Ithaca 37
New member
Not only that, hunters help disperse wolves into new areas.
"In the latest Gray Wolf Recover Status Reports from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service it was reported that perhaps 5 wolves have been killed by hunters (illegally) in Idaho.
One of the wolves whose radio is in "mortality mode" is B211-M is the alpha male of the Partridge Creek Pack (west central Idaho). Another is B127M.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which is now partly managing wolves in Idaho along with the USFWS, is investigating the mortalities.
While illegal hunter mortality is irritating, the extended deer and elk hunts in Idaho are probably a major reason for the huge success of the Idaho wolf recovery. As I have hypothesized for several years and with recent statements by wolf managers and biologists, many of the Idaho and Montana wolves in areas where there is no non-hunting refuge (such as Yellowstone NP) subsist almost entirely for several months on the remains left by hunters and by taking down deer and elk with rifle or archery wounds.
Whereas in Yellowstone, August through November are hard times for wolves as they face fit prey and have to support large and hungry pups that can't hunt yet, abundance for wolves comes from hunters in areas with major big game hunts. I hope a study can possibly be down to test whether pup survival during this critical nutrition period is higher in areas with hunts as compared to Yellowstone NP.
Despite illegal kills of wolves, hunters may be one reason why Idaho has about 400 wolves at the present.
Could it be that hunters can be wolves' best friend? That would be a real story!
Update Nov. 12. After posting this story I was contacted by someone in the know, who indicated that about 50 to 115 wolves may have been illegally killed so far in 2004 in the ID recovery area -- about 10 to 25% of the population. This is on top of natural mortality and government control actions. A rule of thumb is that given a good prey base, a wolf population can sustain about 30% mortality a year without decreasing.
One thing that illegal kills do is cause packs to disperse, and so scatter wolves around the countryside. One side effect of these wolf poachers may be to encourage this dispersal of wolves into Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nevada, etc. I hope so.
I get a lot of reports from folks of wolves in Utah and Colorado. Rest assured, I do not share these with any public officials unless I think in a particular circumstance that would result in their protection rather than destruction.
Later on Nov. 12. "B-214M, the suspected alpha male of the Bear Valley/Landmark pack, was located on mortality mode during the 11/5/04 monitoring flight. His remains were retrieved by IDFG personnel Jason Husseman and Michael Lucid. An investigation is ongoing." (from USFWS)."
http://www.forwolves.org/ralph/hunter-killed-wolves.htm
"In the latest Gray Wolf Recover Status Reports from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service it was reported that perhaps 5 wolves have been killed by hunters (illegally) in Idaho.
One of the wolves whose radio is in "mortality mode" is B211-M is the alpha male of the Partridge Creek Pack (west central Idaho). Another is B127M.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which is now partly managing wolves in Idaho along with the USFWS, is investigating the mortalities.
While illegal hunter mortality is irritating, the extended deer and elk hunts in Idaho are probably a major reason for the huge success of the Idaho wolf recovery. As I have hypothesized for several years and with recent statements by wolf managers and biologists, many of the Idaho and Montana wolves in areas where there is no non-hunting refuge (such as Yellowstone NP) subsist almost entirely for several months on the remains left by hunters and by taking down deer and elk with rifle or archery wounds.
Whereas in Yellowstone, August through November are hard times for wolves as they face fit prey and have to support large and hungry pups that can't hunt yet, abundance for wolves comes from hunters in areas with major big game hunts. I hope a study can possibly be down to test whether pup survival during this critical nutrition period is higher in areas with hunts as compared to Yellowstone NP.
Despite illegal kills of wolves, hunters may be one reason why Idaho has about 400 wolves at the present.
Could it be that hunters can be wolves' best friend? That would be a real story!
Update Nov. 12. After posting this story I was contacted by someone in the know, who indicated that about 50 to 115 wolves may have been illegally killed so far in 2004 in the ID recovery area -- about 10 to 25% of the population. This is on top of natural mortality and government control actions. A rule of thumb is that given a good prey base, a wolf population can sustain about 30% mortality a year without decreasing.
One thing that illegal kills do is cause packs to disperse, and so scatter wolves around the countryside. One side effect of these wolf poachers may be to encourage this dispersal of wolves into Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nevada, etc. I hope so.
I get a lot of reports from folks of wolves in Utah and Colorado. Rest assured, I do not share these with any public officials unless I think in a particular circumstance that would result in their protection rather than destruction.
Later on Nov. 12. "B-214M, the suspected alpha male of the Bear Valley/Landmark pack, was located on mortality mode during the 11/5/04 monitoring flight. His remains were retrieved by IDFG personnel Jason Husseman and Michael Lucid. An investigation is ongoing." (from USFWS)."
http://www.forwolves.org/ralph/hunter-killed-wolves.htm
