Wolves are fascinating animals and they do have a right to exist. I think
their population should be controlled to minimize their conflict with
humans. The same is true of bears and mountain lions. Rather than permit
controlled hunting to maintain a reasonable population, California banned
hunting and are now paying professional hunters to kill more bears and lions
than hunters ever did. These predators need to have a fear of humans for
them to stay alive. Eating a few humans is not an unreasonable thing but we
should be able to be safe in our yards in town. Where my cabin is located,
we don't let kids sleep outside because there are grizzly bears, lions, and
wolves around here. It's a small price to pay to be able to see these
magnificent creatures in the wild. I only worry about predators (primarily
grizzlies) at night because I think I probably look and smell a lot like a
big burrito in my little tent.
I spent the day walking in the woods and saw two elk, two mule deer, six
whitetail deer, a fox, many antelope, many sand hill cranes, several eagles
and hawks, and heard one moose wheezing but didn't get to see it. I don't go
out of my way to have conflict with critters but carry bear spray and a 454
Casull revolver just in case. Those things add some weight but, again, it's
a small price to pay.
/jmac
-----Original Message-----
From: olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx]On
Behalf Of Walt Wayman
Sent: Saturday, June 03, 2006 5:24 PM
To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [OM] Re: Like a bad penny, I am back, OT now BBQ
Like I said, I could be wrong. :-)
I have been, and remain, a staunch and enthusiastic supporter of the effort
to reintroduce the red wolf into the Smokies.
http://www.great.smoky.mountains.national-park.com/info.htm#wolf
I actually saw one about dusk one day in late October in Cade's Cove a few
years ago. I was, as usual, too surprised and too slow to get a shot -- a
photograph, I mean. Anyway, it was far away and I would've needed at least
a 500mm lens and ASA 4000 film for it to be distinguisable from somebody's
stray hound.
Your gray wolves are more dangerous perhaps. Anyway, I'm a great admirer of
the wolf, and so I ask, what's the big deal about them scarfing up the
occasional human? If there's one species on this planet that's not
endangered, it's them. And I know several that nobody would miss.
Walt
--
"Anything more than 500 yards from
the car just isn't photogenic." --
Edward Weston
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "James McBride" <jnmcbr@xxxxxxx>
>
> In spite of what wolf proponents claim, wolves do eat people. Their
victims
> usually don't tell on them because they are a little bit dead. They
recently
> killed a man in Montana. I know people that have been menaced by wolves
but
> they did not actually attack. They are creatures of opportunity and will
> kill and eat anything that presents itself. Wolves are the moose's only
real
> enemy but they don't usually kill a healthy adult. A calf or a sick or
> winter weakened adult is the usual victim.
>
> The introduction of wolves in Yellowstone has apparently been successful.
> Some think their numbers have been controlled by a disease like Parvo in
> dogs. There were too many elk and bison in the park and some means of
> population control was needed. They used to allow some hunting in
> Yellowstone but that would be politically too incorrect now. The
> introduction of wolves in central Idaho is quite another matter. The
target
> number of wolves was about 350 and there are now over 1000. The Clearwater
> elk herd was already in decline and the wolves have about finished them
off.
> The anti-hunting movement is the main proponent of the wolf and I don't
> think they care if all the elk are killed just to eliminate the hunting
> experience for people. Idaho and Montana has developed wolf management
plans
> that are acceptable to the feds but Wyoming will not produce an acceptable
> plan so the feds will not allow any of the three states to assume control.
> Meanwhile the wolves are becoming a serious problem. The rednecks are
about
> ready to take matters into their own hands.
>
> We have always had wolves in southeastern Idaho but during the wolf
> reintroduction debates the Fish and Wildlife people claimed they were
> actually wild dogs. After the reintroduction those assholes now admit they
> were lying and they were wolves. It's unfortunate that there is no
> accountability for that kind of behavior.
>
> /jmac
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx]On
> Behalf Of Walt Wayman
> Sent: Saturday, June 03, 2006 3:12 PM
> To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [OM] Re: Like a bad penny, I am back, OT now BBQ
>
>
> Walt would love to go, but, sorry, not gonna happen. I claim a 500-yard
> limitation only partly from sloth, but primarily due to an increasingly
> annoying hitch in my gitalong. The problem is an iliac artery pretty
> severly damaged in a mishap -- two, actually -- many years ago that has
> steadily worsened and that limits blood flow to my "good" leg. The
> insertion of a couple of stents some years back improved the situation
> considerably, but I still have to saunter along at a moderate pace and
pause
> occasionally to let the blood flow catch up and the "burn" to subside.
I'm
> afraid I've become a real wuss in my dotage. :-[
>
> So, no Glock, I'm afraid, even though my CCW permit is valid in Michigan.
> Anyway, a 9mm wouldn't do much to a moose except piss him off, and I would
> never shoot a wolf unless he was attacking me or someone I valued more
than
> the wolf, which is highly unlikely since, Little Red Riding Hood and other
> fables notwithstanding, I have heard of no verified and credible instance
of
> a wolf attacking a human being. I could be wrong. Now, mountain lions
are
> a whole different sort of critter, but I don't think you're likely to
> encounter one. And anyhow, from recent accounts, it seems they prefer
> tender California joggers, not grizzled old midwestern phographers.
>
> Y'all have fun, even if you don't have any pork pig barbecue and have only
> that Texas stuff, and bring back lots of pictures.
>
> Walt
>
> --
> "Anything more than 500 yards from
> the car just isn't photogenic." --
> Edward Weston
>
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: NSURIT@xxxxxxx
> >
> >
> > Is Walt going? It would be nice to have someone along who is trained
in
> the
> > use of a Glock and had one with him. Heck, he could even drive up and
we
> > could all see his fancy "pick 'um up." They got any bears or poisonous
> snakes
> > on that Island? . . . I don't want to go 1500 miles for no damn sissy
> outing.
> > <[8^) Bill Barber
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