[Delphinium]

Yes, they were too aware that there are wolves since we have had many horses, dogs and a huge amount of our moose and elk herds killed off by them.

Our community hates that these Canadian Grey wolves were forced on us.

What is you point?

[handy old one]

Protect you dogs don't let them run too far ahead. Shoot to kill if you know what I mean.

[conservativeharleyguy]

OK, at the risk of stirring the pot.

In the vast majority of human/wolf interactions, the wolves just haul ass. They are extremely intelligent (think of the smartest dog with all of its instincts intact), and they are afraid of humans (w/good reason, people have been shooting at them at the drop of a hat for centuries).

Wolves live in the woods. Dogs live in houses, yards, farms, and ranches. If you take your dogs into the woods, and they get killed by wolves in wolf habitat, it's your fault, period.

If a wolf attacks your dog in dog habitat, then fire away. But if you go into the woods, then your dogs are just meat.

Besides, if that bobcat they were hunting w/dogs had gotten lucky and killed a dog or two, no-one would have ever heard about it. We are only hearing this because someone has an anti-wolf agenda.

People just have an irrational, ingrained fear of wolves that borders on supernatural.

Also, "your elk and moose"??? Guess what, the wolves, cougar, and bears were eating "our elk and moose" long before you and I were here, and left alone, they will be doing so long after we are gone. And the herds will be far better of for it.

In case you're wondering, I'm am certainly no tree or bunny-hugger. I have been hunting all of my life. But I've never once thought of game as "mine" (except maybe after I've bagged it). But, then I've always hunted for meat, not trophies.

Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of wildlife conservation principles knows that predators cull herds of predominantly old, sick, weak, and young animals. That is not to say that they don't occasionally take "trophy" quality animals, but that is the exception rather than the norm.

If you accept that, you then realize that predators manage ungulate herds far better that we have ever been able to accomplish.

A case in point: Pennsylvania has the largest deer herds and harvest in America, with hunters taking approximately 300,00 deer annually. Hell, they kill 60,000 a year just with their cars!

They announced this week that their deer herds are overpopulating and eating themselves out of fodder in the forests. They will have to either kill more (what, 300k+ isn't enough to manage their herds??), or provide fodder (which will just turn the whole place into a big Whitetail Deer theme park). Sounds to me like they could use some predators.

If you are a trophy hunter, then you should be glad that the wolves are back. Their presence will improve the quality and size of bulls and bucks.

It's a complex issue, but demagoguery and empty rhetoric will not solve it. Neither will just shooting the wolves.