ORIGINAL: _Dan
ORIGINAL: James Vee
450 or 500 wolves, I'm still not buying it. Maybe in Douglas and Bayfield counties. That doesn't include, Ashland, Sauk, and any other northern counties. I wouldn't hesitate to say that there are easily 1,000 wolves in just the northern half of Wisconsin. What makes everyone think that Northern Wisconsin is so different than Northern Minnesota? Ecologically, they are virtually the same. Ask Minnesotans that live north of Grand Rapids how many wolves are in their state. It's not 450, and there isn't 450 in Wisconsin either.
Here is a little math for you to chew on. Say you've been hunting the family farm of 640 acres, or1 sq. mile,since you've been born. You're in the Northern region of Wisconsin where 20 deer per sq. mile is not uncommon. Recently a pack of 5 wolves has moved into your hunting area and you've noticed a sharp decline in the number of deer sightings. I wonder why. 5 wolves at 20 deer per year is 100 deer. Your land on average will hold 20 deer. Those wolves build a den there and decide to stick around for 3 months. Simple math would say that those5 wolves would consume 25 deer in those three months.But your farm, on average, will only sustain 25 deer. I wonder why there arent' any deer on the family farm.
James,
I can tell you for a fact that the wolves will not hang out in that 1 sq mile for 3 months. Those 5 wolves have a range of over 100sq miles. Therefore will only be killing around 1 deer per sq mile. Thats far less that what hunters take off a given property in a year.
I'm sorry, but the wolves do not have that big of an impact on the deer herd.
Why would they go farther than they had too? As far as I'm concerned any impact on the deer herd is more than I care for. The only benefit I've seen listed to the wolf is it attacks coyotes. What happens when it's done with those? Wolves kill coyotes. Coyotes=dogs. Wolves kill dogs. Do you have any idea how many dog lovers there are? Forget about the deer. Should people be forced to live with a threat to what they consider a family member?
I've read enough history, both local and world, with no intension of learning about the wolf, that detailed mans struggles with the wolf to know I don't care to live with them. Interestingly enough that same history predicts that man one day will be the dinner of not just the wolf but all predators, so the current love affair that some have for them is no surprise to me. They have to get there some how, if things are to be as thought to be.
An interesting observation. People often resemble the dog/cannine they love, in looks and characteristics.
Here's another. The American natives attacked the settlers in the night. What were they resembling when they did? What gave them the idea?