Official says wolf population boom is over

[Ithaca 37]

This can't be true! We've been told by Paul and the rest of the anti-wolf looney tunes that the wolf population will continue to increase until there's millions of them and they take over the Earth!!

"While more gray wolves are prowling the Northern Rockies, the population's overall rate of growth this year is the slowest it has been since reintroduction efforts were launched eight years ago, a federal wolf expert said Tuesday.

But Ed Bangs, wolf recovery specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said such a decline in the growth rate was expected.

‘‘The big expansion of the wolf population is over,'' he said.

Preliminary estimates from the Fish and Wildlife Service put the growth so far this year in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho at 11 percent, compared with 15 percent from 2001-02 and 23 percent from 2000-01.

Territory for the animals in the three states where reintroduction took place is limited, Bangs said. And as the population grows and disperses, more wolves moved closer to human populations, where fatal conflicts occur, he added.


Final counts for the wolf population in the three states won't be available until year's end. But Bangs said officials currently believe there are 747 wolves in the three states, compared with 663 last year........"

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/09/24/montana/a06092403_01.txt

What do the anti-wolf nuts have to say about this news?

 

[dgibson]

Undoubtedly it's due to Bush's war-mongering, surplus-eating economy. What else could it be?

In seriousness, it sounds logical, but I'm not sure that a 3-year trend is indicative of much other than hype. Lots of animals go on cycles, and for numerous reasons. We'll see what happens over the next 10 years or so.

 

[JoseCuervo]

For the last few years, the ranchers up in the Clearwater region of Idaho have been complaining about TOO many Whitetails up there.

F&G even took comment this spring, on ideas for management options to thinning the herd. And then, lo and behold, about 6 weeks ago, some does and fawns started dying. It is being called blue tongue disease, and appears to be spread by gnats that bite one animal after another.

Well, what started out as a trickle is now being rumoured to be a torrent. I have heard in some areas, 90% of the does and fawns are dying. I haven't seen anything from F&G recently on it, but the 3rd hand information leads me to believe that Mother Nature is the BOSS, and this specie is in a cycle, to control its populations.

 

[1_pointer]

Indiana had a bad case of the Blue Tongue about 4 years ago. It did a number is some areas, but for the most part was a good thing. Look near water for dead deer as they seemed to crave water when inflicted in IN.

 

[Troy Jones]

It is possible that the infected deer in Indiana had blue tongue, but not likely and could not be blue tounge in Idaho. Deer ecology and behavior is my hobby and I have done extensive research on disease after losing thousands of whitetails in my area to disease. What your deer more than likely had or have is EHD or epizootic hemorragic disease. Both EHD and blue tongue have similar symptoms, there has been no actual known or proven cases of blue tongue outside the South East part of the US. Had several conservation officers telling everyone blue tounge was killing the deer and this was also the word from the state until they had the proper testing equipment and staff to identify it as EHD.

The disease is carried by a species of biting (midge) fly and effects the deer in a manner similar to the ebola virus. The deer develops a high fever and the heart and intestines hemorrage. Deer are found in or close to water due to trying to cool down from the intense fever. The disease typically hits the deer from mid August through September or whenever the first good frost comes to eliminate the midge flys. The disease and deer mortality is much higher during drought conditions.

I personally have seen the effects of EHD and it is an extremely effective killer of whitetail. I have witnessed hundreds of dead whitetail littering the foothills North of Sturgis, SD. and the request for the voluntary return of whitetail deer tags in this area. Not a pretty sight seeing a 140 class buck panting like a dog and staggering around like he's drunk in the middle of a 95 degree day, and not caring that your twenty feet from him.

 

[The Hedgehog]

How comforting.

Maybe I'm just pissed off because I can't seem to kill an elk this season...

Friday night I hiked in about 11 miles and threw down a sleeping bag, got up in 3 hours and hiked in a bit more into an area I expected to be just hot with elk. What I found was 2 dead bulls and 6 wolves, no other elk in sight for miles.

I had the wolves within 60 yards and could have easily done what I've dreamed of for years... shot an arrow into one's ass. But unfortunately the thought of a prison term and $100,000 dollar fine (or whatever ignorant penalty might come of it) didn't sound nice. I mean... how would I pay for my kid's college? As great of an opportunity as it was, I decided to pass on the shot.

I took a couple photos of them as they ran off, unharmed.

It was neat to see a pack of wolves fart around for 15 minutes up close, but I'd as soon enjoy having 10 other camo-clad fatass bastards on ATVs ride through the middle of the area.

 

[280]

oh my God here is a Greeny quote from a short time ago ,,


"There will always be those guys at the end of every elk season that have a tag in thier pocket and some crybaby reason for it, like wolves, landowners, weather, Game and Fish, etc. Excuses, excuses.. barf."


Link avaiable upon request

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 09-29-2003 17:14: Message edited by: 280 ]</font>

 

[The Hedgehog]

Season ain't over until the fat lady sings you pud-pulling homo. I've missed and screwed my opportunities this season 5 times so far, that's not counting any bulls that would score under 350. My fault, no excuses. What's your excuse?

 

[pa mt man]

Troy, I don't come to the SI section very often, most times just when I'm bored. But the times I've been here and read your posts I am impressed with the knowledge you possess. Don

 

[JoseCuervo]

Troy,

I think you are right. The F&G referred to EHD, and then said something similar to Blue Tongue. I just stuck Blue Tongue in my mind, as I couldn't spell EHD...

My buddies who have a ranch that is being hammered have said they have seen Zero bucks being killed. Just does and Fawns.

 

[Troy Jones]

Elkgunner,

I haven't understood how the morality works or if it's just random. Around Sturgis it was mixed with buck, doe and fawn with no seemingly higher ratio of any one. Farther North from what I understand it was mostly doe and fawn that were hit. Several years ago it hit at the inlaws ranch and I only found a couple doe and fawn, maybe four If I remember right. Now the bucks were hit hard with close to a dozen we found. Maybe it was just where the bucks were hold up at the time, I really don't know, there just doesn't seem to be any type of pattern.

Thanks for the compliment, I do a little reading and have been lucky enough to grow up and live in a great part of the country. I never go anywhere without my spotting scope and spend most evenings and weekends watching wildlife. If I could do it over again I would have got a wildlife biology degree with Mtmiller instead of a natural resource management degree. I have been stuck in more red tape and politics than anything else which has soured me on the career I though I wanted. I think I am on the verge of going back into business for myself.

 

[280]

no excuses here, I shot smallish 6 x 6 last Saturday roughed at 274 not my biggest but last weekend was the last I could hunt do to work related shit and remember you posted it I just pasted it

 

[The Hedgehog]

bummer 280, you must have needed some meat. He'd of been a good bull in 3-4 years.

 

[280]

dude, you sound bitter !