Wolves hit the dirt in Oregon!

[Joe Hulburt]

Good to see a few wolves removed anyhow! Their population grew 36% last year alone. You don't have to be a rocket scientist or even that good at math to see that is a bad thing for my primary food supply.

Unfortunately here in Oregon it will be a long and painful road to get to any sport hunting of wolves and by the time we do they will have substantially reduced our already dwindling hunting opportunities. We got screwed by those who worship the wolf and I can't really blame anyone for feeling a little resentment towards the wolf because of it.

 

[shootbrownelk]

I don't hate wolves, but do believe they need strong management. All the guys like shootsbrownelk crack me up. mtmuley

I'm so glad I could bring some joy to your day MM. You're welcome.

 

[big28hunter]

Good to see a few wolves removed anyhow! Their population grew 36% last year alone. You don't have to be a rocket scientist or even that good at math to see that is a bad thing for my primary food supply.

Unfortunately here in Oregon it will be a long and painful road to get to any sport hunting of wolves and by the time we do they will have substantially reduced our already dwindling hunting opportunities. We got screwed by those who worship the wolf and I can't really blame anyone for feeling a little resentment towards the wolf because of it.

Feel good instead of what's good for the ecosystem. Politics need to stay out of "OUR" woods. Let the biologist and wildlife experts handle that. Good huntin'

 

[VAspeedgoat]

8 calves in 3 years, one old heifer. Enough to know it's not coming out of your pocket.

To put that in perspective depending on sex of the calves thats somewhere between 10 to 15,000 dollars lost. Thats if they weren't being used as seedstock which would likely double that number. I like the idea of having wolves in wild places like many of you but I would be a lot less kind if they were in my cows. And so would the rest of you if your livelyhood depended on them. Not trying to start a pissing match here just showing another side of it. Due to his location I'm betting its all on private land too, which to me changes things as well.

 

[BuzzH]

To put that in perspective depending on sex of the calves thats somewhere between 10 to 15,000 dollars lost. Thats if they weren't being used as seedstock which would likely double that number. I like the idea of having wolves in wild places like many of you but I would be a lot less kind if they were in my cows. And so would the rest of you if your livelyhood depended on them. Not trying to start a pissing match here just showing another side of it. Due to his location I'm betting its all on private land too, which to me changes things as well.

While it sucks that he lost some calves...its the cost of doing business when wolves occupy the area of your operation.

Nobody is entitled to a risk free business venture, although we try as hard as we can to do just that with the ranching business...when we do nothing remotely close to that with thousands of other businesses.

We have the USDA/APHIS that kills all sorts of predators, subsidized grazing, farm subsidy's, low interest loans, disaster relief, compensation for losses associated to predators, and the list goes on and on and on.

I guess what I don't understand is the double-standard, when the same guys that complain about losing a few calves to predators, don't think twice about real-estate markets when they tank (as ONE example of many). Don't think twice about other business ventures that don't have anywhere near the level of public funding to keep them afloat.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

No disagreement here Buzz, just saying if roles were reversed that I think you, me, and everyone else would not feel so kindly to wolves if it was their livestock. I agree that much has been done to help eleviate direct costs associated and I don't think much more can be done. However, I think it is understandable in this instance that we have someone who doesn't care about all of that. In other words, if you have a garden and some sort of animal like a groundhog, rabbit, etc eats a fourth of your garden. The local town you live in reimbuses you the money from the produce you lost. It is understandable that the gardener would still be mad at the nuisance animal because they are emotionally attached to what they were growing despite the economic value.

To reiterate, I'm not taking sides just saying that in this case it is understandable that he would be pretty ticked off at wolves in general. Also again, I think that about everything humanly possible is being done to alleviate these conflicts. And also I enjoy recreating in areas that have wolves back in the ecosystem. So not taking sides.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I know from the perspective of some of the livestock farmers in Northeast MN. A lot of the frustration for them comes from the denial and lack of response by agencies going back into the 1980s. Wolves were never gone from that area. As their populations grew, these farmers were given little to no recourse, and often their pleas weren't heard. This resulted in an attitude that if no one will help us, we will have to help ourselves.

There seemed to be a lot of bad dynamics going on in NE MN when I lived there, between the parties involved, to the extent where I heard anecdotal reports that frustration existed even within the DNR, as to what the real number of wolves was.

Not saying any of this is right, and I believe wolves are part of what makes these areas of N. MN special, but I can understand the frustration when you feel like nothing is, or can be, done to manage the population. I think delisting and the institution of hunting in MN had an extremely positive impact on the attitude towards wolves.

 

[shootbrownelk]

While it sucks that he lost some calves...its the cost of doing business when wolves occupy the area of your operation.

Nobody is entitled to a risk free business venture, although we try as hard as we can to do just that with the ranching business...when we do nothing remotely close to that with thousands of other businesses.

We have the USDA/APHIS that kills all sorts of predators, subsidized grazing, farm subsidy's, low interest loans, disaster relief, compensation for losses associated to predators, and the list goes on and on and on.

I guess what I don't understand is the double-standard, when the same guys that complain about losing a few calves to predators, don't think twice about real-estate markets when they tank (as ONE example of many). Don't think twice about other business ventures that don't have anywhere near the level of public funding to keep them afloat.

Amen to everything you said Buzz. I couldn't agree more. I'm tired of providing ranchers with a risk free business, first compensating them for grizzly kills, and now wolves. Along with Property tax breaks and low/no interest loans. Enough is enough.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

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