Colorado Announces Plans to Release “30 to 50” Gray Wolves Along the State’s Western Slope

[TheJason]

I believe they are viewing this the same as their successful social media blitz, famed wolf quotas vs science for 1-2 wolf quotas bordering GNP and YNP.
If success strikes with an inch, go for a mile.

I’m sure they are. However, trying to equate a national forest in a state where wolves are federally delisted is not even remotely close to a national park. Both are dumb, but one is even dumber.

 

[Sytes]

Agree.

Dumb and dumber run in the federal family... So long as Americans continue to vote their party line R & D puppet, dumb and dumber people into office, this will continue.

Amazing how USFWS delists under Dumb and relists under Dumber. Depending on one's party line, you may flip them. Regardless, the totem pole for policy is pretty darn dumb overall.

Doesn't change until the voters change... Not sure it says much for party line voters, unfortunately.

Edit: Not the greatest example for my usual anti-party line rant as Trump and Biden both support delisting. (Delisted by Trump, US District Judge relisted, Biden appealed relisting). My bad...
Still though, I maintain my soapbox anti-party line, HT stump speech.

 

[Oak]

Side stepping NEPA seems to counter the intent of NEPA...

Wait until you hear about federal grazing management….

 

[widnert]

Sad....but, these folks that support this are in it for the long-game. Baby-steps.
I have a long-term conspiracy theory that this falls directly into but, I'll leave that out of this thread.

 

[Don Fischer]

There was probably a reason wolves were shot out years ago! Actually I like to see wolves but release them and they are gonna cause problems in civilization, then what? Shoot them out again? Supreme predators!

 

[TheJason]

There was probably a reason wolves were shot out years ago! Actually I like to see wolves but release them and they are gonna cause problems in civilization, then what? Shoot them out again? Supreme predators!

We also shot out a lot of other game animals too. Maybe we should do that again.

 

[MTLabrador]

We also shot out a lot of other game animals too. Maybe we should do that again.

Granddaddy killed off those damn antelope for a reason.

 

[MattK]

Granddaddy killed off those damn antelope for a reason.

And elk in Montana...and bison...and...

 

[Dubz337]

As a Western Canadian, where wolves have always been prevalent, I really don’t get the hand-wringing and doom-sayers about wolves. We have huge herds of elk, plenty of deer and moose, in areas where wolves have been since the beginning of time. No bad effects whatsoever. Is the concern because it will be a new predator that the prey species will have no experience with, so they will be easy pickings which leads to reduced numbers? Livestock predation? I don’t get it. Plenty of cougars and sometimes grizzlies where these wolves are planned to be reintroduced, these should already show what predators do in the area.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

As a Western Canadian, where wolves have always been prevalent, I really don’t get the hand-wringing and doom-sayers about wolves. We have huge herds of elk, plenty of deer and moose, in areas where wolves have been since the beginning of time. No bad effects whatsoever. Is the concern because it will be a new predator that the prey species will have no experience with, so they will be easy pickings which leads to reduced numbers? Livestock predation? I don’t get it. Plenty of cougars and sometimes grizzlies where these wolves are planned to be reintroduced, these should already show what predators do in the area.

CO has the same pop as AB, SK, and NWT combined.

Our herds are already declining because of human encroachment into habitat.

 

[Dubz337]

CO has the same pop as AB, SK, and NWT combined.

Our herds are already declining because of human encroachment into habitat.

Would it not be better to try and stop the encroachment as well as wolf reintroduction?

Also, in AB where I live, wolf is open season year round w/ no tags, would they allow you to hunt them? Or would they be considered endangered or protected?

Just trying to understand why this is such a big issue in the US, not trying to say who’s right or wrong.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Would it not be better to try and stop the encroachment as well as wolf reintroduction?

Also, in AB where I live, wolf is open season year round w/ no tags, would they allow you to hunt them? Or would they be considered endangered or protected?

Just trying to understand why this is such a big issue in the US, not trying to say who’s right or wrong.

My personal preference would be to just let the wolf pop from WY expand into CO natural, which has already happened. There are 2 different packs in CO already.

Since these are GYE population segment wolves I think Colorado Parks and Wildlife should have the ability to manage them just like ID,MT, and WY.

My issue is the supplemental wolf introduction that was passed via a narrow ballot initiative.

Especially after Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the National Park service in Great sand dunes and Rocky Mountain all decided that wolf introduction wouldn’t be a good fit.

So for me the issue is ballot box biology, I don’t harbor any negative feelings towards wolves.

 

[tjones]

There was probably a reason wolves were shot out years ago!

Was it the same reason granddaddy killed off the bison, elk, bighorns, raptors, ducks, etc???

 

[nrpate05]

Also, in AB where I live, wolf is open season year round w/ no tags, would they allow you to hunt them? Or would they be considered endangered or protected?

This would never happen in Colorado. Even if CPW down the road proposes a regulated wolf hunting season it will be fought tooth and nail and would very likely never happen.

This isn't so much an issue of wolves being on the ground, it is more a procedural issue to me. It sets a bad precedent to take wildlife management/biology issues out of the hands of the professionals. It is bizzare, because it is not something CPW wants to do, and they are already dealing with wolves in the state. How do you reintroduce something that is already there?

Finally, many ungulate herds are not doing well in CO already for a myriad of factors mostly related to human encroachment. They've decided to release wolves in the Roaring Fork Valley, which has seen precipitous decline in elk over the last two decades. That won't help the herd rebound no matter what folks tell you about trophic cascade and such.

 

[HerkHunter]

What GMU are in that area?

Yeah and if anyone can send me OnX pins where the elk are so I can go and warn them that would be awesome.

 

[TheJason]

Just trying to understand why this is such a big issue in the US,

Woofs are scary.

 

[Wild Bill]

This would never happen in Colorado. Even if CPW down the road proposes a regulated wolf hunting season it will be fought tooth and nail and would very likely never happen.

Having lived in both MN and CO and with the political atmosphere of both states being very similar, I am confident in saying that the same tooth and nail political fight that happens annually in MN would happen in CO. The litigation and re-litigation of wolf management/hunting/trapping in MN is a joke. I'd honestly be surprised if wolves are ever managed by sportsmen/women in MN ever again. Same thing will happen in CO. Wolves deserve a place on the landscape, however they need to be managed like other species.

 

[TrumpkinTheDwarf]

I still think the most logical solution to our over crowded mountains is to reintroduce grizzly bears to their entire historical range. It's not the wolves that are the main problem, it's the ballot box biology that's completely disconnected from reality. I'm in Texas, but I'd happily support a CO initiative to reintroduce 30-50 grizzly bears in the San Juans.

Pretty sure Montana FWP could trap that many off the Beartooth Face without hurting anything...

 

[rjthehunter]

Having lived in both MN and CO and with the political atmosphere of both states being very similar, I am confident in saying that the same tooth and nail political fight that happens annually in MN would happen in CO. The litigation and re-litigation of wolf management/hunting/trapping in MN is a joke. I'd honestly be surprised if wolves are ever managed (legally) by sportsmen/women in MN ever again. Same thing will happen in CO. Wolves deserve a place on the landscape, however they need to be managed like other species.

It's unfortunate, and it's never the sportsmen/women who get to decide what happens with the wolves. It's always the people living in the biggest cities and not the rural farmers or hunters who would be most affected by them.

I know plenty of folks who came up with their own wolf management plan. It's sad when even the Department of Natural Resources isn't able to do their job because some buffoon in the cities has an unhealthy lust towards an animal they've never actually encountered.

 

[Deleted member 52098]

My personal preference would be to just let the wolf pop from WY expand into CO natural, which has already happened. There are 2 different packs in CO already.

Since these are GYE population segment wolves I think Colorado Parks and Wildlife should have the ability to manage them just like ID,MT, and WY.

My issue is the supplemental wolf introduction that was passed via a narrow ballot initiative.

Especially after Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the National Park service in Great sand dunes and Rocky Mountain all decided that wolves introduction wouldn’t be a good fit.

So for me the issue is ballot box biology, I don’t harbor any negative feelings towards wolves.

This and this... biggest issues with the state. I don't harbor any ill will about them being here, but with them here, why pay to "re-introduce" them and why not allow them to be hunted the MINUTE they hit objective. Just start from that spot.