For a joger? A shotgun pistol, of course.
Posted on 12/22/2007 9:09:14 AM PST by george76
'They were not afraid of us,' woman says.
Neither the three women nor their dogs heard the pack of wolves creeping up behind them as they jogged on Artillery Road in the frigid morning air.
One minute it was peaceful. Then she glanced back and saw the pack of about eight wolves spanning the road, only a few feet behind.
A melee ensued, accompanied by screaming, snarling, blood and pepper spray.
"It was the most terrifying thing I've ever been through."...
The increasingly emboldened Elmendorf wolf pack is blamed for killing one dog and wounding another in Eagle River this week as Anchorage saw its seventh wolf attack in the past month, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The wolves, possibly led by a hungry pack leader in search of easy meals, seem to have taken to attacking dogs during the day, even when groups of people are present, Anchorage-area wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott said.
"That's definitely a bit of escalation on the wolves' part," Sinnott said.
Wolves attack chained-up dogs fairly regularly in Alaska...
But for generally people-shy wolves to attack dogs in front of humans is more unusual -- and worrisome...
(Excerpt) Read more at adn.com ...
.
Time to start whacking wolves.
Hmm, sounds like chaining up a dog in Alaska is a death sentence. Seems if you're not gonna keep him in a shelter, at least you'd give him a fighting chance if you kept him loose.
Time to start carrying a handgun on the daily jog. Hmm, I wonder what firearm is the most effective against wolves?
This is Alaska where there are no restrictions imposed on citizens regarding being armed. There should be at least a couple of dead wolves laying on the ground. That might tend to make them “people-shy”.
Has someone told Steve Kroschel down at Haines about these wolf attacks, he still claims they have never attacked humans.
A kayaker’s life-and-death struggle with a hungry wolf on B.C.’s remote north coast... has prompted a conservation officer to warn against taking wolf encounters too lightly.
“This was a predatory wolf attack,” conservation officer James Zucchelli confirmed in an interview from his Bella Coola Valley office.
“That fellow was perceived as a prey source. He was attacked with intent to eat. The wolf saw him and took off running at him.”
the attack reinforces the fact that wolves are predators and capable of attacking humans ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1875274/posts
There nothing but a childish response to a childish statement. The answer is one that shoots real bullets!
For a joger? A shotgun pistol, of course.
After spending time in my early career working with wolves, I have mixed feelings about this problem. Carrying your weapon and using it when threatened by wolves, and not feeding wolves, sounds entirely appropriate. Hunting wolves in the wilderness from helicopters or otherwise trying to eliminate their population is arrogant for someone who would chose to live in Alaska.
Many native villages have a hard time feeding their families the traditional way by hunting moose...because the many wolf packs.
I’ve never fired a .410 from a handgun before. I’d suspect that .410 buckshot would be the only effective round against a wolf (and there aren’t many pellets in a .410 buckshot load). Birdhot would wound and perhaps pi$$ them off. And I wonder if that long cylinder has any effect on the accuracy of the .45LC round?
If I was out with my dog and I knew there was a likelihood of encountering a wolf pack I’d contend with the hassle of carrying a 12 bore loaded with heavy bird shot or light buckshot (like #4) with a short barrel and a lonnnggg magazine.
I’ve got a Remington 870 set up like that with a Sure-fire light at the front of the fore-grip. Nothing I have ever hit with that gun has survived.
My Glock 23 with Hydra Shok ammo should be able to handle any wolf that comes along.
Ariel wolf hunting is used as a wildlife management tool. What I resent are ecofascists who arrogantly condemn this process that has been prescribed by our wildlife management experts and is public policy.
Concerned they should be. Hopefully they don't wait for a human to be killed or seriously injured before they take action.
Thanks for posting, I just finished reading the article and was going to post it and found you had. :)
Thanks.
The animal rights people must be very happy ?
Many American are afraid to defend themselves , even when attacked.
Nobody has even suggested eliminating them. The aerial hunt has not been successful since few are willing to fly out for the expense and low return on investment. It is open season and defense of life and property is allowed even without a hunting license but nobody around here has reported much more than the one roving pack.
For personal defense a spear or sword would do. For area defense a shotgun with alternate slug and double ought will get it done.
A jogger was stalked on Hot Springs Road a couple weeks ago. Either dog or wolf. Two dogs would be worrisome.
I have a customer who goes Whitetail hunting on a ranch 6 hours north of Edmonton. The stipulation for getting to hunt there is taking any wolves they see.
This last trip, they shot one that weighed more than 200 lbs. (the deer were also huge)
In the end, when the smoke clears, that is the desired effect.
The Remington 870 is a fine piece. Fine indeed.
So true! Whether it be dogs or wolves, when they lose their fear of man they have to be dealt with.
Anchorage has about 25 or 30 wolves in up to five packs, but the Elmendorf pack, which ranges from the Air Force base to the Palmer Hay Flats, is the only one suspected of attacking dogs during recent months...
This behavior is would get my attention. One thought is : rabid animals.
One would be foolish / lucky to only depend on pepper spray for self defense.
Not exclusively, there are those who do it for "sport," money and trophy.
I agree that the wildlife management aspect is necessary since there are many species of mammals competing for the same habitat. But I have read quite often that some people want the wolf eliminated altogether. I'm strongly opposed to that.
Even if the predators are not rabid, they will be back everyday for another easy lunch.
These three girls were lucky this time.
Hopefully not, but someone may lose a child soon.
The answer, it seems to me, is simple. Hunt wolves first and moose second this year (and maybe next) and there should be more moose in 3 to 4 years.
They may have a couple of lean years but reducing the predator population should have a positive impact on the moose population. Anyone who disagrees has only to prove their assertions with valid and verifiable statistics. If there's a flaw in the predator-control data, be sure the rest of us will point it out.
It is not the policy of Fish&Game.
I couldn’t agree more.
From this piece and another I read from AP they were exremely lucky to get away unharmed, even with the pepper spray. The wolves had absolutely no fear of them.
Wolves are fast and quiet.
I always turn around when hiking to see what may be gaining on us.
The other rules : do not be the last one in the line of hikers and always bring a fat, slow friend to out run...
Now that truly is a representation of survival of the fittest. lol
Wishing you and yours a Great Christmas, George!
Thanks.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Thanks. I didn't think it was.
“The animal rights people must be very happy ?
Many American are afraid to defend themselves , even when attacked.”
Wolf-huggers etc like it when a human is killed by a predator (except for the possible bit of negative publicity).
Of course they always try to find an angle to blame the human.
I'm amused when people are strongly opposed to something that doesn't affect them. Idaho is getting royally screwed because people outside of Idaho decided we needed to have wolves "re-introduced" into our state. It's easy to have such opinions when you don't have to live with the consequences. The native Idaho wolves weighed 45-60 pounds. What was introduced into Idaho was Canadian wolves. They are not native. They weigh 120+ lbs. They are devastating elk, deer and moose populations.
The solution to this propensity to foist bad decisions on others is to make them live with the same consequences. We need to introduce wolves into the neighborhoods of the fools who did this to Idaho.
This wolf was killed just outside the city limits of Boise. The guy holding the wolf is the cousin of my neighbor in Pocatello.
” Let’s re introduce them to all their former ranges so they can attack little children as well. Envirowackos will say that the wolves deserved to be there and the dogs and humans were not. Someone do me a favor, let’s send all the envirowackos to live on the plains of Africa, in the nude like the beginning of time, and see if they and the lions can learn to be pals.”
Ya like I said the big glossy pix are good for propaganda .
People like the “idea” of large predators roaming free even if that means freely roaming in HUMAN HABITAT.
Rudder, I have a few friends that hunt from cubs and they don’t get all that many, in fact they do alot better trapping. Wolves are smart and once shot at stay in the trees. You can see them but 12 guage can’t get them.
Nobody in Alaska wants to see old wolf gone; kinda one of the things that makes this place so special. I saw tracks on my wood trail 1/4 mile from my house last week; too close; wish that I’d just hear them across the river.
When our house dogs go outside, its in 15x15x6 fence. I luv setting snares on sloughs and old kills; wolves seem to me to be smarter than most people too.
Wolves kill 6 moose for every moose harvested by a hunter in Alaska. Moose pops have collapsed in many areas due to combination of hunting and wolves. Alaskan tradition is every family deserves a moose for winter meat. Once that stops, you will see locals demanding massive wolf control. You will quickly have 2000 wolves rather than 20,000 wolves in Alaska.
In Sweden, they have 200 wolves, harvest 250,000 moose each year. In Alaska, 20,000 wolves, harvest less than 15,000 moose.
Once someone is killed, you’ll see change quick. I have had wolves follow my dogteam, then jump off trail when I came back thru. I’m lucky if I get within 500 yards of wolves eating salmon along yukon from my boat; man its tought to hit anything from the boat. They hear the snowmachine and all I see are tracks. I have caught a few when they had a moose or sheep in deep snow, they don’t take off until they have to.
Wolves belong here as much as people; but they must be effectively controlled and all that balance of nature junk is pure garbage.
Did you all see that german woman looking for wolves in BC. I never get that close to wolves, except pups in late summer.
“I’m amused when people are strongly opposed to something that doesn’t affect them. Idaho is getting royally screwed because people outside of Idaho decided we needed to have wolves “re-introduced” into our state”
Yep that’s the way — city folk dictating to country people...
But I really just want to comment on the picture:
WHolly schnikeys !!! The thing is a massive beast !!
Imagine a pack of 5 or 8 or ....
“... balance of nature junk is pure garbage.
...”
Ya balance in nature — pure myth no such thing. Lot of things affect plant/animal populations; fires, floods, weather, disease etc, but the propagandists constantly state that humans are upsetting some “perfect balance” .
Another long held myth (by me at one time too) is that
predators are so scared of humans ... sure maybe for about 5 minutes.
If any wolf showed up here in the little village at the edge of the treeline, his fur would be hanging in someone’s shed within about one hour. As a result, the wolves tend to go away when they see or hear a person.
Wolves are like the rest of us. They seek greater opportunity where it can be found. I’ve lived in Palmer and out here, and interestingly, there was more game down there in the Mat Valley than there is up here, even though I’m surrounded by wilderness and the nearest next road is 280 miles away. Just like the Lower 48, too, there’s a fairly large population (compared to here) of people who don’t regularly hunt or fish, and people provide all sorts of habitat for the voles, squirrels, and moose of the area (not to mention dogs, cats, garbage...). It makes sense that wolves are moving into those places.
I’d say a limited hunting or trapping season in and around Fairbanks and Anchorage, and maybe an allowance to kill wolves on the spot attacking dogs. The wolves will learn quick about people. I like the wolves, personally. I’ve seen some and when I go out in the winter I wear them. I would not want to see removal of wolves... but I don’t want my dog turned into chow, either.
They like the wolves so much, let them spread thru SF, DC, NYC...
While they are at it : why not re-introduce the locus to Iowa farm lands, the plague to...
Apparently, it is only one pack causing all the trouble in Anchorage. The other five packs stay away from humans.
So far.
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