#20 - Wolves Take Hold - Organ (A Study of the Early Stages of Swiming in an Egyptian River)

As you read this article see if you can spot the bias being disguised as objectivity.  Quite simply it's a case of Hollywood Conditioning to allow humanity to welcome wolves in with open arms.  Hint, bias has the word objectivity in it's quote and involves radio collars...

Wolves kill sheep in Eastern Oregon, state investigates

By Casey O'Hara | cohara@oregonian.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on June 19, 2014 at 10:01 AM, updated June 19, 2014 at 10:03 AM
 
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed two recent incidents of wolves killing and injuring livestock in Umatilla County.
On June 13, four ewes and three lambs were found dead, one lamb was missing and a number of others were injured in a sheep pen near Pendleton. ODFW investigators found bite wounds consistent with attacks by one or more wolves.
That morning, the unidentified ranch owner had observed a single uncollared wolf, likely a yearling, feeding on a carcass. GPS tracking collar data from an adult male from the Umatilla River wolf pack proved that there was at least one other wolf in the immediate vicinity during those early morning hours.
A few days earlier, a cow had been attacked and severely injured in a pasture less than a mile away. GPS data showed that two Umatilla River pack wolves were in the pasture around the time of the attack.
"One of the things we're very proud of is that when we hear of an incident, we try to enter into every one of these investigations objectively," states Russ Morgan, wolf program coordinator for ODFW. While GPS collars can place a specific wolf in the vicinity, this alone is not enough to implicate the wolf in the depredation. "It is an evidence based process, not a matter of opinion or belief. We maintain that objectivity throughout, and that's something we will continue to strive for."
ODFW is also coordinating with local livestock producers to reduce risk of further attacks. "We've been working with the producers closely, and have already implemented additional non-lethal deterrents," such as fencing, guard animals or alarm systems, says Morgan.
Gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain region, including the Umatilla and seven other packs in eastern Oregon, were removed from the federal endangered species list and management was transferred to the states. Gray wolves are considered endangered under Oregon law, and the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan sets out rules about how to deal with wolves when they prey on livestock.
When a suspected wolf attack occurs, ODFW officials investigate to confirm that wolves were indeed the culprit, to identify which wolf or wolves were involved and to determine whether ranchers involved took appropriate precautions to deter attacks. Only if a specific wolf is implicated in four "qualifying incidents of depredation" within a six month period can the ODFW decide to kill a wolf, and then only if "chronic depredation" is likely to continue.
After being eradicated from the state in the 1940s, wolves began to cross the border from Idaho in the 2000s, and Oregon's first new breeding pair was confirmed in 2008. The population has since grown to 64 wolves in eight distinct packs. The state has legally killed four wolves: two near Baker City in 2009, and two from the Imnaha pack during 2010-2011.
--Casey O'Hara

Who funds this stuff (Hint: has the word Chase in it). 

#11 - Historical Wolf Research - Part Three

Wolves

Give Me No Lie

Red Wolf Caught On Film: YouTube

60,000+ Wolves In North America

Canada has an estimated 52,000-60,000 wolves. Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon each have 5,000 wolves, British Columbia has 8000 wolves, Alberta 4,200, Saskatchewan 4,300, Manitoba 4,000-6,000, Ontario 9,000, Quebec 5,000 and Labrador 2,000. The United States has up to 9,000 wolves which are increasing in number in all ranges, Alaska has a stable population of 6,000-7,000 wolves, Minnesota has a population of 2,900 wolves, both Wisconsin and Michigan each have 600 wolves as of 2008. The Rocky Mountain states (Wyoming, Idaho and Montana) have an approximate population of 1,700 wolves. A small number of wolves are known to inhabit Oregon and Washington, and there are now at least 42 wild Mexican wolves in the southwest United States. An undetermined number of wolves have been found in Colorado and in the northeast US... (information source)

Humans have been attacked by wolves in Alaska. The late David Tobuk carried scars on his face from a wolf attack on him as a small child. The incident occurred around the turn of the century in interior Alaska.  David was playing in his village near a river. An old wolf came into the village and bit David in the face and started to carry him off.  Other Eskimos saw the wolf dragging the child off and started yelling and screaming. The wolf dropped the child and was shot by an old Eskimo trapper who had a gun. (Interview with Frank Tobuk, brother, Bettles, Alaska, December 1988.)

Paul Tritt, an Athabascan Indian, was attacked by a lone wolf while working a trap line. Paul was setting a snare, looked up and saw a wolf lunging at him. He threw his arm up in front of his face and it was bitten severely by the wolf. A struggle ensued. Tritt was able to get to his sled, grab a gun and kill the wolf. Nathaniel Frank, a companion, helped Tritt wash the wound with warm water. Frank took Tritt, via dog sled, to Fort Yukon to see a doctor. The arm healed, but Tritt never regained full use of it. Several years later, the arm developed problems and had to be amputated. (Interview with Paul Tritt, Venetie, Alaska, November, 1988)

Two wolf attacks on humans occurred in 2000.

Icy Bay, Alaska - Six-year-old John Stenglein and a nine-year-old friend were playing outside his family's trailer at a logging camp when a wild wolf came out of the woods towards the boys. The boys ran and the wolf attacked young Stenglein from the back, biting him on the back and buttocks. Adults, hearing the boy's screams, came and chased the wolf away. The wolf returned a few moments later and was shot. According to Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) officials, the wolf was a healthy wild wolf that apparently attacked without provocation. The boy was flown to Yakutat and recieved stitches there for his wounds. Later, however, the bites became infected and the boy had to be hospitalized. (Reports and Interviews on file and available upon request.)

Vargas Island, British Colombia - University student, Scott Langevin, 23, was on a kayak trip with friends. They camped out on a beach and, about 1 AM, Langevin awoke with something pulling on his sleeping bag. He looked out and came face to face with a wild wolf. Langevin yelled at the wolf and it attacked, biting him on the hand. Langevin attempted to force the wolf toward a nearby campfire, but as he turned, the wolf jumped on his back and started biting him on the back of his head. Friends, hearing his yells, came to his aid and scared the wolf away. Fifty (50) stitches were required to close the wound on Langevin's head. British Colombia Ministry of Enviroment officials speculate the reason for the attack was due to the wolves occasionally being fed by humans although there was no evidence that Langevin or any of his party fed these animals. (Reports and Interviews on file and available upon request.)

This is but a brief summary of a few verifiable accounts of attacks on humans by healthy wild wolves in North American History.

Biologists tell us that the wolves of Asia and North America are one and the same species. Wolf attacks are common in many parts of Asia.

The government of India reported more than 100 deaths attributable to wolves in one year during the eighties. (Associated Press, 1985) This author recalls a news report in 1990 in which Iran reported deaths from attacks by wolves.

Rashid Jamsheed, a U.S. trained biologist, was the game director for Iran. He wrote a book entitled "Big Game Animals of Iran (Persia)." In it he made several references to wolf attacks on humans.  Jamsheed says that for a millennia people have reported wolves attacking and killing humans. In winter, when starving wolves grow bold, they have been known to enter towns and kill people in daylight on the streets. Apparently, in Iran, there are many cases of wolves running off with small children. There is also a story of a mounted and armed policeman (gendarme) being followed by 3 wolves. In time he had to get off his horse to attend to nature’s call, leaving his rifle in the scabbard. A later reconstruction at the scene of the gnawed bones and wolf tracks indicated that the horse had bolted and left the man defenseless, whereupon he was killed and eaten.

A Russian Linguist, Will Graves, provided our organization with reports of wolves killing Russian people in many areas of that country. Reports indicate some of the wolves were diseased while others appeared healthy.  (Reports on file and available upon request.)

Reports have also come from rural China. The official Zinhua News Agency reported that a peasant woman, Wu Jing, snatched her two daughters from the jaws of a wolf and wrestled with the animal until rescuers arrived. Wu slashed at the wolf with a sickle and it dropped one daughter, but grabbed her sister. It was then Wu wrestled with the animal until herdsmen came and drove the beast away. This incident occurred near Shenyang City, about 380 miles northeast of Beijing. (Chronicle Features, 1992)

The question arises: "Why so many attacks in Asia and so few in North America?"

Two factors must be considered:

1.      The Philosophy of Conservation - Our forefathers always believed that they had the right and obligation to protect their livelihoods.  Considerable distance was necessary between man and wolf for the wolf to survive.

2.      Firearms - Inexpensive, efficient weapons gave man the upper hand in the protection of his livelihood and for the taking of wolves.

Milton P. Skinner in his book, “The Yellowstone Nature Book” (published 1924) wrote, "Most of the stories we hear of the ferocity of these animals... come from Europe. There, they are dangerous because they do not fear man, since they are seldom hunted except by the lords of the manor. In America, the wolves are the same kind, but they have found to their bitter cost that practically every man and boy carries a rifle..."

Skinner was correct. The areas of Asia where wolf attacks occur on humans are the same areas where the people have no firearms or other effective means of predator control.

But ... "Biologists claim there are no documented cases of healthy wild wolves attacking humans."

What they really mean is there are no "documented" cases by their criteria which excludes historical accounts. Here's an example.

Rabid wolves were a frightening experience in the early years due to their size and the seriousness of being bit, especially before a vaccine was developed. The bitten subject usually died a slow, miserable death. There are numerous accounts of rabid wolves and their activities.  Early Army forts have medical records of rabid wolves coming into the posts and biting several people before being killed. Most of the people bitten died slow, horrible deaths.  Additionally, early historical writings relate personal accounts. This author recalls one historical account telling of a man being tied to a tree and left to die because of his violent behavior with rabies after being bitten by a wolf. Such deaths left profound impressions on eyewitnesses of those events.

Dr. David Mech, USFWS wolf biologist, states there are no "documented" cases of rabid wolves below the fifty seventh latitude north (near Whitehorse, Yukon Territory). When asked what "documented" meant, he stated, "The head of the wolf must be removed, sent to a lab for testing and found to be rabid."

Those requirements for documentation negate all historical records!  If you allow them too...

*Facts to garner - when "they" get old and can't catch food...  They are still going to have to eat.  It's just a fact.

  

#19 - Wolf Attacks On The Rise (Graphic)

Number of Wolf Attacks Double in Michigan

Posted: Jan 17, 2015 7:39 PM EST Updated: Jan 17, 2015 7:39 PM EST By Katelyn Boomgaard, Reporter

Wolf attacks in Michigan has doubled over the last year.
The Department of Natural Resources says at least 26 cattle and 17 hunting dogs were killed by wolves in the Upper Peninsula in 2014.
Only 20 animals were attacked in 2013.
The DNR says the harsh winter may have decreased the deer population, making cattle and dogs look like another source of food to wolves.
More than 630 wolves were reported in the Upper Peninsula in 2014 and 658 in 2013.



http://www.9and10news.com/story/27877103/number-of-wolf-attacks-double-in-michigan

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Hound Dog Killed by Wolves

As the wolf debate raged in 2012, Ron Hill lost one of his hunting dogs when it was tracked and killed by a pack of wolves. The graphic photos show just how devastating an over-populated wolf presence can be in certain areas. Landowners in the area where Hill's dog was killed said they typically see more wolves than deer on their trail cameras. They also said it is normal to find deer carcasses in the woods around their properties.

Read more: http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/tactics/hunting-strategies/biggest-threats-to-deer-populations-in-2013/#ixzz3PDorDJB3

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No pelt, possible jail for ex-Navy officer who shot wolf in Idaho

By Kyle Rothenberg

Published January 17, 2015

FoxNews.com

A former Navy officer who shot a wolf he thought was poised to attack his dogs while they were out for a walk in northern Idaho won't get to keep the pelt - and he could be in big trouble.
Forrest Mize, 53, a former lieutenant commander, said he shot the beast with a .22 rifle he carries because of mountain lions around his Rathdrum home because it was crouched and ready to pounce. After the Dec. 30 incident, he decided he wanted to make a trophy out of the 100-pound wolf, and that was when his problems began. To legally bag a wolf, hunters must first buy a tag from the state Department of Fish and Game. It's permissible to shoot one in self-defense, but you don't get the carcass or the pelt.
“The only way you can legally harvest an animal and retain possession of that is to hold a license and a tag,” said Idaho Fish and Game spokesman Mike Keckler.
Mize wanted to hang the Idaho Gray Wolf's pelt on a wall in his home, but a taxidermist refused to take the job because he did not have a tag. He applied for the $11.50 tag retroactively, but state conservation officials somehow found out, he told KXLY.com.
Mize is now facing a misdemeanor violation that has a maximum penalty of $1,000 and up to six months in jail.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2015/01/17/no-pelt-possible-jail-for-ex-navy-officer-who-shot-wolf-in-idaho/

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Wolves attack dogs in Yukon community; government warns residents about pets

WHITEHORSE — Wolves have killed two dogs in a Yukon community, prompting the territory’s government to warn residents about letting their pets run free.
Kris Gustafson of Environment Yukon says the first dog was killed Dec. 23 in a community south of Whitehorse and the second on Tuesday.
He says the attacks can happen during any season but most often in the winter when food may be scarce.
Gustafson says investigating officers found tracks indicating a group of three wolves was in the area — a relatively small pack.
Environment Yukon recommends residents refrain from allowing their cats and dogs to run free and suggests dogs be kept on a leash for walks in the bush.
The research and education group known as WildWise Yukon says people should store bird feeders inside at night, clean up spilled seed, keep garbage and meat scraps in a wildlife-resistant shed, and only let pets out unattended in enclosed yards. (Whitehorse Star).

http://o.canada.com/news/wolves-attack-dogs-in-yukon-community-government-warns-residents-about-pets
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When Wolves Attack

Sixteen-year-old Noah Graham was lying down during a late-summer camping trip when he felt jaws clamp down on the back of his head. He reached back and touched a Wolf’s face.

By: Joe Spring

Jan 6, 2014 

The Attack (As told to Joe Spring):

I decided to go camping on short notice as an end-of-the-summer deal with five friends—my girlfriend, her sister and brother-in-law, and two male friends. We drove up by Cass Lake, Minnesota, to Camp Winnibigoshish.
We were hanging out until about three in the morning. My girlfriend Rachel wanted to sleep outside. As she got ready for bed, everybody else went into their tents. She picked a spot by her Jeep. She had a blanket on the ground and another on top of her. Once she was situated, I walked over and lay next to her.
I had sweatpants and a sweatshirt on. I had my back down, my elbows on the ground, and my hands on my hips—all of which allowed me to have my head up to look at Rachel. We were awake the whole night, talking.
Around 4:30 A.M., I was mid-sentence when I felt something clamp down on the back of my head. I could feel the teeth, but I couldn’t see or hear anything. Rachel was looking at my eyes as I was talking, so she actually saw the wolf bite down.
I reached for the back of my head. My hands went to wolf’s jaws. It’s not like there was any precision to what I was doing. It was kind of a mess. I struggled. I moved my hands around, from its jaws to the side of its jaws, near its cheeks. I put pressure on its head with my hands. Eventually I just held its head in place and jerked my head forward really hard. I didn’t pry its jaws open. I just put pressure on its head and then pulled my head forward.

After my head came out, I jumped up. It was maybe seven feet away from me, pacing back and forth, growling really loud. It was shaggy and pretty big. It looked like a coyote, but bigger.
My family is really big into hunting, so I’d seen wolves from our deer stand, but I never had fear of wolves. The other times I’ve seen them, they ran away from me. I have never seen any aggression. I had no idea this could even happen.
I thought the wolf was going to lunge back at me or Rachel. I started kicking and screaming at it. Rachel had had her head under the covers, but as I was kicking and screaming, she got up and ran to the jeep.
Rachel’s brother in law was in his tent. I yelled for him a couple of times. “Max! Max!”
After maybe five or ten seconds of yelling, the wolf turned and ran. It wasn’t a panicked run. It just kind of trotted into the brush. I don’t really know where it went after that. I was just focused on my head.
I could feel the blood dripping down the side of my face. I reached up with my bare hands. I was bleeding really bad, but there wasn’t really much pain. I don’t know why. Maybe adrenaline? Or maybe I just wasn’t able to focus on the pain because I was focusing on getting out of there? I quickly threw a blanket over my head and pressed down. Max ran out of his tent and helped me to the truck.
It took us a moment to clear the front seat. By that time, the blood had soaked the blanket, so we took it off. We grabbed a roll of paper towels and used them to bandage my head.
When I sat down in the truck there was this really sharp pain, and then throbbing.  I could feel each tear. I had a huge gash that was maybe four inches and then a bunch of puncture wounds. I could feel each individual thing and they all they had their own kind of pain, but the gash hurt the most.

I called my dad right away and told him I had been attacked. He told me, “Call 911.”
I called them next. They told me they’d send somebody out to see what was going on. I’ve never hurt that bad. I thought I was going to vomit all of the way into the ER. It was a 45-minute drive.
The paper towel soaked through a couple of times and I just kept putting layer after layer on. I knew I didn’t want blood all over the place. I had people telling me what to do. “Put pressure on it,” they said.  Everybody was a little shook up, but they handled it really well. “It’s going to be OK,” they said.
My dad met me at the ER. The bleeding had pretty much stopped. A nurse cleaned out my wound, but I had to wait probably an hour for the doctor. He came in and cleaned everything out real well, too. Once they cleaned my head, the bleeding started again. It wasn’t gushing, but it took probably three hours before the bleeding stopped. They put 17 staples in my head, gave me rabies shots, and bandaged up the area.
I’ve always told my friends, “You’re safer outside than you are in the city.” I just never dreamed something would attack me. My family is pretty outdoorsy and we camp a lot. I don’t fear that I will be attacked in my life again. It might be weird camping outside at night again, but I just have to work up to it.
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/outdoor-skills/survival/When-Wolves-Attack-Noah-Graham-Survival.html

#18 - Learning from History - Russia

Here we see the deer population in "severe decline" in Russia up into WWII - when all the guns
and men were called to the Eastern front.

         Overhunting beginning in the late 1800s and extending through World War II resulted in a severe decline in               the sika deer numbers and distribution.
Source: http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-4-431-09429-6_33


Here is the recorded wolf response to lack of "food" during this time (Wikipedia).

1944

In late September 1944 in the vicinity of the Buracovskii settlement, an 18-month-old child was caught by a wolf and carried toward a forest, before being rescued by peasants. Some days later, in a kolkhoz "Giant" in the Mendeleevskiy locality, a pair of wolves ambushed a girl watching a horse in a meadow, biting her and tearing her clothes. On September 21, in the village of Golodaevshchina, 13-year-old Valentina Starikova was carried off by a wolf near a riverbank, while she was watching another wolf attacking a calf on the other side of the bank. A few hours later, a part of her leg was found in a nearby forest. After these incidents, wolves began to chase children systematically: On November 6, in the "New Village" kolkhoz of the Alexandrovsk locality, wolves attacked and dismembered an 8-year-old girl in broad daylight. Two days later at 11:00 AM in the Beretzovskiy settlement, a 14-year-old postwoman named Tamara Musinova was bitten to death by nine wolves. On November 19, 16-year-old Maria Polakova was killed by wolves while returning to work with her sister in a forest clearing of the Ramenskiy locality.^[3]

1945

A new series of bolder, more numerous attacks occurring in many of Kirov's localities began in the spring of 1945. On April 29, in the village of Golodayevshchina of the Rudakovskiy district, 17-year-old Maria Berdnikova was attacked by a wolf, concealed by thick vegetation, on a field some 50 meters from stables. When the girl's cries attracted a crowd, the wolf repeatedly picked her up, scaled a 1 meter high wattle fence and left her only after carrying her for 200 meters. As the villagers carried the girl off, the wolf followed them to the edge of the village, ignoring their cries and threatening gestures. The wolf approached the village several times that day, and carried off a lamb the day after. The official who investigated the incident was G.P Kamenskiy, who postulated that the wolf's daring behaviour was likely explained by the complete absence of hunters or rifles in the village, as arm bearers and firearms had been called to the Eastern front. On May 1, in the Mamaevschchina village of the Vasilkovskiy locality, 7-year-old Volodya Gorev was grabbed on the throat by a wolf and carried toward a forest. He was released only after a villager fired a shot, and survived the ordeal as his neck had been protected by a thick scarf. Later, in the village of Shiriaevo of the Nemskiy district, 5-year-old Pimma Molchanova was grabbed by a wolf while washing rubber boots with a friend by a rivulet. A rescue party discovered the girl's body 500 meters away from the rivulet with a throat bite and a partially eaten leg.^[3]

1946-1951

Between 1946-1950, wolf attacks had become a serious problem in several of the Kirov Oblast’s districts, namely Darovskiy, Lebiazhskiy, Sovetskiy, Nolinskiy, Khalturinskiy and Orichevskiy . Hunters killed 560 wolves in the Kirov Oblast in 1946, which was considered an unusually high harvest. Within the next three years, Kirov hunters, with the help of hunters from Moscow, managed to kill 1,520 wolves, a task which was rendered difficult by the near lack of transportation to rural settlements in the post war period.^[3] Wolves appeared in the Rusanovo settlement in 1947 and killed a small girl and 13-year-old Veniamin Fokin during the August-September period. A wolf also carried off a small girl, who was with several older girls at a threshing floor. Near the Cherniadievo village of the Rusanovskiy district, 2 wolves attacked Anna Mikheeva and her mother who were treating linen on a field. The mother managed to repel an attack against her with a sheaf, though her daughter was caught. A blood trail lead to some thick juniper bushes, where Anna was found with a wounded throat and some flesh of her stomach eaten. A special brigade of hunters arrived to deal with the Rusanovskiy wolves and the attacks ceased in that area. Between the July-August period of 1948, 9 children aged 7-12 had been killed. On November 17 1948, in the Nolinskiy district, 8-year-old Svetlana Tueva was carried 1 km into a forest by 5 wolves while walking from school with two other girls and a man. The man escaped by climbing a tree, while the other girls ran back to the school. A search of the forest concluded with the discovery of Svetlana’s coat. In the July-August period of 1950, 3 girls and a boy aged 3-6 were killed in the Lebiazhskiy district.^[3]

Suna station attacks

During a one month period in December 1947, a large male wolf took residence in the area around Kirov's Suna station. It walked around villages in the morning and evening hours, catching dogs and attacking solitary people on roads. Before finally being killed, the wolf injured 13 people and killed one woman and an adolescent. When killed, the wolf was measured to be 138 cm in length, and was badly emaciated. A bundle of woman's hair was found in its stomach.^[4]

Orichevskiy attacks

By 1951 the majority of Kirov districts were cleared of man-eating wolves, though Orichevskiy still remained vulnerable. Within that district, in the village of Tarasovka, a 10-year-old girl was killed on April 29 1951 while washing clothes in a small river. Later, a group of wolves frequently chased children picking mushrooms and berries in the forests surrounding the settlements of Shalegovskiy, Smirnovskiy and Shabalinskiy. On June 12 1952, 11-year-old Zoe and 15-year-old Lidia Vturina were hospitalised after being attacked in the village of Vturino. On July 11 of the same year, a wolf attacked 5-year-old Vitaliy Ishutin about 1 km from a village, and carried him off into a forest. In the same month, 8-year-old Ludmila Perminova was bitten by a wolf in the village of Koshely. On August 12, 6-year-old Lidia Tupitsina was carried off by a wolf while picking berries in a forest with other children. At 9:00 AM on August 17, 13-year-old herder Alexander Vediakin was carried off by wolves 1 km from the village of Grebenshchiki, but was rescued by land workers. Local hunters believed the animal to have been an old female. On August 16, 1952, a 12-year-old boy picking berries was rescued from a large female wolf accompanied by three cubs. In the spring of 1953, a girl was attacked while walking through a forest with her grandmother. By the end of May, an old, nearly toothless female wolf was killed near the village of Vturino, after which the attacks in Orichevskiy ceased.^[3]

Last attacks

On midday of June 17 1953, in the village of Sergeitsi, Belskiy district, 12-year-old Sasha Grachev was grabbed by a wolf in a playground, and dragged for 300 meters, before grabbing hold of a branch and managing to extricate himself from the wolf’s jaws and run home. This was the last recorded non rabid wolf attack in the Kirov Oblast, with one rabid attack against three people being recorded in the spring of 1954 in the Urzhumskiy district.^[3]

#17 - Overlooking the Obvious - Declining Deer Populations

Here we are going to examine the blindness of Political Correctness.

As you may have gathered - those States listed below are the territories

In which the Grey Wolf has spread:

Disappearing Mule Deer A New Reality Throughout Western US January 4, 2013 NPR, Audio Discussion

Scientists throughout the West are trying to figure out the mystery of the disappearing mule deer. Since the 1970s, biologists in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah have seen deer populations drop by 50 percent.  The potential causes vary. Oil and gas development and the growth in coyote populations top the list.

The Deer Debate, decline of black tail deer May 1, 2014 Oregon, Jefferson Public Radio

... , the black-tailed deer has been in decline across its range since the late 1970s. A state-wide survey in 1979 estimated the total population at 452,000; the 2004 estimate pegged it at only 320,000. ODFW cites a number of reasons for the decline, loss of habitat and disease chief among them...

The Decline of Deer Populations

Deer populations in the western United States and some other regions are in significant decline.  Total U.S. population has been declining in recent years based on an analysis illustrated by the graph below which shows total U.S. deer harvest as reported by each state.  Links to harvest data appear in the box on the right of this page and the right column contains recent news reports about the decline.  Given that harvest (deer killed by hunting) approximately trends with population, the data suggest that there was about a 12.3 percent decline in the deer population from  2006 to 2012.  Preliminary data for 2013 indicate a significant increase in the rate of decline.  The number of deer hunters has been approximately constant since 2000 at about 14.5 to 15 million.

How long will it take to do the math?

For example - the Red Wolf reintroduction

Program has been around since 1987.

Yet ever year since 2007 it has stated that

Only 100 Red Wolves have been released.

These - apparently some how are known

To have stayed in the 5 Counties in which

The release has boardering it.  Right!  Yet,

The program whined that 33 pups were born

Last year - an all time low.  Let's see 33 times

40 year = 1320 wolves!  Now add those breeding

In the wild...  That's just the Red Wolf, now add

In the Grey Wolves up north & the Mexican Grey

wolves being reintroduced in the southern states

And bang!  There goes your deer population!

That is the wolves primary food source after all.

I mean really...

Tough times for our white-tailed deer

As most of us have feared, this winter looks like it could be a doozy for our white-tailed deer population.  I suppose after a handful of mild winters we are now paying our dues, so to speak.
And bitter cold temperatures this year are the least of the deer’s problem. They can handle the cold but it’s the snow I’m worried about!
Snow conditions, with a weak crust formed by our mid-winter melt and pack, make travel and escape more difficult than usual. So far, we are a long way off the massive snow depth experienced back in 2008- 2009, but with higher than average snowfall this winter and a meagre crust unable to support a deer’s weight, times are tough indeed!
Our friend imacdon has witnessed the results first-hand in these graphic deer kill images taken around his property:

It is very disappointing to think that after more than 5 years of a population on the rebound, our whitetail herd could be in store for another big hit.
And with a healthy, relatively uncontrolled, predator population in eastern ON and western QC our whitetails will need to pull out all the stops this year in order to survive. Since December  my trailcams have captured scant few deer images, even in the whitetail wintering area. The number of coyote images captured has; however, remained steady.
I know I am crossing my fingers for the deer this year….and my toes too!
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/hunting/conservation/tough-times-for-our-white-tailed-deer/ 

Range: The Eastern Wolf is found in Canada, from the Sault Ste. Marie area in Ontario to the Havre-Saint-Pierre region in Quebec. Historically, it is thought to have ranged from Nova Scotia west to Michigan, south to New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. 


Get Involved
This is a reminder to all of us that the whitetail deer populations are a precious commodity and must not be taken for granted. Get involved in a local or national conservation organization. Take time to educate others so they can help make intelligent choices. Learn how to hunt coyotes and give thanks for every deer killed. Whitetails are amazing animals, which is why they must be protected and managed in the face of all these obstacles.

Read more: http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/tactics/hunting-strategies/biggest-threats-to-deer-populations-in-2013/#ixzz3PDoF8CKJ

#16 - Wolves Losing Their Fear of Humans

Here's an interesting article on Grey Wolves in Minnisota (note the growing lack of fear displayed by the wolves toward People).

Grand Marais, MN (NNCNOW.com) --- The Cook County Sheriff's office has issued a wolf warning in Cook County, Minn.

Residents are being warned because at least five dogs, in the last two weeks, are assumed to have been killed by wolves in and around Grand Marais.

A couple of the wolf attacks were witnessed by the dog owners.

"I think if you're a dog owner anywhere in wolf country, northern, especially northeastern, Minnesota, then you should always attend your dog when it's outside – never leave your dog unattended," according to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officer Darren Fagerman.

Sometimes attacks on dogs can occur because of territorial issues, or the wolves are looking for easy prey while in survival mode.

If a wolf is attacking your dog, you are not allowed to shoot the wolf because discharging a firearm in Grand Marais is illegal.

The sheriff's office says you could make an attempt to scare the wolf away with shouting, banging metal and making any loud sounds, and call authorities.

However, if you are outside the city limits of Grand Marais, you can shoot the wolf to protect your dog, and then call the DNR, Fagerman said.

The Cook County Sheriff's office also says wolves have been approaching people on the north side of Grand Marais.

"I don't know if they are curious and losing their fear, I don't know what it is. They seem to be coming into the city more and more lately," Fagerman said. "The wolves seem to be more curious, and not aggressive, when it comes to approaching people."

Fagerman says he learned from second–hand reports that someone was gardening outside in Grand Marais when a wolf came very close to her. He says the woman sprayed the wolf with the garden hose, and it ran away.

Another woman was walking in town when a wolf reportedly came close. She backed away from it, and the wolf went away.

Fagerman says backing away from a wolf slowly is the correct approach.

If you are in that area, and would like to be prepared, Fagerman says you could carry pepper spray.

Ramona Marozas
Rmarozas@kbjr.com
Biography

#15 - Umstead Forest a Hike Around the Lake

Howdy Folks,
I went out wolf tracking last Sunday 1-11-15.  December & January are the two months when your most likely to see, hear or find signs of wolves (because they are most likely to be starving).

When I found this "boundary" marker the woods suddenly went quiet in an eerie way.  Except for two blue jays which were sounding the alarm over my find.  Interestingly - as with past close encounters - there was a "buck-tree" near these scratch marks.  A buck-tree, for those who don't know is a tree which a male deer has taken to marking - it is a stand for that turf.  It's not the same as when a young buck sheds it's antler fur.  These guys mean business - they have full 6-8 point racks and they sharpen them on the singled out tree.  Most of the bark will be worn from the buck-tree at a height that the predictors can smell/reach.  Essentially it's a warning or threat to the wolves.  Hence its not surprising that the wolf marker seen below was placed close by...  Starving wolves will risk impalement rather than die of hunger.

Needless to say, I won't be going out that far alone in the future 😳🐺

- but it was exciting!  Also, noted far fewer deer tracks and far less physical sightings of deer here in NC than in years past...  These were taken while circling a decent sized lake in Umstead Forest, Raleigh, NC.

Keep Alert in the Woods!

Matthew