Number of Wolf Attacks Double in Michigan
Posted: Jan 17, 2015 7:39 PM EST Updated: Jan 17, 2015 7:39 PM EST
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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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
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.
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Wolves attack dogs in Yukon community; government warns residents about pets
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.
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.”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 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
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