Turkman, out of lack of better usable words ---- Merry Christmas!

There you go, roaring off half cocked into left field on a snippet and an assumption, with emotions a raging and tongue a flying without considering the whole context of what someone is trying to discuss, and then drawing all number of conclusions about person's belief systems, character, or ethics without knowing squat -- Happy New Years too.
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This “truce thread” was posted and sat pretty calm and the underlying lynch pin that let the parties semi-agree was CONTROL of wolf numbers THAT WOULD WORK. As originally stated it was “control by hunting”. Then the question was raised, “what if control by hunting don’t do it?”

The sad fact is that we have this reintroduction hoisted upon us and we are going to have to live with the consequences without knowing what those consequences are ultimately going to be because the whole thing hasn’t played out yet – everyone is theorizing on what they THINK will happen. Hardly any one in this generation has dealt first hand with the ins and outs of wolf control on a huge, huge, huge area basis with so many conflicting interests (of a now settled territory) and now with so many Federal rules limiting getting anything done.

Hey, if the USFG wardens can go out and control the wolves by simply scolding them and telling them to behave AND IT WORKS then that is wonderful, no further action needed.

If the government powers that be have to shoot a few or trap a few (take them back to Alberta?) to control them AND IT WORKS, then hey that is super, no further action needed.

If it gets a little tougher and they create wolf hunting seasons AND IT WORKS hey that is just great, no further action needed.

If it gets a little tougher yet and they declare open season on wolves with a limit of 10 per hunter (like they did in Northern BC and Alaska [See “good news for BC moose] AND IT WORKS, okay. [But you have to admit at that kind of “harvest rate”, someone upstream made a serious miscalculation on this wolf re-introduction thing.]

If the hunters are killing them as fast as they can and the government has spent all the money, time, manpower, and will power they can muster trying to control them and IT STILL AIN’T CONTROLLING THEM, what do we do then? Ignore it and go find a new enviro cause to get excited about? Hopefully one that will have a happier ending? Maybe not ever even admitting there was a mistake made? Simply turn our back on it, hunker down in our nice urban/suburban setting (for most of us) and let those who live on the rural margin of our society endure it (nothing new there).

If it comes to THAT POINT, THEN that is when I say “whatever it takes by whatever means”. If you live long enough you’ll experience that in spite of man’s supposed intelligence, it is not very often his plans go just right and in fact sometimes it just ends up being a total colossal cluster %$#!.

When that happens you’ve got to get the knot out of your panties, step forward and FIX IT, dirty and disgusting as that may be!

None of us know how this will play out, especially with the “wild card” of the Federal Government thrown in. So, I suggest they START with the USFG trying the “scold the wolves” step first and then move on up the ladder --- what ever it takes. And if wolves don't respond to the control measures we hope will work, and the necessary control measures end up getting towards the tough and ruthless side (high tech, selective, poison/explosive/projectile wolf killing devices, etc.), then no wimping out my friends --- it was an underestimation/mistake and at that point, it is time to put the fix on it.

Good Luck and Good Hunting,
EKM