I am not surprised to see on that list is Big Game Forever. The northern wolf has been a huge cash cow for them and delisting has been a serious drain on their fundraising. Looks like the Mexican Wolf is their new money maker.

 

Maybe the remaining groups needs some education on the art of negotiation. Simply put, negotiation is imposing your will on the other party and gaining an advantage. This seems to be more of a compromise, if not a complete surrender. Point by point.

 

• Allowing up to triple the target number of Mexican wolves in the Southwest from the 1982 recovery plan's goal of not less than 100 wolves to achieve a self-sustaining population. A HUGE loss for hunters and those who call themselves their representatives. This is clearly a win for wolf advocates who want 1000+ wolves in this state. Wolf advocates always believe the ends justify the means and simply cannot be trusted to adhere to any agreement. Does anyone really believe that once the Mexican Wolf numbers 300 or more that the wolf advocates will simply agree to state management? This is incredibly naive given the fact that they are still taking Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming to court over the 2000 wolves there when they agreed to just having about 500-700. If they could work into the agreement a lawyer proof statement that when the Mexican wolf numbers 301 then there will be 1 hunting tag, and when they number 350 then there will be 50 hunting tags we might have some teeth in the agreement. As it stands now it is simply a surrender to wolf advocates. Some may argue that Wyoming's stance on the wolf caused extensive delays in overall delisting, but look at who has the least amount of wolves and the most aggressive management. Wyoming only has 300 wolves and a predator zone where they are on the same level as coyotes, Idaho and Montana both have 700-1000 wolves in each state and more tightly controlled hunts for wolves. I would rather see Arizona take the Wyoming position.
• Major expansion of the area where wolves can be released to include the Secondary Recovery Zone. Another HUGE loss for hunters and exactly what the pro-wolf advocates want. Wolf advocates want Mexican wolves to expand into the Kaibab plateau, Southern Utah, Colorado, and all of New Mexico. They desire "connectivity" with the larger wolves in Wyoming and Idaho. Acquiescing for an expansion of the recovery zone is exactly what the wolf advocates desire. And the "stakeholders" apparently are giving them everything they want.
• Expansion of the area where Mexican wolves can disperse and establish territories. Wyoming allowed the wolf to expand to limited areas outside Yellowstone National Park. Everywhere else was considered to be the predator zone and wolves are treated like coyotes, year round hunting with no bag limit. Arizona should adopt this stance. Any wolf that leaves the Apache Sitgreaves is considered the same as a coyote with a year round season and no bag limit. This would be in the spirit of the original plan agreed upon with the wolf advocates of 100 wolves. This would force their dispersal in a southward direction towards their historical range in Mexico. Furthermore, wolf advocates should live up to the original agreement before they are trusted to negotiate a new one.
• Establishment of a connectivity corridor for wolves to disperse to the species' core historical range in Mexico. According to Game and Fish about 75+% of the Mexican wolf diet is elk. How many elk are there in Mexico? Pretending that Mexican wolves will move south to Mexico is ridiculous when every documented movement of the species has been northwest across Arizona in the direction of Flagstaff, basically in the zone where the majority of elk live. I would like to see one documented discovery of Mexican wolves moving south of the Apache Sitgreaves and making a living on coues deer and javelina.
• Recognition of the importance of Mexico as a primary element to successful Mexican wolf recovery. I am sure the wolf advocates would happily agree to this. Why wouldn't they? They have no control over Mexico and know that 1000 wolves in Arizona is just as good as 5 wolves in Mexico. Recognition of the Mexican wolves historical range has little impact on the Endangered Species Act since it can only be enforced in the United States. Not even a symbolic victory for hunters.

I'm glad the RMEF didn't sign up for this garbage; I'll probably donate to that organization from now on.

[111]

Expansion of the area where Mexican wolves can disperse and establish territories. Wyoming allowed the wolf to expand to limited areas outside Yellowstone National Park. Everywhere else was considered to be the predator zone and wolves are treated like coyotes, year round hunting with no bag limit. Arizona should adopt this stance. Any wolf that leaves the Apache Sitgreaves is considered the same as a coyote with a year round season and no bag limit. This would be in the spirit of the original plan agreed upon with the wolf advocates of 100 wolves. This would force their dispersal in a southward direction towards their historical range in Mexico. Furthermore, wolf advocates should live up to the original agreement before they are trusted to negotiate a new one.

 

 

 

These Wolf advocates will continue to ask for more Wolves and keep asking until Big Game animals become unhuntable or non-existant. This is the advocates goal and if we don't fight against the expanding Wolf population hunting will be of the past. It's hard understand how anyone who considers themselves a sportsman or hunter could want any Wolf recovery, let alone a large recovery. I think if, or when the Wolf reaches Central Arizona it's going to get pretty expensive to keep the Wolf population going...

[Non-Typical Solutions]

Really curios and waiting to hear from somebody that can enlighten us on why some of these hunting organizations jumped in with the wolf program?

What is the twist we don't understand?

I know we have members of some of these organizations that frequent this site.

Maybe we are working off of bad information?

[PRDATR]

Really curios and waiting to hear from somebody that can enlighten us on why some of these hunting organizations jumped in with the wolf program?

What is the twist we don't understand?

I know we have members of some of these organizations that frequent this site.

Maybe we are working off of bad information?

I don't know why but was thinking that they may have joined as a requirement to be be included in having a voice in the decision making process in the future.

 

Kidso, I had friend who was sleeping on the ground in his sleeping bag on the mountain NE of Punkin Center and a bear came into camp during the night and grabbed him by the head and started dragging him away. He was with some friends and there was a dog or two in camp when the bear came in but they managed to chase it away. He ended up having to get rabies shots and the bear was never caught. I would be leery of sleeping on the ground.

[AverageJoe]

Steve can you chime in here as to why the az elk society is part of this?