On Wolves and Men

It is finally starting to look like Spring here. The wild flowers are starting to pop up among the sage brush in the hills where I go out to run in the morning and occasionally I will see a herd of antelope out there. The cows have their calves in the pasture in front of my house and here and there you can see new born foals laying along side of their mamas. I had a young moose cow run down the road in front of my house a couple of days ago!

I read a report in the paper a bit ago about a young rancher that lives down south of Yellowstone Park and he said he had a pack of wolves come on to his ranch up by his house and into his corrals and started after his horses. He shot and killed two wolves to protect his horses and his family! legally, he has the right to do this but, he said he is getting it pretty hard from the pro wolf folks. According to the Idaho Fish and Game report for April 2008, the number of livestock kills aren't high but, they look like they are doubling every year and becoming a problem. Between the end of March and the end of April 2008, twenty wolves were killed either by ranchers for livestock(3),USDA Wildlife services for depredation of livestock(12), illegal kills(2) or vehicles(2). With that many wolves being killed due to depredation on private ranches I think it's starting to look a wee bit like Jurassic Park here!

I'm not an anti-wolf person, I had two wolf buddies for a long time until they died of old age and cancer. I think they are beautiful beings full of intelligence and wonder but, I know them well enough that I wouldn't want to come face to face with a wild pack out in the woods either!

I understand that the rangers up in Yellowstone are using rubber bullets to deter the wolves. Some of the wolves are losing their fear of humans and have been getting to close to them on the roads. If you ever visit Yellowstone remember to stay in your car when you are around dangerous animals and keep plenty of distance between you and the animals. One time I was up there and a man and his children were out of their car standing about ten feet away from a pair of grizzly cubs taking a picture and eating ice cream cones(I'm not joking!) The mother couldn't have been far away so, I started yelling at him to get his kids in the car and protect them! They didn't speak English so, they just looked at me like I was a crazy person. The ranger came by shortly after and put them back in their car.

I found a great map of Idaho that shows where the wolves are hanging their hats. I'm out closest to the copper basin pack. I have heard them early in the morning while walking out there but, haven't seen any yet. http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/wildlife/wolves/state/07_activity_map.pdf

A while back I wrote a post Called The lovers and Haters of Wolves. If you would like to read it you can at http://pennyrielly.blogspot.com/2008/04/Lover_and_haters_of_wolves.html/ The post was about a website called http://saveourelk.org/

This website is kind of an anti-wolf pro--maybe--pro elk hunter or elk lover site, I can't tell which. They do come out and say that the wolves are decimating the elk herds in Idaho and back up their reports with rather graphic photos. I believe that elk is the favorite diet of wolves so the site doesn't phase me too much.

I recently had a comment from Onward about that post that read;

"and, according to Joy Gold of the Smithsonian Institutes's Zoology Department there's not a significant difference between the wolves reintroduced into Idaho and the non-viable population and the remnant that was there."

I don't know about that. It seems to me that the population is increasing significantly and depredation of livestock is becoming a problem. I think to a pack of wolves--that slow moving animals in a corral or range is probably the equivalent of the drive thru at Mcydees!

I looked Ms. Gold up on the net and I think she must be an extraordinary person. She seems to have a strong interest in the same animals that I love especially whales and dolphins.

Also, my favorite skate shop Five-O is hosting a skateboard contest. It will be a giant game of Sk8 in their parking lot this Saturday on May 17 at 7pm-ish. If you like to skateboard and you are in the Idaho Falls,Idaho area, stop by it's always a fun time.

I always appreciate and welcome all comments. Check out the wolf map though, It's totally fascinating!

The lovers and Haters of Wolves.

The first light of the day is starting to break and I am on my second cup of coffee--I love Starbucks Kenya coffee. A huge owl is sitting on my roof outside and his song is the only sound I can hear. It is a peaceful and relaxing calm. Ill try not to be too superstitious about it. The last time I had an owl stop by I had a death in the family.

A friend of mine asked me to look at a website called Save Our Elk and I have been checking it out this morning. http://saveourelk.com/

It looks basically like an anti-wolf pro-hunter website with rather graphic pictures of elk that have been killed by wolf packs. The website didn't excite me too much after all the elk is the natural prey of the wolf but, looking at the pictures the wolves do look like vicious and wanton killers. I would hate to see this devastation in livestock herds or my own pets or children. When it comes to protection, my son's BB-gun just isn't going to cut it, I can tell. The website talks about the decimation of the elk herds and how the wolves will kill just for sport. Looking at the website you can understand why ranchers, hunters, and the people living in this area would be concerned about the growing wolf packs and the desire for an effective management program.

Just so you know from the get-go I have always loved wolves. They are one of my favorite animals and I know quite a bit about them. Several years ago when the government decided to reintroduce Canadian Grey Wolves into Idaho it worried me considerably. As desolate and wild as Idaho still is, it isn't desolate enough for packs of wolves to populate at the rapid pace that is now occurring. A wolf can travel 60 miles in one day bringing him into populated areas or ranch lands.

A rancher friend of mine called me last night and told me that they are branding this afternoon. I was invited out to a ranch last fall and watched them brand the calves. It's a way of life that is far removed from the urban sprawl and super centers. The range land was beautiful and undeveloped with rivers,cottonwood trees turning yellow leaves and sagebrush every where with elk and deer herds sharing the land. It was dry and dusty but sunny and crisp--a typical fall afternoon. They drove me out to the corral in their pick-up--thank God they didn't ask me to bring my own horse! She is a big Thoroughbred and has out grown her horse trailer and I have never replaced it. They herded the calves into a corral and the cowboys and cowgirls roped the calf, branded it, and then castrated it all with in a five minute period and then the calf trotted out.

Roaming Wolves

The snow is up to my thighs now and it's getting hard to go out and feed my horse. A herd of deer have been coming into the yard at night and eating my pine trees and sharing with my mare from her manger. It is unbelievably cold here! It was -16f when I took my son to school this morning. He has been home from school for over a week now because of the bitter cold and snow. I am waiting for the school to call and cancel again today and have me go pick him up. I home school my youngest son so, he never gets snow days. I pulled him out of his elementary school about a year ago and I will probably home school him for another year. Yesterday most of the roads were closed around Idaho because of unsafe driving conditions and we just hung out and played Rock Band and watched DVDs. I am good at drums and singing but, I get kicked off stage if I try to play guitar.

Our friend Zane called. I have known him since he was five and we have seen each other through some hard times. He has a good heart. My son has two friends that I love and adore. One has moved away to go and live with his dad. I don't get to see him too much any more and I miss him terribly. It broke my heart completely when he moved. It's hard to feel that he has moved on and has another life without me being a big part of it. I don't know, I think that you love and become attached to people but, I always seem to lose those that I love the most in life.

Zane comes from a ranching family in the area and even though he is young, he works at his ranch and has many of the responsibilities of an adult. He does this and juggles basketball and school as well. He has the most beautiful mare named Peyton--after his favorite quarterback. She's a brown and white Paint with blue eyes. He bought her as a yearling and he and his dad broke her( I don't think that's the right term anymore, it would be more like "gentled" her to ride.) He loves working out there on the ranch with his dad and always mentions it. I think it would be a great life if you didn't have to go out in sub-zero weather to work. He said that he has a new calf he is nursing. The mother abandoned it and he is taking care of it.

We talked about a report of wolves in the area and debated about whether they were actually out there. There is supposedly two wolves running together behind my house. His ranch runs behind our property through the woods and along the river. The ranchers are calving right now so they don't want wolves roaming in the area. Neither of us have heard any wolves at night so, he thinks they are just coyotes.