THis is Great news to me. Amazing Predators. Should we eradicate them because they affect our Hunting "Hobbies" ?
Eranicate, I think not. Just keep in check. I have read alot of studies that claim long term, they serve thier place as a keystone speices, and in the long run help keep our hunting hobbies stable. Sure, short term you probably have more elk, and deer, but long term, they claim that wolves keeping them on the run, actually keep them from stream beds, and that helps trees poplulate, which curbs bank errosion, on and on, to even affect fish, flooding, and duck populations. I am sure there will be alot of people that doesn't buy that theory, but do.
THis is Great news to me. Amazing Predators. Should we eradicate them because they affect our Hunting "Hobbies" ?
Eranicate, I think not. Just keep in check. I have read alot of studies that claim long term, they serve thier place as a keystone speices, and in the long run help keep our hunting hobbies stable. Sure, short term you probably have more elk, and deer, but long term, they claim that wolves keeping them on the run, actually keep them from stream beds, and that helps trees poplulate, which curbs bank errosion, on and on, to even affect fish, flooding, and duck populations. I am sure there will be alot of people that doesn't buy that theory, but do.
I agree with you there. Some may think that coyotes are a nuisance that should be eradicated, and think the same of wolves. I think this is just foolishness. Should those species be managed in some way? Certainly. Through hunting? Of course. But definitely not eradication. The theory about wolves being an important species in their natural ecosystems is pretty much fact in the scientific world. I have studied ecology and other environmental sciences a bit and can say that it makes sense. Generally every species in an ecosystem has some value, providing nutrients and other services, as well as keeping other species in check. Some species are more important than others. Some species are so important in regard to the services that they provide for an ecosystem, that the ecosystem will begin to fall apart without those species. We call these species keystone species, because without them, an ecosystem will likely begin to collapse. The wolf is considered to be one of those keystone species. When you think about it, we really have no right to just remove an importantnative species that some just don't like. Once again, I think management is a good idea. There is no reason why we can not co-exist with other species. I personally believe the wolf to be a truly magnificent animal.
Of course, eradication of the wolf is not a question. The wolf is not in danger of eradication; the wolf was not on course to be eradicated before wolves were reintroduced into the United States. So . . . eradication is off the table. Don't bring that scarecrow in here.
If we are going to have wolves at all, their numbers and their depradations should be controlled. How do you control wolf numbers and their depradations? Maybe that question should have been asked and answered BEFORE they were reintroduced into the United States.
You toss off the effect of wolves on hunting as though this were a very casual and trivial issue. I went on my first elk hunt in Colorado last year, spending $500 on my license and probably another $1,000 in state on food, lodging, gasoline, souvenirs, and what-have-your. This was a do-it-yourself hunt; guided/outfitted hunts would bring in much more money. Constrain elk numbers with wolves and you constrain the in-flux of hunting dollars. That constraint effects both the businesses -- liquor stores, restaurants, hotels, souvenir shops, liquor stores, did I mention liquor stores? -- and the state governments and probably habitat preservation groups. It is not a trivial matter and it is not just about a silly hobby.
wolves may be beautiful creatures and magnificent predators, but we need to use common sense and not create public policy, as so often is done, in disregard and ignorance of common sense and perhaps even history.
By the way, I did not enter a liquor store in Colorado during my elk hunt. I had at most a beer with dinner or a glass of wine with dinner. It was fun, nevertheless, to joke about this subject.
Again, people who say that wolves should be eradicated, and people who say that wolves should be protected are both wrong. They need to be managed through regulated hunting.
An ecosystem can only support so many predators, and livestock depredation was the reason given for nearly eradicating them in the first place. Like it or not, we have become the apex predator of a very crowded environment, and we don't like competition any more than do. Every time there's a car struck by a deer or a farmer loses corn to them there's an active effort to reduce their numbers, so why should wolves be exempt? I favor thinning them down to token numbers confined to wilderness areas as much as is practical, once they start eating livestock instead of natural prey they're no longer cute, they're pests. If we're gonna pretend to be true conservators then we're gonna have to accept some casualties along the way. Wolves are not necessary to game management, or even as predators anymore, as long as hunting remains a viable option of population control. In fact, they aren't even close to being in danger of being eradicated, Canada has plenty of them and vast stretches of wilderness for them to live freely in. They're only scarce down here, and only at the moment, so to suggest otherwise is disengenuous at best.
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Kevin Haendiges
NAHC Life Member
NRA Member
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http://hunting-indiana.com
THis is Great news to me. Amazing Predators. Should we eradicate them because they affect our Hunting "Hobbies" ?
Which part of the article did you mean? Was it the part about potential delisting of Gray Wolf in Idaho, (assuming the Gov. there doesn't say another dumb thing)? Or was the part about the family ranchers who had 15% of there cows and calves killed by them in one year?
By the way, have you read about the federal "Red Wolf Recovery Plan" (smaller cousin of the Gray Wolf) that's underway raising mating pairs in captivity for reintroductionin their native range of states like Tenn., LA, Kentucky andyour home state, Texas? I'll bet you're pretty excited about that.Have a great time enjoying the federal gov'tthreatening to come down on you with the full force of the law should you decide to harm one of those Red Wolves for interfering with your "hobby" or your neighbor's livelihood. http://www.fws.gov/endangered/i/a/saa04.html
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MinnFinn
"Now there you go again..." "I'm not going to hold your youth and inexperience against you." -- Ronald Reagan
Who is afraid of the big bad Wolf?
