Small Game, Predator and TrappingFrom shooting squirrels in your backyard to calling coyotes in Arizona. This forum now contains trapping information..
Me and my father was 'yote hunting one night about dusk and no luck. we was about to head to the house and we caught a set of eyes under the red lense spotlight. The eyes were spread about as far as a coyote but the were way to far up to be one. we decided that it was probably a deer. Well it started to circle around us to get downwind so we decided to shine it with the white lense light and as soon as we did it stoped for about 15 seconds looked at us and scooted. In that 15 seconds we saw that it wasnt a coyote but more like a wolf. It was really red and stood about as tall as a full grown German Shepard!Had a long slender snout similar to a wolf. We didnt know what it was. When we got to the house i looked it up on the internet and i found that it was probably a "Mexican Red Wolf"(not for sure but fit the description we saw). The Next day my dad called the GW and asked him what legalities if any were on them. The GW thought he was full-of-it and told him nothing. A few days later we were leaving the ranch and another one of these " ovrgrown coyotes" ran across the road about 10 yrds ahead of us into a right-of-way. He stopped about 50 yrds from the road for another 10-15 second, again he fit the descrpition of the one we seen earler. We could not tell if it was the same one or not. Anyways I am wondering if anyone knows if they are legal to shoot or not. Ive seen wolves before and they have a very bad temper so I need to know if we can "exterminate" these critters before the kill anymore deer, or if we have to leave them alone? Any input will be GREATLY apprecaited.
I know in idaho, wolves are a big deal. People are trying to down play the fact that we have as many as we do, and the problems that they are causing. I was bow hunting with some friends in the mid of december, and one of them shot a cow elk, and as he was tracking the elk he noticed some other tracks were following the elks... a wolf was tracking his elk. When he finally found the elk it was missing it's back end, and wolf tracks were everywhere. I think wolves are bad news, and i don't know what i would do, if i were to run into one. I beleive that it is illegal in most if not all the united states (correct me if i am wrong.)
Try contacting your local fish and game.
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-Idaho State 5A FB Champ 06
"If you're not first, you're last"
First off, welcome to the board. I'd suggest finding its tracks and try to verify what it is by looking at them first. If it is as big as you say, the tracks should be very noticeably larger than a coyotes tracks. Then, if you can verify that the tracks are huge, compared to a coyote track, contact your local GW again, and have him/her come out and have a look see for themselves, and go from there. It's kind of like reports of mtn. lion in Ks., Fish and Game won't admit to having any around and until you have solid proof, they never will admit to it.
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A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.
Unless your state has a hunting season for wolf, it's illegal...to kill it for killing animals only works if you can prove it's killing your livestock, which wild deer don't count as (unless your property is commissioned as a controlled hunting ranch), in which case you would have to get permission from the state by proving that it's harming your livestock.
All that said, I took three coyotes this year that fit the bill you're describing, narrow muzzle, RED coat, huge body...they're coyotes, we don't have wolves of any kind here in KS...I sent a pic into KDWP and they said it was probably a second generation cross breed, i.e. a coyote bitch got bred by a large domestic dog, and then one of her kits got bred by or bred a coyote...first gen's tend not to look so much like wolves/coyotes, but second gen's get the size of the dog, and the looks of the yotes.
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"When you tell a fellow to go to hell, you had better be sure you can get him there."--LBJ
I'm with nomercy - you were probably looking at a coyote or hybrid. The other distinct possibility in Texas is that you were looking at a domesticated wolf or wolf/dog hybrid. Texas is notorious for road side zoos and these animals are often let go when the show goes belly up. These dogs get out and can really cause some damage. I would think it highly unusual for a Mexican wolf to cross your path - but it could be possible. Just not the most likely.
Well I know that they have released mexican grey wolves in AZ and NM but not Texas... If you did shoot it and then have it turn out to be a wolf there would be severe penalties for it e.g. $250000 and/or 5 yrs in prison.
It would be a felony under the range of breaking the endangered species act of 1972...
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ANNOY A LIBERAL, work hard and be happy.
Thanks everyone. we called the game warden out to the ranch and showed him one of those dogs. he didnt think we was full of it now! They are figuring out a way to relocate them.
Is it legal?
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e.g. $250000 and/or 5 yrs in prison. 
