I think one thing that frustrates many of us is the lack of creditability that the Department of Natural Resources have. Many of us simply do not believe anything they tell us anymore. As my Dad told me when I was young... "Never lie to a man. For once he knows your a liar, he had no reason to ever believe or trustyou again." I guess that does not apply to government agencies???

We know the DNR does not lie. They count the wolves and estimate their numbers and tell us there are not many of them in our area. Probably just like they count the deer herd. But wait, that deer herd thing... was a simple mistake, the wrong formula was used. So all forgiven for the mistake.. right?? . Mistake to them means caught in a lie. They claimed mountain lions were not in Northern Wisconsin even thoughthere have been sightings all over the place. Nope.. no lions in Wisconsin. That is until one was caught on a game camera a little south of Superior and the picture was on the news. Opps!! Well then they admitted, that there might be one... why can't they just tell the truth.

A woman I know swears she saw a wolf watching her grandchildren while they wereall outside in the yard. She livesin the country and had no reason to lie. She even started the conversation with me. All the wolf was doing was sitting on a hill side watching her grand babies laying on a blanket in the yard getting some sun and fresh air. She was outside watching the babies. She observed the wolf and took the kids inside. She called the DNR and reported it and was told to keep her kids in the house for a while. I would have told her something very different to do to solve her problem. When she took them out after that, she took a shotgun. But as any warden will tell you.. if you shoot a bear (I never asked about a wolf) there better be gun powder burns on the fur. Meaning it better be attacking you. What if it is attacking something or someoneelse?

But an interesting point.. what if her grand kids were say four years oldand playing by themselves semi supervised (Mom used to watch us out the window when we were kids, while she did her house work...as we all have done with kids).Do you think that wolf would have just sat on that hill and watched? Of course he'd pass on a easy meal. Unless he was old or sick. And then that does not count... right?

Another person who has free ranging ducks and geese in their yard watched a wolf take a goose out of the yard. They called the DNR and was told by the person on the phone, they were sure,it was a coyote not a wolf. So they said, fine, we will shoot the coyote. And their reply was.. "You better not shoot a wolf !!!" Now who was not so sure of the species?

I had a friend that was bow hunting. On his way walking out, he saw two wolves shadowing him. He had a bow. He swears the wolves watched him pack up. And he was chased by the wolves, whileon his four wheeler as he was driving out. They ran along side him and a little behind him. Was he lying? Were the wolves just curious? Playing? Or did he run his wheeler off the road into the mud taking a curve too fast, and climb a tree and call us from his cell phone because he was acting like a squirrel? I hate to tell you what I might have done in that case.

The DNR claims they never brought the wolves to Wisconsin. Again, I do not believe that statement. The DNR told me they were not letting problem bears loose near my house. They assurred me that the bear are released deep in the nationalforest and musthave worked their way to my yard. Then I find them turning a bear loose with an ear tag not a mile from my house. Honesty!!

I can not prove wolves just wandered into Wisconsin. I think this line the DNR tells is untrue. I do not believe them. Creditability issues again. The wolves just all of a sudden showed up in different areas and in pack numbers. We were told to keep our dogs out of certain areas as the wolves would kill them. Harmless wolves we were told. Maybe dogs don't count??

And I went to the meetings where the DNR biologists tried to sell the wolves in our areato the locals. The wolves are harmless, more scared of you then you are of them (why do they say that? I am not scared of them. I am armed). No danger. Again, I knew they were not telling the truth because their lips were moving. And yet when someone is attacked by a bear, wolf, or any wild animal...the first thing out of the DNR's mouth is.. the animal was old, or diseased, or some other excuse. HELLO... animals get old, they get sick. So doesthat gives them an excuse thento attack humans? And the number of wolf attacks on humans is basically non existent. Well in my world then.. how many attacks then are allow? What if a child was attacked?By an old sick wolf. So that's OK??.. tell the parent ofthat child that it only happens once in a great while. See what they tell you.

And wolves donot kill indiscriminately? I talked to loggers who were cutting back in the national. The deer that winter turned their site into a deer yard because it was packed down and each night the deer moved in and cleaned up all the browse from their logging. Then the men come to work and find eight dead deer. Most of the deer, mauled with parts tore open and parts eaten.Deer parts all over the place as it was described to me.The DNRcame out and confirmed, yes wolves did this. But the wolves did not return for the rest of theslaughtered deer carcasses. And the DNR's reason... your (meaning the loggers) activities must have scared them off. But this was not indiscriminate killing because it was the humans fault? The Wolves killed and ate their fill, them moved off. They left a lot of meat in the woods at that site. But suddenly because being scared of the loggers, that's why they never came back.

I am not advocating the killing of wolves. Believe me I am not. In fact one book I read on the subject by Farley Mowatt "Never Cry Wolf" was very interesting and awakening (and an excellent read)to the plight of the wolves. And while the number of deer they kill might not impact the over all population of the deer herd, I can tell you when the wolves move into an area, the deer move out of that area.I can also tell you if I am in the woods and I feel threatened by wolves, I will deal with it, and then the DNR will have to prove it was me that did it.

Was the northern woods all that bad before the wolves showed up? What's next? We have elk, wolves, timber rattlesnakes (you better pray I never see one of them), an occassional moose, turkey, and NO DEER.