Illegal killing of wolves on rise

lots of backward people out there

Having lived in Wyoming & northern Wisconsin I have to agree with the old-timers that "The ONLY good wolf is a DEAD wolf."

Oh...you'd rather have coyotes? I hate them...and they are upsetting the balance of nature up here...not the wolves. I also suspect that wolves take the heat, for many things the coyotes do. Wolves belong...coyotes do not...and wolves eat coyotes. We hav coyotes right in crystal falls though...so their cannot be that many wolves out there...and that is unfortunate.

I don't like coyotes either & wild dogs are even worse, especially the ones that are part-wolf. I wonder if coydogs can interbreed with wolfdogs. It stands to reason there are some pretty ferocious pitbull combinations running around our woods. First we kill the wolves.

Killing the wolves serves no purpose. Eliminating the coyotes is a good thing. We do agree on dogs running wild though.

I still think wolves take a lot of heat from things the coyotes do.

Wolves belong, but coyotes are interlopers.

When is the last time you actually saw a snowshoe hare?

I would never hurt wolves. They do nothing but good, and they are too shy and too smart to get too close for man. Man has to go after them to find them.

Coyotes have totally upset the balance of nature in the north woods, and wolves kill coyotes. I say give the wolves a chance.

The easiest & best way to stop illegal wolf-killing would be to legalize it. Maybe put a bounty on coyotes, wolves, wild-dogs and all mixtures thereof.

Wolves control coyotes...people cannot accomplish that. Wolves are definitely the lesser of the two evils here. Wolves do not normally attack people...and if they do...they are rabid or sick. Fear that wolves are going to upset the balance of nature are also very unfounded in fact.

Coyotes on the other hand have been upsetting the balance of nature in the north woods for decades. When is the last time you actually saw a snowshoe hare in the woods? They used to be plentiful and everywhere, and now they are all but gone. Blame the devil dogs for that...the coyotes. Wolves can control the coyotes, given half a chance. Then the balance of nature will be restored. People simply cannot impact coyote populations. Wolves can.

Wolves vs coyotes...I'll take the wolves any day. You do not just destroy something, because you think you know it is bad. The facts do not bear that out at all. Coyotes have to go...and natures only effective way to control them, is the timber wolf. Mange knocks them down, but not out. Wolves if allowed to do their thing, would solve the issue very effectively. Shooting both...is interfering with nature...and is essentially shooting yourself in the foot. Coyotes do significantly more damage to game, than wolves ever hope to do. Give them a chance, and see what happens. They so deserve that chance, and if given one, the results may prove enlightening.

Bounties are a waste of money, and do not accomplish a thing. They are totally counterproductive, and are a very archaic answer to the problem, that has long since been discounted. Stockmen out west have poisoned...blasted...set traps...and poisoned whole water holes, to get rid of coyotes...to absolutely no lasting effect. Wplves being bigger ranging farther, and generally having self limitimg populations...policing their own numbers...were easier target than the devil dogs...so they took the hits. Coyote populations are totally uneffected by anything men do...just the way it is. You have to let the most effective anticoyote weapon in nature, have a chance. Men cannot and do not impact coyote populations. Leave it to the pros.

I also recall a state holiday in South Dakota commemorating when the last wolf was made into a good wolf.

I know south dakota well...especially the Rapid City and Black hills areas. I suspect you have not been there in a while. Things have changed dramatically. There are houses now everywhere...in virtually every former hay field. The old days are gone, as are their ways. Yuppies own the place now, and the old west you knew, is long gone. The little restaurant in Nemo, is also different now...and Lead Deadwood is all for show for the tourists. The real west...is now much farther west. Also...the wolves are back. Stockmen no longer rule. Pete Lien is the biggest employer, and stockmen are getting scarce.

The North Dallas Forty still is there though...as are the wolves.

I suspect it is safe to say, that redcracker...the ex marine...is also an old timer...with old time...antiquated...ideas. Wolves are once again an integral part of our west. Gunny...semper fi...is not. Old ingrained ideas die hard.

Did they progress to the point of getting a state income tax yet? If you call that progression. Like the wolf, once you get a tax it will only snowball.

I reside in Ontonagon, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. We need more wolves to control the deer population -- collisions with deer on the roads are a major cause of deaths among drivers and damage to vehicles.

James Selberg wrote:

I reside in Ontonagon, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. We need more wolves to control the deer population -- collisions with deer on the roads are a major cause of deaths among drivers and damage to vehicles.

Hunters would prefer a longer season and larger harvest. What kind of idiots were behind reintroducing wolves to begin with? They recreated a nightmare.