ljs Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 LEWISTON -- The first kill of the nation's first legal wolf hunt in decades has been reported in Lewiston, Idaho. Officials with the Department of Fish and Game in Boise confirm that an adult female wolf was killed in the Lolo Zone north of Highway 12 on the way to Lolo, Montana. Hunter Robert Millage, a real estate agent from Kamiah, recorded the first kill on an adult female wolf. He said early Tuesday afternoon that he was hunting in the Lolo National Forest when he heard a pack of wolves howling just after dawn. Using a coyote call he lured the wolf out of the weeds about 30 yards away from him and he took the shot. Millage took the wolf to the Lewiston office of Fish and Game for verification. Fish and Game officials took a tooth from the wolf in order to do biological sampling and also tagged the wolf's pelt so a taxidermist would know it was killed legally. The first - and as of 5 pm the only - kill came shortly after hunters in Idaho could begin tracking and shooting at wolves just before sunrise Tuesday in select hunting districts in the state's central and northern mountains. Idaho set a quota of 220 wolves this season as part of its plan for managing the population. While the first kill has been reported it remains uncertain how much longer Idaho's hunt will be legal. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Montana is considering a motion for an injunction sought by groups opposed to the hunts in Idaho and Montana. Montana's season is scheduled to begin September 15th and hunters there began buying wolf tags Monday. _My g/f's dad is a cattle rancher in SE Idaho. he has already lost several dozen cows/calves this year, losing well over 20K of income.(and he loses cattle each year to wolves, it just keeps getting worse) Another rancher there has lost 40 sheep this season- had to move the rest of his flock back to their main pen, and now has to grain feed them. So not only has he lost a lot of money, but now its costing him a ton more just to raise what he has left. Wolves have killed over 120 sheep in Dillon, MT in Aug- only eating a couple of them, just leaving other carcases. That surpasses the amount of sheep killed in ALL of Montana last year. There have been a lot of protests against the hunts, but the vast majority around here support it and understand why it is necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky21 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Take those wolves out! (And the coyotes too.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Well sheep should feel safer now that when they run away from amorous herders they won't run into the jaws of the big bad wolf. j/k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I don't understand why someone would want to kill something as beautiful as a wolf. Lots of hunters have simple blood lust, I'm convinced. And the answer to the livestock problem is simple. Dogs. That's what folks did for centuries. ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 If we can get the natural wolf population back up to a reasonable level in the West, then I have no problem with controlled hunting to maintain the population at a desired level. I don't get why anyone enjoys killing anything they can't eat, but that's a different question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I don't get why anyone enjoys killing anything they can't eat, but that's a different question. I think it's a valid question though. Sad though that folks have worked so hard to re-introduce wolves into their natural environment in order to help maintain healthy herd animal populations, so Cleetus and Bubba can shoot them and pose with their dead body, like they really did something. "I dun shot me a purty one paw!" Meanwhile, Joe Rancher is applauding 'cause he knows someone who knew someone that heard a wolf ate a chicken. ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 If we can get the natural wolf population back up to a reasonable level in the West, then I have no problem with controlled hunting to maintain the population at a desired level. I don't get why anyone enjoys killing anything they can't eat, but that's a different question. No argument from me on that one. (Damn. She looked like she was a beautiful animal). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLWORLD Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Killing for the hell of it is just senseless to me but I'm not a hunter either.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantarace17 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 i honestly don't get it either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 PSC- these are more than wolves killing chickens. And my g/f dad does have dogs- the wolves killed 2 of them this year, and one last year. So then what? And these guys aren't just some back country hickmen out for a joy ride- the wildlife management team is leading this- people can't just go shooting around, they have to apply for the tag. I agree that this is a beautiful animal, and I'm no hunter. And about a hunter killing and not eating the animal (and who says you can't eat wolf?)- well, that is exactly what these wolves do- a hundred times over. There are thousands of wolves around here- the DFW is only trying to lower the population a little bit, by allowing roughly 200 kills. It's not like people are out to make them extinct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 It's only fun when you can shoot from a helicopter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karmacop Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 The people opposing the hunt aren't completely against controlled hunting once the population of wolves reaches a sustainable level. The problem here is that the wolf population is still too small to be considered healthy. And I agree about the sheep dogs. That would be a logical compromise. In the larger picture, those cattle and sheep ranchers came to the wolf's natural habitat, and then are shocked and surprised that they lose a portion of their herds to wolves? That's like moving right next to a huge factory and then complaining about the noise and pollution. I believe that ranchers should be able to make a living at what they are doing, but I also believe there is a better way to do so than just killing wolves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingGibbs Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I don't understand why someone would want to kill something as beautiful as a wolf. Lots of hunters have simple blood lust, I'm convinced.And the answer to the livestock problem is simple. Dogs. That's what folks did for centuries. ..... I don't understand either Zoon. I guess it makes them feel like a man to shoot a defenseless creature. I would have a hard time killing anything for sport and I would only do it if it meant providing food for my family. Cue the gun and hunting activists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 In the larger picture, those cattle and sheep ranchers came to the wolf's natural habitat, and then are shocked and surprised that they lose a portion of their herds to wolves? That's like moving right next to a huge factory and then complaining about the noise and pollution.. My g/f dad has been ranching his whole life-owned his own ranch as soon as he got out of the service in the early 50's. His father was a rancher before that, and their grandfather before that. This is just one example of a family who has been in the ranch business since the later 1800's. Guess what they did back then? They shot the wolves who killed their cattle. Now, they can't b/c the wolves are protected. in the last several years they have lost over 100K of their income due to the wolves killing cattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karmacop Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 There are thousands of wolves around here- the DFW is only trying to lower the population a little bit, by allowing roughly 200 kills. It's not like people are out to make them extinct. "Thousands" is slightly wrong. News articles have said that, at most, in all of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, there are about 1600 wolves. Idaho is allowing 220 kills, and Montana is allowing 75. So that's about 20% of the entire population. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karmacop Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Guess what they did back then? They shot the wolves who killed their cattle. Now, they can't b/c the wolves are protected. Maybe they had to be protected in the first place because these ranchers just blasted away until the population got so low that they became extinct. If we left wolf population control to the ranchers, there would be no wolves left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 I guess you all are right. We should just let the cattle and sheep die off. The ranchers should move and find another way to live. Its just that easy right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 PSC- these are more than wolves killing chickens. And my g/f dad does have dogs- the wolves killed 2 of them this year, and one last year. So then what? And these guys aren't just some back country hickmen out for a joy ride- the wildlife management team is leading this- people can't just go shooting around, they have to apply for the tag. I agree that this is a beautiful animal, and I'm no hunter. And about a hunter killing and not eating the animal (and who says you can't eat wolf?)- well, that is exactly what these wolves do- a hundred times over. There are thousands of wolves around here- the DFW is only trying to lower the population a little bit, by allowing roughly 200 kills. It's not like people are out to make them extinct. I am well aware of all of this. Idaho is a neighbor of ours here and this has been covered locally. Hence why I agreed with Predicto. It's managing the population,(which is actually a statement in its own right considering how "recently" it has been for wolves being of the endangered species list). Predator management,(mountain lions,black bears,ect),is very much a way of life here in the West. As is the protection of the livestock and such by the ranchers and animal owners against them. Lot's of laws allowing for that in these parts as well. Part and parcel of the deal here and I have no problem with it. The point I was really making,(or agreeing with),is that I don't understand what is essentially trophy hunting by some in cases like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 The point I was really making,(or agreeing with),is that I don't understand what is essentially trophy hunting by some in cases like this. I gotcha on that one, and I agree with that part. I read an interview with this particular guy and he is no back country bubba..or at least he didn't seem that way. But you also have to understand that the people who are going to get these tags, are seasoned hunters- people with the knowlegde and experience to actually go "help reduce the population." I feel safer with a typical hunter out there than an enviornmentalist with no experience who might end up hurting someone cuz they don't know what the hell they are doing. One of our IT guys at work is a hunter. He is prior Air Force, extremly intelligent, non bubba type of guy. You would never know he is a hunter- unless you start talking about that specifically. But hey, I make fun of these weirdos around here too:silly: like the whale I saw with a swimsuit on yesterday, so big she had to ride in the bed of the pickup. and took up at least half of it.:hysterical: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I thought ranchers were reimbursed for wolf kills. Or is that only adjacent to Yellowstone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I believe that it's only outside Yellowstone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 A real hunter would use a knife. Thats how i hunt my flanksteak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonsieRB34 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I don't understand either Zoon. I guess it makes them feel like a man to shoot a defenseless creature. I would have a hard time killing anything for sport and I would only do it if it meant providing food for my family.Cue the gun and hunting activists. Hunting isn't necessarily senseless or a way for a "man to feel like a man". There are plenty of people that hunt species like deer and eat the meat. It can be hypocritical for one to say that it is wrong to kill a defenseless creature, but then turn around and eat a cheeseburger. In fact, the deer that is killed by a hunter gets more humane treatment than chickens that are tortured before death. Have you ever eaten an animal that was killed so that you can eat it? Isn't that just as senseless? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 A real hunter would use a knife.Thats how i hunt my flanksteak. For some unknown reason,that part from Poltergeist comes to mind right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantarace17 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 oh gross PCS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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