Wolves and sport killing

[dgibson]

This link turned up on the NAHC BB, from an Idahoan, no less.

If this site is to be believed, sport killing has already begun in Idaho, and has even <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>made the Mount St. Elias/Wrangel caribou herd virtually extinct....<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I intend to read this through, but from what I've already read there isn't much in the way of evidence outside of a few pictures. But we'll see!

http://www.usa4id.com/ciwc/index.html

 

[Erik in AK]

I can't speak for how wolf reintroduction is impacting folks in central Idaho...BUT the so called "nearly extinct" Wrangell/St Elias caribou doesn't even exist in the first place.

There are 32 recognized "herds" of caribou in Alaska. None have any significant portion of their home range in the park. The three closest are the Nelchina, Mentasta and Chisana herds which range to the north of the park.

The pic showing the "sport killed" calves and its link headline are pure propaganda. Caribou do range into the lower mountains of the Wrangells in summer to escape the heat and tormenting flies and yes, wolves do kill for more than food, in fact wolves kill about as many caribou in Alaska as humans do, about 22 to 25,000 a year. Wolves, caribou and men have coexisted in harmony in this place for tens of thousands of years with no apparent detriment to the caribou. To imply that wolves are wiping out caribou in area that doesn't support a herd to begin with, is not right.

People have a right to oppose wolves in Central Idaho. Just use real facts to back your case.

By the way...I was not aware that wolves were in the habit of laying out their sport kills in neat rows like that.

 

[dgibson]

So what, no one else has a comment about the purported "sport killing?"

Erik, I have seen it stated that moose populations from Alaska through Canada are being greatly affected by wolves, and that they could become a memory in a few short years. Do you have any info or thoughts about that?

 

[BuzzH]

I do, I think its BS. Seems to me like moose and wolves have been around one another for a long time. It seems intuitively obvious, even to a casual observer, that if wolves were going to make moose extinct, it would have happened a long time ago.

 

[Erik in AK]

Darren,
Just so we're clear, my post wasn't directed at you personally. I figured you were posting the link to start a conversation.

I'm no expert but I do know that wolves have been a largely undisturbed component of the predator/prey relationship in just about every region of the state. There are so many variables that impact herd dynamics. Most go unnoticed by the public because they are subtle and require scientific study. Good or bad, wolves draw attention wherever they're found which tends to push their impact on various herds to the forefront. Wolves seem to get a disproportionate amount of press.

From what I 've read the effects of wolf predation tend to be very localized, often limited to a particular drainage or plateau or mountain range etc. Wolves also typically have a notional impact on ungulate numbers during periods of relative normalcy for the habitat or region in question. Meaning to say, as long as herd strength has not been lessened to the point of concern by some other factors such as extreme weather, disease, loss of forage etc., then wolves tend to keep herd numbers in check like they're supposed to. However if a particular population has been made vulnerable, wolves can, and have taken a sudden and devastating toll.

Moose can be particularly vulnerable to this type of opportunistic predation. We sometimes get "Chinook Winds" during mid-winter(warm winds out of the south) which puts a hard crust on the snow after things turn cold again. Moose break through this crust and if the snow underneath is at all deep, they have to lunge in order to move whenever they're not on hardpacked trails. They quickly become exhausted under these conditions. The wolves of course can run on top of the crust and few moose caught in these conditions survive.

That, anyway, is my take as far as I know about how things usually play out here in AK. Wolf reintroduction in the Rockies still has to overcome public perception driven by two centuries worth of cultural programming that wolves are bad.

 

[1_pointer]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Wolf reintroduction in the Rockies still has to overcome public perception driven by two centuries worth of cultural programming that wolves are bad. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Oh so very true!! I'd still like to kick Walt Disney's ass about Bambi! It was supposed to be portraying German hunter's was his reason for releasing even after stout oppisition from sportsmen. Yet, all the characters are native US animals!!!

 

[dgibson]

No offense taken at all, Erik! That was exactly why I made the post. I am becoming more and more interested in this wolf thing as days go on and am trying to find a few people who will give me straight answers about the subject. Those people are few and far between.

I know that I certainly was under the impression that the moose were doing fine up there, but since I don't live there I couldn't say for sure. Or, as Buzz puts it, I'm a casual observer.

 

[Michaelr]

I don't see how we can use alaska or canada as examples.
They dynamics here in the lower 48 are totally different.
human density.
number of hunters
ranching, and livestock.
comparitivly small wilderness areas.
ect, ect.
how can we possibly draw conclusions from alaska??

 

[BuzzH]

You cant draw conclusions on every aspect, but you sure can on some of it. Like predator-prey relationships, number of animals wolves kill, etc.

There is livestock in Canada and Alaska, certainly not like the lower 48, but there is some. Both have big-game, and last I checked theres plenty of it in the lower 48 as well as Alaska and Canada.

I'll agree that comparing livestock losses in AK to ID or MT isnt going to give you any decent results or prove anything. What it may prove is that big-game, hunters, and wolves can all survive together (like they have been for a long time in AK and Canada), despite the unfounded claims of a large group of ignorant people who live in ID, MT, and WY.