CPW is trying alternative methods to stop wolves in cattle country...

[Zach]

CPW turns to burros to help stop wolf depredation on Jackson County rancher's property

Colorado Parks and Wildlife gave six burros to a Jackson County rancher in an attempt to decrease wolf depredations on his property, the division announced Thursday.

www.thedenverchannel.com

Not sold on the idea, we'll see if wolves like the taste of burro

 

[Mallardsx2]

LOL!!!!!!!!! I love it.

Wolves kill adult moose.....Mary's ride doesnt stand a chance.lol

 

[cedahm]

CPW turns to burros to help stop wolf depredation on Jackson County rancher's property

Colorado Parks and Wildlife gave six burros to a Jackson County rancher in an attempt to decrease wolf depredations on his property, the division announced Thursday.

www.thedenverchannel.com

Not sold on the idea, we'll see if wolves like the taste of burro

I saw that news segment between basketball games last night. Not totally sold either, but it is an interesting concept.

sidebar: Man did those burros look scraggly in the news footage when they were dropping them off.

 

[Zach]

I saw that news segment between basketball games last night. Not totally sold either, but it is an interesting concept.

sidebar: Man did those burros look scraggly in the news footage when they were dropping them off.

What is this basketball thing you speak of? Never heard of it...

 

[Ben Lamb]

Guard animals work. I know a lot of folks who use Llamas, Burros, dogs, etc and it keeps losses down, but it can be expensive and it's hell on those critters. Blackfoot Challenge folks, and some of the producers in the Upper Green of Wyoming could really help landowners in CO on the preventative front. I hope the trade orgs reach out to those folks.

 

[Carnage2011]

Guard animals work. I know a lot of folks who use Llamas, Burros, dogs, etc and it keeps losses down, but it can be expensive and it's hell on those critters. Blackfoot Challenge folks, and some of the producers in the Upper Green of Wyoming could really help landowners in CO on the preventative front. I hope the trade orgs reach out to those folks.

They work…kind of. You’ll lose a pile of llamas, burros, and dogs and save a few sheep and cattle in the process. I believe it was two years ago Helle’s lost 8-10 dogs over the summer and still lost several hundred sheep.

They may work better on a small pack like CO currently has, but when the pack is 12+ they get their ass handed to them.

 

[COEngineer]

Wow, the comments on CPW's FB page though. The internet experts are really up in arms about this. They all know this won't work.

 

[Ben Lamb]

They work…kind of. You’ll lose a pile of llamas, burros, and dogs and save a few sheep and cattle in the process. I believe it was two years ago Helle’s lost 8-10 dogs over the summer and still lost several hundred sheep.

They may work better on a small pack like CO currently has, but when the pack is 12+ they get their ass handed to them.

Yep. I don't think there's any one solution other than eliminating the species to get rid of depredations, but the key is to employ multiple suites of prevention to help offset losses. Most states put the funding on the loss end, and not the prevention end, which is understandable, but means you're always playing on the wolf's terms.

 

[kwyeewyk]

Seems like something ASPCA would throw a fit about.

 

[Zach]

Wow, the comments on CPW's FB page though. The internet experts are really up in arms about this. They all know this won't work.

Did you see my comment? Probably lost in the minutia....

 

[Ben Lamb]

Seems like something ASPCA would throw a fit about.

Wolves make people really stupid for some reason. I would imagine that the idea of a live woof tops the idea of dead livestock or guardian animals for them.

 

[Zach]

Wolves make people really stupid for some reason. I would imagine that the idea of a live woof tops the idea of dead livestock or guardian animals for them.

Very much so.

I'm waiting to see if the wolves will ever affect "wild" horse populations in the HMAs. That will be an inner struggle.

 

[COEngineer]

I'm waiting to see if the wolves will ever affect "wild" horse populations in the HMAs. That will be an inner struggle.

That would be epic. I suspect that horses are pretty far down the prey list for wolves, though. And if the horses are emaciated (and thus easy prey) because there are more horses than the habitat can support, then all the other prey (game) will already be gone, so...it will be much less interesting at that point.

 

[WYelker]

Well it was now fast enough the wolves got another cow and her unborn calf on Monday.

I wonder what it cost to feed a herd of borrows? I know that dogs are not cheap at all. A good guard dog here in WY is a grand and some guys are loosing a couple a year.

I really wish we had a video of what happens when wolves and livestock dogs truly clash. The blood, the pain, the fight etc.

People had to admit or realize that it is a crazy battle…

 

[cedahm]

Wow, the comments on CPW's FB page though. The internet experts are really up in arms about this. They all know this won't work.

Here I was having a fairly enjoyable day - even just landed up north for a few days of skiing with the boy - then I see this on FB and can't stop myself from reading the posts.

Ugh. I've got to delete that app. It throws me into an existential crisis just getting a taste of the volume of functionally illiterate people out there that think FB comments are ‘journalism’

 

[LopeHunter]

What is this basketball thing you speak of? Never heard of it...

My high school used to have a basketball game every year as a fundraiser where you rode a donkey. Yes, on the gym floor. Playing basketball. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_basketball

 

[ccc23454]

Guy that runs cattle on our place in oklahoma has guard burros. They dont like humans (stay away) but are always with cattle and will straight go after yotes. My quess it will help some for awhile, wolves tend to figure things out...

 

[Dinkshooter]

Who feeds the burros then?

 

[lastlight]

How can a few burros stay close to a few hundred head of cattle? I don’t discount their ability to go to battle for a few cows in a small pin but if you got 400 head of cattle on a 10,000 acre ranch how’s that going to work?

 

[Dirthog67]

Who has killed more sheep? The shepard or the wolf?