LOL thanks. The point I was making was if you’re going to carry, its best to carry something you can manage. Weight and overall size are the other big factors to consider. A 10 lb revolver is not a side arm that will accompany someone on a backpack hunt, if one is carried at all.
I know little about cannabilism of wolves, but am not surprised. Bears of all species are notorious for it. Cubs are a favorite meal for boars, and I’ve watched firsthand a large brown bear attempt it but mom thought differently.
Thanks for the link, I added it to my bookmarked pages and if you have others on the subject please send them. People like that are invaluable, and I tend to weigh their experiences and time in the field more than their time in the classroom or lab. I’m not saying that academics are not important, but IMO the knowledge of a life-long trapper is something a lot of people would undervalue.
I’m not challenging your numbers, but do keep in mind that aerial surveys are done to count animals here. Much of Denali is covered thick with alders and willows, which makes it difficult to spot and can greatly skew results. On the Kenai Peninsula, you have to get drawn for grizzly hunts and they are VERY limited. A year or two ago I think there were only two tags given out because that’s what the survey data showed, and then the animal groups got involved to sway it. To many residents there, they’re often a problem.
Wolves are interesting in that, like people, they will kill for sport. Sometimes they will consume an entire animal, other times they won’t. People have found wolf kills of healthy, mature animals with only the tongue and/or certain organs consumed, and other times nothing eaten at all.
I’m close friends with a native elder who was born and raised deep in the bush, well off the road system. He ran lots of trap lines and has seen a lot of this first hand. He used to work as a guide for a close friend of his who did horse-back hunts in the bush. He said they lost quite a few horses to wolves, but they’d always go for the largest & stronger ones. Never the smaller ones.
When they can’t easily get food, their wariness of people goes away which is not good. They’ll move closer to town to get pets, and occasionally people too.
This winter has been pretty mild here, and I’ve seen a lot of moose and many calves (which is GREAT). It changes a lot over time too. 50-100 years ago there were not many moose up on the Koyukuk River but predators were high, now it is a trophy area. Where freeper ESKA lives, it has changed in a shorter time span.
Don’t know what your thoughts are on re-introduction of wolves in Yellowstone and surrounding areas. I tend to disagree with it, and base that largely on other species adjusting over time. I support predator management, especially where there are people, but don’t think something should be taken to extinction.
Check on Amazon for the book ‘Alaska’s Wolf Man’ by Jim Rearden. An EXCELLENT read, you’d probably really enjoy.
You will find a lot of valuable material on the westinserv.org site. Dr. Kay is DEFINITELY one of those "real life" academics you want on your list.
Wolves are interesting in that, like people, they will kill for sport.
One study counted an average take of 22 elk per wolf per year. Yeah, they think it's fun.
I’m not saying that academics are not important, but IMO the knowledge of a life-long trapper is something a lot of people would undervalue.
I've just finished a new book that emphasizes this very point. Agro-urban societies need these people for their very national survival.
He said they lost quite a few horses to wolves, but they’d always go for the largest & stronger ones. Never the smaller ones.
Of the ungulates, wolves' preferred food is a yearling calf.
Don’t know what your thoughts are on re-introduction of wolves in Yellowstone and surrounding areas.
In general, it was a bad idea, but the execution was far worse. Controlled hunting would have been better. The introduction of a Canadian variety has also brought Hydatid disease to the area. Not good at all. The goal of the Yellowstone introduction was not about ecosystem health at anyway; it was to seed the process of destroying American cattle ranching for the benefit of investors in South American cattle ranching: Soros, Turner, Rockefellers...
I support predator management, especially where there are people, but don’t think something should be taken to extinction.
If someone can demonstrate accountability for them, no problem. I don't trust the Feds on that list at all.
Very busy these days weeding. Gotta run.