Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Opposition Growing Against Wisconsin Wolf Hunt

Native Americans in three Great Lakes states tell the Wisconsin DNR the wolf hunt rushed to an October opening by the Wisconsin Legislature is poorly-conceived and "reckless," reports the daily Eau Claire Leader-Telegram:


Chippewa tribes in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan have asked the state Department of Natural Resources to prohibit the killing of wolves in the ceded territory of northern Wisconsin during a planned wolf hunt this fall.

Jim Zorn, executive director of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, said the tribes believe the Wisconsin hunt is biologically reckless and would be culturally harmful to Chippewa Indians, for whom wolves are culturally important. The commission oversees the treaty hunting, fishing and gathering activities of 11 Chippewa bands, including six in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin DNR has said it will allow the killing of 201wolves, or nearly one-quarter of the estimated 850-wolf population.

And while some farmers and pet owners say they lost animals to wolves, why have 10,000 people filed hunting permit applications to shoot one?

Litigation has been filed. This hunt may not come off, or proceed as planned.


17 comments:

Save the wolves said...

buy one and don't use it

Anonymous said...

The first confirmed wolves were starting to be seen in the late 70’s and the population increased from then. I wonder how killing a few wolves which essentially didn’t exist 30 years ago could now be a threat to the culture of tribes. It seems like the main purpose of that tribal culture is to make themselves relevant by protesting everything they can as being a threat to them. Apparently everyone in Madison believes the native eco-stereotype in tuned with the earth mother and all that other happy horseshit, when in reality they are nothing but publicity hounds, pounding drums and disrupting whatever they can to appear important and knowledgeable due entirely to their racial heritage.

The wolf population is now well over double what the DNR said was a population goal and there is no reason not to have a season. In the north, the deer population has been decimated and besides farm animals, many family pet dogs have also been killed. Wolves have never been an endangered species in North America and there is no reason to promote them in Wisconsin. There is also no reason to promote an Elk herd and now the Elk are not able to maintain a growing population because the young are constantly being eaten by, you guessed it, wolves.

I don’t know what the Madison liberals would think a wolf management program would look like, but all other wildlife management involves a common two step program: promoting the increase of a given population and then killing the excess. Pretty simple actually.

James Rowen said...

I hope this commenter is not representative of very many Wisconsinites. He or she is driven by stereotypes and prejudices.

I debated long and hard over whether to post or delete the comment, but put it up to show others who support the hunt who is speaking for them.

wolves are not to be worshipped said...

It is totally correct to question tribal claims, but it is a little rude to include phrases like publicity hounds pounding their drums… etc. There is also a racial stereotype which elevates tribal members to a special class with special attributes which deserve special recognition. If the tribal members are taking this and playing this to their best advantage for political points, it is not wrong to point this out and it may be a subject worth exploring.

how can you be so clueless said...

You make outrageous personal attacks against Scott Walker and other conservatives and call them criminals and everything else but you are upset by someone calling a publicity hound drum pounder a publicity hound drum pounder?? Ha! Ha! Ha! You Madison liberals are truly clueless. The 10,000 plus people who put down good money for the chance to kill a wolf should tell you what Wisconsinites really think. The only thing Indians care about is cheating you out of your money at their casinos and gaining political power by pretending they have a right to that which they do not own and did nothing to produce.

It is best that you stay in your little imaginary world in Madison and type on your computer and stay away from the reality of northern Wisconsin.

real american said...

These Indians must be the most delicate, fragile creatures on earth; they are threatened by everything from killing a few wolves to someone digging up a few rocks. Real Americans, on the other hand, see no threats, accept no threats and have no threats. We kill off the wolves and then we bring them back and then we kill them again. We dig up the earth for iron and then make the hole in the ground into lakes and parks. We burn coal and oil and when we run out of that we just dig and find more. We spill a few chemicals in the river and then we clean it up. We don’t stop doing things for fear of the consequences, we just do it and when we break something we fix it. We cut down all the trees, and then we plant new ones. We nuke the shit out of cities and then we go in and plant flowers. We don’t sit around whining and crying about how we destroyed the earth, we just go about and build a new one and its no big deal. Stand up! Be strong! Be Proud! Be a real American! Get that wolf tag today!

Betsey said...

Your original point on this subject is well-taken, James: why are there 10,000 applications?
This feels like a blood lust pure and simple: overcoming one's own fear of wolves by killing the animal.
In a recent conversation with one of these types, he said there wasn't any other animal who killed for the sport of it. I thought hmmmm. . . it seems as if there's one right in front of me, talking about animals that kill for the sport of it.
If I lived up north, I wouldn't leave my dog tied up on a string as bait for wolves, so that I could claim me and mine were being attacked and then shoot the wolves for acting on their instincts. We humans supposedly have a choice about that--whether to act on our instincts or not. It's what makes us the higher species--allegedly.

If it came down to it, I'd rather be raised by a pack of wolves than by some packs of some humans.

Boxer said...

How can YOU be so clueless,"how can you be so clueless ..." ?
Native Americans pretend to have a right to that which they do not own did nothing to produce???? And you own it and/or contributed to production?

It's the cluelessness, ignorance and thoughtlessness of you red-neck, red staters that think you own everything you look at just because you're white and armed. Then you enforce your ignorance and racism at the end of your gun. You have no idea how you're manipulated by Fox News, Uncle Limbo and the new Mittens/Ayn Ryan squad.

Reagan's Disciple said...

Manipulated by Fox News? Funny!

There was a Republican party long before Fox News and Rush came along.

Who were we manipulated by before Fox? ABC, PBS and Paul Harvey?

Irene said...

The DNR's wolf mgt. plan with a goal of 350 wolves is DECADES out of date. Right in the plan there is a call for review and updating every 5 years - BUT IT WASN'T ALLOWED BY DNR ADMINISTRATION. The scientists have been muzzled. Well, it's going to be very interesting when the DNR administrators have to testify UNDER OATH as to why they ignored the knowledge and facts from their own scientists when making up and approving the wolf hunt rules. IF YOU DON'T EAT IT, DON'T HUNT IT!! Haven't we evolved beyond this by now?????!!!!

Anonymous said...

Wolves are not good to eat,but they do make nifty coats to keep you warm in the winter, which is also important to our continued survival. The anti wolf hunt people here certainly seem rude and inconsiderate and certainly aren’t doing themselves any favors by name calling and dreaming up stereotypes. I have also questioned the mystique that environmental groups place on tribal organizations when there is no real evidence to do so, and although I don’t condone the phraseology, I find the underlying concept valid.

We must be honest with ourselves and admit that we have promoted a wolf population in Wisconsin purely for aesthetic and philosophical reasons, there certainly isn’t a biological necessity for them as evidenced by the fact that the environment was just fine when they weren’t present. The people who know about wolves are those who live with them in northern Wisconsin and they seem more than anxious to see the population numbers dramatically reduced.

Norm Mackey said...

I see the tribe's point of view, I don't see how they can afford to let co-managed resources be depleted this way by the Wisconsin DNR.

They own rights to 50% of the wolves and the DNR is proposing that the population be reduced in size to less than half the carrying capacity. The whole Voigt decision assigning/restricting what the parties could do assumes that the idea is to restrict harvests to prevent that very thing happening, thus the Department of Natural Resources and Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) which totally opposes are supposed to work together.

The 350 wolf "goal" is what was decided, decades ago, was just enough wolves to keep them from being threatened, in the ESA sense. It was originally going to be 500, but was reduced. The stated plans up until recently would be to only selectively euthanize wolves if needed, in their habitat areas. The carrying capacity is clearly not lower than the current wolf population.

Imagine how the Chippewa would feel if the state suddenly decided to mow down half the wild rice acreage they have harvest rights to, to provide better sport panfishing habitat, but that they could continue to harvest the same percentage of what was left?

In any case, the tribes cannot let their rights be trashed this way. Right now they are using much less than their allocation of antlerless deer, bear, fisher, otter and bobcat, tribal harvests remaining below 15% of the tribal share of these species allows the DNR to manage them more freely.

The question just looks like deciding if the tribes have usufructuary rights besides harvesting at first glance, but it has great implications about how the state and tribal partners manage the resources behind the "harvest".

Anonymous said...

Shooting for sport is cruelty to animals. You can buy meat at the grocery store if you think you need it. If we'd stop hunting their food, maybe they'd leave us alone.

Anonymous said...

I am Cherokee I work and pay taxes. And sure wonder why some of you'll think Native American people Don't have a right to voice their feelings and why do you'll act like you'll own everything. Native American people and Wolves were here first. You'll who act like it don't matter we see the wolves as sacred. Who do you think you'll are? We have a right to fight for what we Believe. Or what you think like the evidently the ones who came and killed and enslaved and stole that your kill what you want cause you think it All yours. Does your ancestors blood bleed wrongly on the lands? Funny how you'll who talk against native Americans act like it all yours.

Anonymous said...

I am Cherokee and Wolves are Sacred. I don't own a casino. I pay taxes. I own a landscape business. Hell yes I have EVERY RIGHT to fight for my Sacred Wolves. You who act like you the Only ones who can speak it Just because you want to kill them for sport.It sickening to kill for sport. You wolf killers are without care or compassion. Wolves mate for life and look after family. You kill family. You'll will reap what you sow.your definitely like the ones who came and acted like they will just kill and take what they want cause it got to be All theirs.You are very wrong to kill these wolves. You wipe them out almost before. You who say your a real American cause you brag oh your almost bring extinction oh but bring it back..What? LET ME TELL YOU WHAT A REAL AMERICAN IS Someone who respects earth and it animals. Someone who don't try to destroy earth just cause they got some ego they can bring it back. Someone who realize there always a threat that could happen but is prepared. Someone who knows they don't own America. Someone who fights for conservation and preserving species and wolves and all that Native to this Country that a Real American not someone who thinks they somebody if they kill a innocent animal. Real Americans and Native Americans care about Earth and taking care of it.Hell even I can shoot a gun.killing a innocent animal is sickening.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely it definitely cruel to kill for sport.wolves are families. They mate for life.in fact some of these people could learn alot from wolves.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely you said it.Hi I am Cherokee and I believe the wolves are Sacred. And they are very intelligent more than some of you who want to kill them.wolves mate for life. You hunters make me sick wanting to kill for sport.You hunters are the worst of all you kill with bows and traps which horribly torture the animal. I seen videos of you hunters killing baby elks with bows and on you tube it shows how merciful you'll are a baby elk crying for the mother with 3 bows in him still crying. Atleast wolves kill Only To Eat. You'll kill for fun.You'll are the ones that should be extinct. I AGree with you that I rather be raised by wolves than many humans