Sportsmen's Action Needed

[rthrbhntng]

Arizona Elk, Deer and Wolves.

 

The wolf people, including those groups like the Humane Society of the United States, PETA, the Sierra Club, and Defenders of Wildlife, want to do away with Elk and Deer hunting, want to expand the wolf population in Arizona to include all Elk and Deer habitat across the central part of the state as well as north of the Grand Canyon. The maps they are using overlay, almost perfectly, all the Elk and Deer habitat in the state. These groups will stop at nothing and have authored many articles without including all the information about the truth. Look how long it took Montana, Wyoming and Idaho to get hunting of the wolves and now they are back in court spending millions of dollars fighting the wolf people that want the hunting to stop, even though it was always part of the plan from the beginning. We don’t need this in Arizona.

 

Please take a few minutes and protect our Elk, Deer, Antelope and Big Horn Sheep hunting here in Arizona.

 

Send an email to mexwolf@azgfd.gov or mail it to Mexican Wolf Project, Attn: Terry Johnson, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ. 85086.

 

We have until June 25th to comment.

 

Points to include in your comments:

 

• Sportsmen have paid to bring back wildlife, including elk and bighorn sheep to the State and want to maintain them.

 

• The current drought situation has kept our elk, deer and cattle herds low and in many cases dwindling and any expansion of the wolf population or wolf recovery area could decimate them.

 

• Protection of our hunting heritage is extremely important for the continuation of Arizona’s wildlife management programs.

 

• The current wolf program has failed to meet its objectives. To expand it will only compound the problem.

 

• I would not like to see any expansion of the current wolf population.

 

[CouesWhitetail]

 

 

Below is a statement from the Arizona Deer Association and the Arizona Elk Society. This statement has been sent to the Arizona Game & Fish Department and will serve as our comments on the procedural changes being discussed for the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program. We are asking all Arizona Sportsmen Conservation Organizations to send in comments to the AZGFD by the June 25th deadline. Please feel free to use any or all of our information in your statement to the AZGFD.

 

 

An Evaluation of Proposals to Expand the Mexican

Gray Wolf Recovery Area

 

Prior to European settlement of western North America, the Mexican wolf occupied much of the American Southwest, ranging as far south as perhaps central Mexico. This subspecies occupied most biotic communities with the exception of low deserts. The Mexican wolf’s diet consisted primarily of deer (both white-tailed and mule) and elk. With European settlement of northern Mexico and the American Southwest, domestic livestock including cattle and sheep were introduced and wolf depredation on these animals occurred. This in turn set up a conflict between livestock operators and wolves that lead to programs to eradicate the Mexican wolf, which was accomplished.

Two decades, the 1980s and 1990s were dedicated to the evaluation of the potential to recovery the Mexican wolf and to establish the most appropriate approach to Mexican wolf recovery. During this time, public involvement and agency coordination were extensive.

As a result of the nearly 20 years of discussions and scientific review relative to the best approach to take in recovering the Mexican wolf, the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA) was established as the core of the recovery program. This decision was based on both societal and biological factors and was believed to be the best location to begin recovery efforts for this extirpated wildlife resource.

To date, the Mexican wolf recovery program has failed to achieve goals outlined in the 1996 Final EIS, and in fact, Mexican wolf population levels were reported to have declined in 2007 compared to reported data from 2006. Further, the population count as projected in the FEIS has failed to meet objectives in all but one year and the number of breeding pairs has never met the FEIS targets and in 2006, were less than 40% of the FEIS targets.

In reviewing the current status of the project, it is a poor plan to expand the wolf reestablishment area until greater success is achieved and targets outlined in the FEIS are met. Therefore, for the following reasons, we urge the Adaptive Management Oversight Committee and all of the cooperating agencies to stop consideration of reestablishment area expansion and focus on meeting the goals of the 1996 FEIS within the BAWRA, the site selected for the high likelihood of success.

 

 

 

 

• The Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area was selected in part due to the relatively low human activity and residence in the area and hence, reduced likelihood of human-wolf conflict. Recreational use of the area being considered for recovery area expansion is among the highest in Arizona, which will lead to a high rate of conflicts and likely higher wolf mortality or removal; a factor that could reduce public support of the effort in the BRWRA.

 

• Lead agencies indicate that adequate funding is needed to carry out the reestablishment project in BAWRA. Greatly expanding the wolf recovery area to include areas of the Mogollon Rim and Coconino National Forest would dilute available funds, that to date have been limited. This will reduce the likelihood of obtaining the population goals outlined in the 1996 Final Environmental Impact Statement.

 

• Dietary studies have documented that Mexican wolves prey heavily on native ungulates, including elk, mule and white-tailed deer, and potentially bighorn sheep and pronghorn, and that their diet does contain domestic livestock as well. Livestock production is a common practice in the area being evaluated for recovery area expansion and it is likely that introducing wolves into this area would heighten conflict between legally-permitted livestock use and wolf reestablishment efforts. This has a high potential to cause eroded support for the reestablishment program in BAWRA, an unfortunate outcome.

 

• Published data from Mexican wolf diet studies indicate that nearly 90% of the diet of this subspecies consists of native ungulates, primarily elk. It is important to note that both wildlife viewing and big game hunting are important economic factors in the Mogollon Rim/Coconino National Forest area and any conservation program that would have the end result of reduced native wildlife densities would be viewed negatively by the conservation community, which could erode support for the BAWRA program.

 

In summary, the Mexican wolf recovery effort has had very limited success and expanding efforts to other areas before meeting projected targets in the 1996 FEIS will have adverse societal and biological ramifications. Until greater success is obtained in the recovery program, all efforts should focus on the Blue Area, the area selected after 2 decades of study. To do otherwise is both fiscally and biologically irresponsible for all cooperating agencies.

 

 

Please take a few minutes and protect our Elk, Deer, Antelope and Bighorn Sheep populations here in Arizona.

 

Send an email to mexwolf@azgfd.gov or mail it to Mexican Wolf Project, Attn: Terry Johnson, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ. 85086.

[wetmule]

I find it very curious that there is no mention (at least that I can find on the AZGFD website) for a call to the public for comments on the enviros plans to introduce more wolves into AZ? Are they trying to backdoor - under the table - this ? This is obviously a real threat that they are seriously considering, and in my opinion probably THE biggest threat to our way of life and our passion that we so dearly love. I would personally like to see Amanda pin this thread and I'd like to see every single member of this site respond to this at : mexwolf@azgfd.gov

I have to think that Desert Bull is right as he assumed on another thread that all of these upcoming road closures coming to Kaibab and Coconino forests etc. that are being proposed are no coincidence at all. If you want wolves running amok in Kaibab and south all the way to Flagstaff and down the rim joining up with the Blue Range wolf country, I think you are perfectly INSANE but free to voice your opinion. I personally think their ultimate goal is to do away with all hunting, and locking up our public land and inserting wolves is a huge step in that direction. Come on guys and gals don't delay, this is the real deal, one that we may not get another chance to have our say. One thing is for sure, if you don't respond thinking other people will do it, you are fooling yourself, make no mistake, you will be letting the tree huggers, wolf lovers do it for you

[Red Rabbit]

I did not come up with anything witha search on AZGFD.com either regarding a plan to expand, although it was in the Flag Rag within the last year regarding the Peaks, Mogollon Rim and Canyon.

 

Doug~RR

[DesertBull]

It's not just wolves. It's Condors too. They use that Dodo bird to get lead banned in Kalifornia and it's already in the works here.

 

Go ahead and keep blaming the ATV's, that's what they want you to believe.

[russd]

the groups listed are very biased. why does the game and fish want to give them any room to make decisions involving wildlife in az? i don't get it.

[.270]

the azgfd wants it because they get a ton o' bucks from it. and it's politically correct. who's that goofy guy on here that's been sayin' all along that the last thing they want is for these currs to make it? sayin' that what they really want is control and this is just a tool to achieve their goal. who was that guy? oh yeah, it was me. be vigilant. it's on the way. i'm sick of sayin' "i told ya so". get smart fellers. as in get educated as to what the real agenda is. Lark.

[KGAINES]

http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/wolf/documents/MW...ies.fnl_000.pdf

Funny how much money we spend on these animals, year after year it gets exponentially greater with little or no real results, unless the results they are looking for are being achieved right under our noses. Limiting access, allowing predation of elk, deer, antelope, and bighorn, the major limitations on trapping, resources being spent on non-game species that used to be spent on game species, plus it allows peta type groups into our game and fish department.

[DesertBull]

One the most recent additions to the Commission is a guy with a lot of experience in the Condor restoration program.

[coues krazy]

Letter sent. I hope everyone sends an e-mail or letter.

[KGAINES]

http://wolfcrossing.org/blog/wp-content/up...are-hybrids.pdf

 

[.270]

when this program first started, i got a complete copy of the proposal and the goals of it from a friend who ran a ranch in the blue area. i read it cover to cover and the first thing that hit me was that the number of deer and elk it would theoretically take to support the proposed wolf population was about the same number as the estimated total deer and elk herd for that area. it was way more than the total number of permits for deer and elk in the affected units. this told me one thing, this wasn't about wolves. it was about doing away with hunting. it's about control. the burrocrats are like commie dicators, if you stand back and look real close at em. they want to be the boss and will burn anyone they can to be the boss. nothing pisses me off worse than for some "hunter" to get all warm and fuzzy over this crap. get off the fence and get on one side or the other. you can't have it both ways. this is the biggest threat we have to being able to enjoy the woods. every minute of every day, we lose a little more access and opportunity to do what we all enjoy. this program is a joke. a sham. a dang lie. along with the condor program. these a-holes keep getting a little more and a little more, and all the time we lose a little more and little more. when it all takes place, we'll all say, heck, didn't we used to get to hunt and fish and camp and stuff? what happened? all the time sportsmen argue with each other, these a-holes are getting stronger and getting more authority. more authority over us. it won't be long until permits will be cut so the wolf/dogs have more to eat. they may have already, and we don't know it. the azgfd, in it's present form, is not our friend. they are part and party to this lie. they've had several opportunities to walk away from it and didn't. they always side with the wolf people. there isn't enough time or computer space to write everything that i know about this. some of the stuff that folks have had to endure at the hands of the "wolf people" is literally criminal. and we'll all have to endure even more before it's over. whenever anyone is at a meeting with the azgfd honchos, try to pin em down on whether or not permits will be lost so wolfs can eat. try to get em to say yes or no. be interesting to see their response. Lark.

[TAM]

For starters people need to stop calling them wolves. Wolf/dogs, hybrids, currs, etc are all more accurate terms to classify them. The pure breed of Mexican Grey Wolves is extinct!

 

And for what it's worth burro's and wild horses should be right behind them on the short list of animals that need to be removed from the wild. Neither of which are native to Arizona or even North America for that matter, not to mention they're both domestic livestock gone ferrel. How and why do we give such animals protection is beyond me!