Wolves at my shack

[tealitup]

So my brother in-law and myself went to my hunting land 58 miles Northwest of Two Harbors. We went out on the ATV's Saturday morning for an hour ride. While riding there were wolf tracks everywhere!

On the way back there was 4 sets of prints in our tracks!

We went walking down some trails. Covering our tracks on the way back - Wolves again (within 20 minutes)!

We saw very little deer or moose sign - but wolf tracks and scat were everywhere. I forgot my SD card to my trail camera, but in two weeks I will put it up. Pictures coming soon.

Too many wolves - way too many. I emailed the DNR asking if they ever need wolves to be trapped and transplanted anywhere else to please come to our place.

[tedl]

Too many wolves. I couldn't agree more. I went to my hunting shack two weeks ago in Kelsey, thats by Cotton. I walked my trails and there was wolf scat everywhere. I talked to my neighbor out there and he said a pack came in his yard during the middle of the day when his kids were out playing on the trampoline. His wife called in the kids and tried to scare the wolves away but they just took their time and slowly moved on. The wolves just don't have a fear of humans anymore.

[muskyben]

Are they doing to delist them, so we can have a hunting season on them? I know montana wants a hunting season but the libs got it tied up in court.

Remember the 3 S rule.

[tealitup]

Problem with the 3 S rule is that I heard there are some wolves with micro chips imbeded in their hide.

[muskyben]

your right! I forgot about that. so lets 3 p them

protect, pamper, provide for them since they are so special.

Since all the deer will be gone lets round up all the libs, activists, etc.. so they don't starve.

Sorry, just ranting, this subject just hit a nerve. I sincerely appologize if I offended anyone.

[J_D]

Wolves have been killing deer for thousands of years, and they are the ultimate predator in our neck of the woods. personally I think its a good thing if they are back in good numbers. Up here I have seen packs, but they scatter way before I can get within good seeing distance.

[tealitup]

JD, you missed it.. these things were tracking and stalking us - no doubt in my mind

[croixflats]

I know Wyoming has a hunting season on their wolves. Hopefully it doesnt get ugly between the pro's and the con's here. It sure is getting heated debates over there and it gets down right nasty.

[walleye101]

Are they doing to delist them, so we can have a hunting season on them? I know montana wants a hunting season but the libs got it tied up in court.

Remember the 3 S rule.

muskyben

I am all for a controlled hunting/traping season for wolves to give them the big game status they deserve, as well as restoring a healthy fear of human activity that will only benifit their ability to coexist with the human population.

If we are ever going to achive that, the worst thing we can be doing is promoting the 3 S rule (shoot, shovel, and shut up). The most defensible arguement for legal harvest is an expanding population. The 3S rule that is in practice throughout their range is an undocumented source or mortality that gives researchers and population models the false impression that the wolf population is maintaining a relatively stable population level without any harvest, thus no biological need for legal hunting.

[tedl]

Are they doing to delist them, so we can have a hunting season on them? I know montana wants a hunting season but the libs got it tied up in court.

This will be tied up in court for years. It is just a matter of time until a child gets attacked, this still may not change the mind of the people who are fighting this hunt in court because they love animals more then humans. If one of them lost their dog to wolves witch could happen if they left the tall buildings and pavement their attitude would probably change.

Dogs are killed every year from wolves, it is actually a common occurrence. I believe Wisconsin and Montana will pay for the loss, but not Minnesota the state with the highest population of wolves.

[goblueM]

first of all, the wolves were not "stalking" you. They were probably just curious. Second of all, the wolf population will balance itself just fine without us hunting them - there's only so much area that can support a given amount of wolves (carrying capacity).

Finally, I've deer hunted in Ely and there are a ton of wolves. But also a lot of deer. In fact I had a wolf come within 20 feet of me last year when hunting. It was awesome. And later that day I shot a deer that a wolf had pushed down a valley toward me.

I don't get all the anti-wolf vitriol and the idea that they killed off all the deer and will start on people next...

[J_D]

I agree, my buddy has a shack north of duluth, and there is wolve sign everywhere. Last year he killed four deer, even with all those wolves around. But I will admit, if the population does grow enough, there will have to be some control put in place. Historically the control was food, but with all the deer these days this is no longer the limiting factor for the population, so at some point I believe a hunt will have to be established. Of course this is my opinion only.

[tedl]

I don't believe the wolves could kill all of the deer up here. I see about 20 or 30 deer in the winton area everyday.

You said you had a wolf come in within 20 feet from you, that right there is proof that they don't fear humans. Wolves are smarter then deer and would have known you were there.

Canada has had one fatal attack, and numerous none fatal. Alaska had dogs being killed while being walked on a leash. I feel that is a little to close for comfort.

All I am saying is they need to have a fear of humans again.

[tedl]

I saw a mountain lion on the kawishiwi trail and thirteen corners road. I fear that more then I do the wolves.

[goblueM]

The wolf actually had scented my uncle who was upwind and working to push deer back to me... he was running from him. And I was motionless and upwind of the wolf, so he didn't even notice me. But yeah there is more and more contact between wolves and humans but they still have plenty of fear of humans when there is direct contact

[Fishin=Easy]

two years ago i saw two black wolves near Fairhaven.They were huge . I've seen trail cam pics of others from a place 1/2 mile from there that were of the white/gray color. These were only 2 miles from my house, and supposedly there from a pack of up to 8-10 wolves.

[tedl]

A family was mauled by a wolf at a park on the north shore of lake superior I believe in the spring of 2007. The wolf was put down and showed no signs of starvation. A boy camping with his parents was grabbed by the head a dragged from his sleeping bag by a wolf also in 2007. I think that my have happened in the quetico, I may be wrong on the park. Both of these incidents happened in Canada, but Ely is kinda close to Canada.

[Duffman]

I'd be more worried of the two legged species up in that neck of the woods vs the four legged ones. Not to mention bats have killed more people in MN vs any big furry animal in the last few years. A couple of people have been killed by wolves on this continent, out of what, a few hundred million? Seems to me that the oods would be about slim to none. If you guys are looking for a boogey man, the wolf is not it. A cougar maybe, but not an animal that's been somewhat co-existing with man for centurys in the area.

Yes, dogs get attacked, and I think about it when the hound and I are in wolf territory. But wolves hate all canines; dogs, foxes, and 'yotes are considered competition for resources and will be delt with accordingly. The same with competing wolf packs, they'll thin each other out if things get dire. I've got no problem with controlling numbers with a hunting season, but lets not try and hyperbole the situation with "what ifs" and Red Riding Hood scenarios.

[SkunkedAgain]

Good points Duffman.

Someone please point me to a real newspaper article that actually documents a wolf killing a human...and maybe some scientific facts (not stated facts).

The head-dragged boy was killed by a bear in Utah in June 2007, according to a quick web search - which is what I thought.

I couldn't find anything about a wolf attack on the north shore.

I'm not picking on your Tedl, but one of the worst things about the web and forums is lack of citations/evidence when people are presenting sides of an argument.

There are waaaay more deer in Minnesota than before our ancestors settled this area. I'm not all that worried about the population getting too low.

--EDIT--

Okay I found two research reports from 2002 (Linell 2002; and McNay 2002) that indicate that only 17 humans have been killed by wolves in the past 50 years in all of North America, Europe, and Russia. That is a mix of rabid animal killings, predatory killings, a defensive killings.

Maybe somebody else can find some different research.

[goblueM]

My thoughts precisely Duffman... people are always on a witchhunt for something silly. Think of the number of hunting deaths in Minnesota this year - and every year. They far outnumber the amount of people killed by wolves in our documented history on the entire continent. Would you then ban hunting?

I could go on but I think you concisely and accurately said all that needs to be said

[tedl]

SkunkedAgain Go to the international wolf center web sight and look at the wolves in the media. The wolf cases I mention in Canada I saw on the discovery channels show after the attack. Which I believe the discovery channel would be using accurate details.

And about the deer, I mentioned in another thread that we should be shooting more deer.

[tedl]

How did this end up being a witch hunt. All I said was we should have a hunting season to put a healthy fear back in the wolves. I point out some examples of why, and next thing interpreted is that I want to exterminate the wolves, and I feel they are the most dangerous thing. This is very far from the truth.

[tedl]

If I said people are killed in drunk driving crashes every year, am I saying don't drive your car?

[tacklejunkie]

a few years ago i saw a wolf. real live timber wolf. i blew a whistle and it ran. [badWordUsage] and elbows. a few days later there was a deer herd not far from that spot. too many deer. man is not enough predator to keep them in check. i dont mind wolves and i think there should be a limited hunting season. big cats, that would worry me more than big dogs

[tealitup]

Ok sorry, they might not have been stalking me (wrong word). They were "trailing" us throughout the 200 ac. that I own.

They are curious when we are up there because they are now coming within 20 feet of our shack when the generator in running and people talking.

Last November I posted about three wolves that trailed my scent to my stand - one sat below the stand, one out front and one put his paws on the ladder getting up to the stand.

Last week I only saw one moose track and maybe four deer tracks. usually, you see much much more.