People in the Northwest are squackin about the wolves and the national news media the other day did a special report on it. The wolves are expanding their territory into states that don't have wolves and cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers are gettin nervous over it, so the news media has to do some goverment-like teaching (cause we're so ignorant) about wolves.

They did a story on the study of the aspen trees decline in Yellowstone Park. When the wolf was eradicated from the lower 48 (they remained in Canada and Mexico) it so happened that the elk population grew, and the deer and so on. This study showed that the aspen trees at that same time started on a decline but (at that time) they didn't know why. Lots of government money to study the decline of the aspen tree in Yellowstone. They got rid of the wolf, the elk population grew, elk love to munch on aspen tree sprouts, hence the decline of the aspen tree. Now the increase in wolf population in the park has put the predator back on the job while the elk and the aspen trees are on the come-back. (DUH) So anyway the news story told of how each individual element in an environment effects the other. (DUH again)

I remember bein taught that stuff when I was a child....It's not that there needs to be a study of what happens when we don't have a wolf population managing the elk population, (we already KNOW what's going to happen) it's more that we need to teach in our schools, the things we already know, so that our government can be held accountable for the things they do. If they don't know what's goin on, then they shouldn't be the guys in charge. They should be the guys puttin in overtime at school, learning what they should have learned in the first place, instead of learning how to manipulate and steal for a living. That's why we always have to have government studies instead of government action. They didn't learn what the rest of us did, and so they have to figure out what-the-heck at our expense. How many government studies sound ridiculous to you? Well if you made a living off of tax payers money.......


Suz

oh boy that would be funny if it wasnt so darn typical of pencil pushing boffins.

Speaking of wolves.

Big Wolves

You have hit the nail squarely on the head. Politicians these days are nothing more than "Govt Businessmen"...they are there for one reason only...PORK BARRELING...make as much money as they can whilst making a name for themselves.

They will not listen to anybody because they are in a position of authority which they interpret as meaning "they know it all, especially what's best for us". It ain't gonna get any better mate...only worse as time goes on.

Cheers, Vince

politicians is one thing what about "well meaning" greenies that don't know shit from clay. We have forest and bird in new Zealand or more commonly known as "twig and tweet" and with their political leaning and backing would like to see all intorduced species wiped out!!!

radar wrote:

politicians is one thing what about "well meaning" greenies that don't know shit from clay. We have forest and bird in new Zealand or more commonly known as "twig and tweet" and with their political leaning and backing would like to see all intorduced species wiped out!!!

I agree, one thing we have learned here in the US, is when you become a good Lawyer, next step is a Politician, kinda like a promotion.

Of course the need for reintroducing wolves could have been rendered needless if hunters were allowed to take the necessary number of elk from the area.......

I don't know about the rest of you guys but I don't want the sick and injured animals - I want a healthy young bull that is good to eat! Let the wolves eat the weak and injured animals!

And when they run out of the sick and injured?

The wolf population will need to be controled just like any other animal such as Elk. If the state would issue more tags rather then take extreme measures the hunters would probably appriciate it more. I think though that if we have an issue with how the state is handling the situation then maybe we should get into polotics and work to make the changes we feel is good for the people.

I agree with you Suz about the nature of politics. Unfortunately, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The wolf re-introduction in the Rockies was/is probably the biggest wildlife management blunder ever made. It was through the out-dated, ill-worded ESA that this travesty has been able to run the course it has. Until the ESA itself is amended it will be a hard row to hoe to keep the wolves under control.

As far as the wolves killing the weak and sick, sure they do, but certainly not exclusively. They are killing machines and will kill just to kill. Proper control will only come when the individual states are able to manage the wolf populations with the methods that work best under "their control", not the feds.

But like you said, they will have to do a study in order to figure out what study would be best to start a study about studying the whole thing....sheesh

Yeah ..... wish I could get in on that studyin thing, there's taxpayer's money to be had.


Suz

The wolves will not breed unless they get a certain amount of rodents in their diet - no matter what else is available. There is something in the digestive tract of the rodents that increases the hormone production in the female....
I doubt that any group of animals will "run out" of sick and injured animals but if they did then the wolves would select the easiest target they could get - the slow and stupid... calves that wander from their mothers and cows that wander from the herd.
Wolves make the breed stronger - unlike hunting which removes healthy animals and record males..which tends to make the herd weaker.

www.biologicaldiversit...-2010.html

Link above to info. about wolf repopulation. We are rapidly running out of 'yotes to bust,,,,,so send them on down, haha. WV is waiting!

My father lives on the salmon river in idaho and has been there ever since the woof reintroduction program went into effect.If you could listen to some of the locals in that area you would get a better understanding of how deadly these top predators are to game animals and livestock!That said-the locals will shun other locals who see wolves and do not try to destroy them.Can start fist-fights!They are serious,that's why the governor of Idaho told the feds to police their own damned wolves and told the idaho police and wildlife dept to not go to any calls about wolf kills,not to enforce any protection regs,etc.


.........we're from the govt-we're here to help......