 |
| Courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
The pressure over ramped-up wolf killing is getting to DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp. The spin machine is running full-bore:
I'd included a link to the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism piece, in a posting, here.In the interests of ensuring the public is fully informed, I feel compelled to let your readers know important aspects that were omitted from the recent article on wolf management by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism published on October 13 in the Wisconsin State Journal.
Wisconsin's shameful wolf hunt begins Tuesday. Blood sport for bloody politics.
Get past the "harvest" rhetoric, the mysterious authorship of the enabling law and the false flag of livestock and animal killing by wolves exaggerated to justify the hunt - - and you are left with the truth:
So-called sportsmen and women wanted and got the right to kill these animals for sport:
I have never left a comment on your blog because I find that you usually post things that are rational, but in this case not so.
ReplyDeleteI live in an area where the wolf population has taken a stronghold. While not being opposed to "bringing the wolf" back to Wisconsin, I am opposed to having a population that is too high. To state that Stepp is the reason for the hunt is just plain wrong. Here are some results in our area of the high wolf population: 1. The elk population has been stagnant for several years. 2. The deer population has been decimated in areas. 3. Livestock depredation has been underrated, many farmers have decided to deal with the damage themselves instead of reporting the loss. 4. Snowshoe hares have vanished. Anyone who believes we should let the wolves take care of themselves has no business ever speaking about animal cruelty. Death by mange is not a pleasant way to control the wolf population. When two farms in one county each have over a dozen wolves taken off their land because of depredation, the numbers are too high. Please stick to the facts in this case. Just because Walker has sold out to the highest bidder in most things he has done and is a lowlife, do not make it sound like the wolf is this magical and rare creature he is out to destroy. The myth that wolves only kill the sick and diseased is the real myth. There are not nearly enough sick and diseased to feed them. Typically the animals targeted are bucks in their prime after the rut, fawns, and does with fawns. I could give you some forest roads to drive on this winter where you could count the wolf tracks and at the same time try to find a deer track. By the way, no one in the antiwolf circle has enough money to compete for the kings passage of anything. The numbers are too high in many areas and it is time to get them to a reasonable goal.
I am glad to post your comment. For the record, I did not say "Stepp is the reason for the hunt." I have in previous posts laid this at the doorstep of legislators and unknown bill authors.
ReplyDeleteSorry if I may have come to the wrong conclusion by reading too much into your comment. When someone is put into a position who has zero qualifications, nothing seems like its above the table. Open discussions are a thing of the past so absolutely everything this administration does has some level of corruption going on. Even though I believe a season is needed, I also believe that this state does not want to go the route of no science when managing our resources. The Wisconsin DNR is stacked with expert personnel, unfortunately they are not respected by the administration.
ReplyDeleteCare to provide facts to back up the "decimation" claims? And it is not wolves "targeting" the "big bucks." That would be the great white hunters so that they have something to hang on their walls. And of course the great white hunter has nothing to do with "decimated" deer populations and the supposed lack of hares do they? The wolf makes for a convenient scapegoat don't they. Care to provide any documentation to back up your claims? How many wolves have you come across with mange? I would also bet that you have never even seen a wolf. And as for those "wolf tracks" you sure they didn't come from the thousands of bear hounding dogs left to run rampant in our woods? Barstool Biology 101 wins again.
ReplyDeleteScientists say increased wolf kill will destabilize wolf population in WI. http://host.madison.com/news/local/environment/proposed-wolf-reduction-worries-wisconsin-scientists/article_90f76298-3283-11e3-97cc-0019bb2963f4.html
ReplyDeleteMN cut its kill quota this year in half, some worry there about increased kill here.
It is a known FACT that bears are the primary predators of fawns and no doubt elk calves as well. Not to mention coyotes. Take a look at our bear and coyote population. Then take a look at how many unprovoked bear attacks WI has had this past year.
ReplyDeleteMost of what Anonymous says is misleading. Tracks are meaningless unless you KNOW they haven't recrossed their trails. Where is the science behind the buck kills? No one has ever stated that wolves ONLY kill the sick. But you can bet the farm they do when the opportunity arises.
Lastly farms. There is very little farming in the Northern part of the state. Those few that suffer predation should at least employ methods to try to keep their animals safe as wolves aren't our only predator. Large Guardian Dogs for one. That's what I do.
IMO this is mostly all about bear hunting with dogs. Those people are not known for their integrity believe me.
I would be willing to entertain a reasonable, science-based conversation about an appropriate number of wolves to maintain. However, most people lined up against the wolf hunt oppose the lack of science and the sadistic practices of the 'hunt' itself. If some wolves have to be "harvested", do it humanely and professionally. It's not fair, humane, or sportsmanlike to obtain wolf den locations thru open records requests, then set traps outside the den, and later saunter by and shoot the poor things in the head. Or to kill parents but not pups, or pups but not parents. The cruel bloodlusters shouldn't be allowed anywhere near wolves. Same for these trichinosis-crazed bear hunters.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have seen plenty of wolves. We actually had a rendezvous site on our property a couple of years back. I have had the opportunity to watch them catch voles, which is awesome to see. Yes, there is farming in Northern Wisconsin. So let's look at two statements that were disputed. There are no studies to be found on snowshoe numbers. You could say it is just a valley in their population cycle, if you believe that valley is a steady decline for 15 years. Talk to anyone in the northern 1/3 of the state and you'll find the hares have vanished and it coincides with the increase of wolves. Very few hunters harvest hares. Scientific, no; factual, yes.
ReplyDeleteNow on your wolf track statement. Anyone who spends time in the woods understands that one animal can leave a lot of tracks. I've spent my entire life enjoying the outdoors. Farming, fishing, hunting, hiking, snowshoeing, canoeing, photography, bird watching and just driving around sightseeing. Take a drive through state, federal, and county forest land and do some observing for yourself after it snows.
If you want to find out how nice nature is to overpopulated canids contact Adrian Wydeven. He is the expert and has been instrumental in the wolves comeback.