# act on wolf bills please



## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

a little info

So you think they are not getting closer and closer to civilization? Two Recent Photos say Differently! Mid-November, 2008, less than 1 mile from
Salmon High School! 
Taken Mid-November, 2008, less than 5 miles from Ketchum, ID. 








and

Colorado Residents Beware
Coming to a favorate deer or elk herd near you.
With Wyoming wolves still protected there is a safe zone all the way from Yellowstone to you.









These are pictures of two different, legally shot wolves that were also killing livestock. These pictures give an even better idea of the size of these animals as both of these men are around six feet tall.
Imagine what a pack of 10 to 15 of these monsters can do to a herd of Elk. Now multiply that by 100+!


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## Buck Tag (Dec 19, 2010)

Holy smokes those things are HUGE!


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

> There are currently 2 bills considered by congress right now, I suggest to anyone that truly wants to handle the out of control wolf populations in the entire US, you contact your Senator and Representive immediately so we can expediate this process and save America wildlife for current and future generations. RMEF President and CEO David Allen says two bills in Congress, a House version (H.R. 509) and a new Senate version (S. 249), hold the best promise. RMEF is asking lawmakers to remove unnecessary federal protections on burgeoning wolf populations and grant science-based wolf management authority to the states.
> 
> "Both bills would end the ridiculous lawsuits that are preventing a fully recovered species from being managed by conservation professionals," said Allen. "And both bills would end the profiteering and abuses of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by environmental and animal rights activists who need a wolf controversy in order to protect their revenue streams."
> 
> Seriously it takes 5 mins, this is a battle all hunters need to fight. I doesnt matter if you've never been to the Rocky Mountains or Great Lakes, there is nothing stopping these wolves from spreading from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Iowa. There encroaching Iowa from Wisonsin as we speak, there have been many sighting in southern WI. Out west Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming take the brunt of the assault, but Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington and Nevada are see problems begin as well. Those of us who enjoy the west already know the daunting odds we face just to draw a tag, with many hunting units being closed or completely eliminated due to wolf predadation the time to act is now. We have the votes in the House and Senate, if we speak loudly with 1 voice.


a letter one can use to contact state reps in DC
copy and paste if so desire

Dear ---------,

Please vote for S249 and for HR509 to make scientific management of wolves in the US possible again ASAP.

They *can* kill everything they want without reasonable limits, including men, women, children and pets and other animals and given free reign to do this endlessly with their population growing without limits unless we manage their population with our state biologists, as we currently do very successfully with other animals.

Respectfully yours,


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## DANO (May 23, 2005)

I guess they need to be on the brink of extinction again,....














BTW, In before the delete.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

> Did the removal of the wolf years ago cause it to become endangered? No, there are 40,000 to 60,000 wolves on the North American continent. The animal is doing quite well. During the years of wolf control, the wolf's territory was eliminated throughout most of the lower 48 states.


It must be stated clearly that the wolf is the best tool for shutting down hunting. The anti-hunters know this. Most hunters don't. Thus, wolf recovery is not opposed by the people who will be impacted most.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

> False Rhetoric
> Last year, in response to several petitions to delist wolves filed by the NRA, Safari Club and the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the USFWS announced it would accept public comments on and publish a delisting proposal for wolves in the Western Great Lakes by April 2011.
> Predictably, groups like the CBD and HSUS have challenged the possibility of delisting. This time they argue that state management plans are lacking. While representatives from the CBD refused to talk with me, stating, "We're too often misquoted by groups like the NRA," the HSUS and other anti-hunting groups paint a picture of states hell-bent on destroying wolf numbers.*
> "The biggest current problems with delisting are that the state management plans authorize drastic and dangerous reductions in wolves within the states affected, [emphasis added], and that the Service [USFWS] has failed to fully take into account issues that will significantly impact wolf survival-such as disease and hybridization with other species-before approving state management plans that also fail to adequately address these issues," said Jonathan Lovvorn, vice-president and chief counsel for HSUS.
> ...


from here...

http://www.nrahuntersrights.org/Article.aspx?id=4503


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

DANO said:


> I guess they need to be on the brink of extinction again,....
> 
> BTW, In before the delete.


*2


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## State_Vet (Oct 10, 2006)

DANO said:


> BTW, In before the delete.


X3


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

Persistent Yankee though!


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

in the meantime wolves reack havock and all ranchers/farmers can do unless they are delisted is stand by and watch them kill their pets, livestock etc....man reintroduced a much larger wolf than was in the rockies....not the rocky moiuntain wolf but the timber wolf...heck of a difference...now there is a huge problem and they must be delisted so the sate DNR's have the authority to manage them to a level that is beneficial to all wildlife...man has done somee good with conservation..IE the deer here....I never hunted around here for deer until about 15 years ago...dad never even saw a deer here until the mid 40's...was like mid 60's before there was a hunting season on em...
man has failed miserably with the wolves and need to let the states manage them...before all hunting out west is gone...allready the elk population in Yelllowstone is practically non existant..and there used to be many there...enchourage your reps to vote on the bills...both house and senate!!!!

Also called Rocky Mountain Wolf, McKenzie Valley Wolf, Canadian Wolf and Alaskan Wolf, the Northwestern Wolf is found in western Canada and in Alaska all the way down the Aleutian Chain. 
Over the past decade 11-20% of the Alaska's wolf population is harvested every year thanks to people like Sarah Palin. They are predators perfectly suited for their environment, so numbers remained large in spite of the hunting. 
Smaller than the common gray wolf, they weigh anywhere from 50 to 100 lbs. The average adult male weighs 75 lbs. and the average adult female weighs 60 lbs. They measure 5 to 5 1/2 feet in length (tip of nose to end of tail) and 25 to 36 inches in height.

Also called *Rocky Mountain Wolf*, McKenzie Valley Wolf, Canadian Wolf and Alaskan Wolf,



















Also called Eastern [/u]*Timber Wolf* , Eastern Canadian Wolf and Eastern Canadian Red Wolf, there has been speculation as to whether they are actually a subspecies of the grey wolf.

the timber wolf is the largest of the canid species. 
CHARACTERISTICS
Average males weigh between 100 and 145 pounds with females weighing roughly 10 to 20 percent less. The heaviest on record was caught in Alaska in 1939, weighing 175 pounds. Though the Guinness book of Animal World Records mentions an unconfirmed specimen weighing 230 pounds. They measure 32 to 36 inches shoulder height and 5 to 7 feet in length, from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. Their long, powerful legs allow them to travel as far as 70 miles a day, and through rough terrain like deep snow. They can reach speeds of up to 40 miles an hour for short periods of time. Their skull measures about 12 inches long. A combination of powerful jaw and neck muscles allows them to break bones and bring down large prey.

*notice how much bigger they are*


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## DANO (May 23, 2005)

I believe they should reintroduce wolves back into the wild in all the states, especially along the border of Texas.


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

They've already got coyote there


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

> Wolf predation seemed the most likely cause, since the Northern Yellowstone elk herd stood at 17,000 to 19,000 before the wolves' reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. This year, 7,109 elk were counted, an increase from the previous two years when 6,279 and 6,738 elk were counted.


super long ways to go!!!!
only about 37% of what there was before wolf reintroduction


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## DANO (May 23, 2005)

spurgersalty said:


> They've already got coyote there


OK, then introduce more mountain lions


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

Beginning to think he's an automated message:cop:


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

DANO said:


> I guess they need to be on the brink of extinction again,....
> 
> BTW, In before the delete.


won't be this time!!


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

DANO said:


> I believe they should reintroduce wolves back into the wild in all the states, especially along the border of Texas.


a genetically altered Desert Wolf.. stays cool in the hot days, warm in the cool nights.. always hungry "hikers"


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## DANO (May 23, 2005)

Oh boy, this thread could go on and on,...:doowapsta


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

spurgersalty said:


> Persistent Yankee though!


I simply believe the wolf needs top be controled...so contact your reps in DC please

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

just 1 question...how many on this forum have contacted their representatives in DC about this problem?

I have have you all?


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

Surprised farmdudes not on the verge of extinction. But bet he's on the verge of a camping trip!


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

How didja get midgets to hold the wolves up long enough for a photo?


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

spurgersalty said:


> Surprised farmdudes not on the verge of extinction. But bet he's on the verge of a camping trip!


Thinks he drankin moonshine?


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

farmdude said:


> I simply believe the wolf needs top be controled...so contact your rpes in DC please
> 
> http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
> 
> ...


I don't live in south Dakota. We do have a.few re wolves here in Texas tho'


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## DANO (May 23, 2005)

farmdude said:


> I simply believe the wolf needs top be controled...so contact your reps in DC please
> 
> http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
> 
> ...


They will learn to block your calls and e-mails.


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

Kinda like TH deletes all his threads


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

spurgersalty said:


> Surprised farmdudes not on the verge of extinction. But bet he's on the verge of a camping trip!


I'm in a wheelchair sir so no camping for me

simply would like to see future generations enjoy hunting and making a living as I have

0 wolves around me so I have no dirrect benefit other than maybe to see future generations enjoy hunting and making a living as I have


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

DANO said:


> They will learn to block your calls and e-mails.


so just give up is that your answer?...thought Texans never gave up?


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

All I'm sayin is you've tried this 4 TIMES, and still haven't made the connection?!?!


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

spurgersalty said:


> Kinda like TH deletes all his threads


not this time as TH and I have conversed through PM'S


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

And if it makes you happy, I did read somewhere that they have.started a program to control the wolf population in yellowstone


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

spurgersalty said:


> All I'm sayin is you've tried this 4 TIMES, and still haven't made the connection?!?!


this is here to stay....I and TH have hashed it over
seems I did some stuff wrong before...sorry guys!!!


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## Pocboy (Aug 12, 2004)

I don't always post on wolf threads, but when I do only post on farmdudes...stay wolfey my friends. 
BTW, you are barking up the wrong tree here as most of us aren't affected by it and I personally think they are beautiful animals.


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## DANO (May 23, 2005)

farmdude said:


> so just give up is that your answer?...thought Texans never gave up?


No, we don't give up and we do not live in SD either but, if DC was a part of Texas I would be willing to bet that place would be in better shape.

Answer this,
Since elk hunting has become so popular, how many of those elk have been killed by hunters on guided hunts, with outfitters, on ranches that skirt the Yellowstone National Park. Someone is making money on the elk population and it is not the wolves. Well, maybe a different type of Wolf.


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## Capt. Marcus Canales (Aug 25, 2005)

farmdude, your screen name looks familiar, what other sites do you frequent.....AT, HBH, MO nation, etc?


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

Pocboy said:


> I don't always post on wolf threads, but when I do only post on farmdudes...stay wolfey my friends.
> BTW, you are barking up the wrong tree here as most of us aren't affected by it and I personally think they are beautiful animals.


wrong sir as EVERYONE is affected...I like you have 0 problems with wolves here..( no wolves around here) EVERY hunter, rancher, hiker,farmer,future generations of any of the previous are affected!!!

a Guy I know (from Texas) hunted around yellowstone a few years ago...he saw 0 elk and lots of wolf tracks....maybe evensaw wolves I don't know
so for any hunter that lives in Tx. that goes elk hunting in the west is affected sir!!!

*It must be stated clearly that the wolf is the best tool for shutting down hunting. The anti-hunters know this. Most hunters don't.*

*I too * personally think they are beautiful animals..like a lot of God's creatures...bu to not control their numbers is bordering on stupidity in my opinion


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

osoobsessed said:


> farmdude, your screen name looks familiar, what other sites do you frequent.....AT, HBH, MO nation, etc?


 what is HBH or MO nation

AT is archery talk I think


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## Pablo (May 21, 2004)

There's always a big stink about the wolf reintroduction program. The states feel that they should have the authority to regulate and the feds think they should. Idaho, Montana and Wyoming in pariticular have really fought hard. 

No, it doesn't affect the average person here in Texas much. However, if you had a pasture with mares foaling and heifers calving and a pack came thru your place killing your livelihood, you might feel differently. 

The antis just love to get a toehold and keep us from hunting.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

Pablo said:


> There's always a big stink about the wolf reintroduction program. The states feel that they should have the authority to regulate and the feds think they should. Idaho, Montana and Wyoming in pariticular have really fought hard.
> 
> No, it doesn't affect the average person here in Texas much. However, if you had a pasture with mares foaling and heifers calving and a pack came thru your place killing your livelihood, you might feel differently.
> 
> The antis just love to get a toehold and keep us from hunting.


good post sir!!!


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## Pocboy (Aug 12, 2004)

Oh, you mean those animals that were here long before we were? 
I'm playing devils advocate there a little Pablo.


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## Pablo (May 21, 2004)

Understood POC. Should have used "one" instead of "you" courtesy of the grammar police.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

if anyone wants to sign a petion you can do it here
http://www.biggameforever.org/


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

ask the little boy that was raised by wolves and he'll tell you different...

I would love to hunt wolves... but better, would be to raise them, and then fight them against each other, in a pen. 

If the two were put in a ring together, who would win, a wolf or a pit bull?


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

If you go to the BigGameForever site here:

http://capwiz.com/biggameforever/home/

They have a pre-formatted email message that you can send to all the relevant politicos (State and Fed) stating you are in favor of HR 509 and S249.


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## Capt. Marcus Canales (Aug 25, 2005)

haha....i KNEW i had seen your screen name somewhere before:

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1415300


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

I'd love to call and shoot them! (I have labs)


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## elkhunter49 (Jun 7, 2004)

DANO said:


> No, we don't give up and we do not live in SD either but, if DC was a part of Texas I would be willing to bet that place would be in better shape.
> 
> Answer this,
> Since elk hunting has become so popular, how many of those elk have been killed by hunters on guided hunts, with outfitters, on ranches that skirt the Yellowstone National Park. Someone is making money on the elk population and it is not the wolves. Well, maybe a different type of Wolf.


I'll take a stab at this, the Elk populations in Yellowstone started dropping rapidly after the Wolf was reintroduced. It's not even debatable that the
Moose and Elk numbers are down due to the explosion of Wolf numbers in Montana/Idaho. The Gardiner migration hunt north of Yellowstone was one of the most coveted Elk tags in the country for some 30 plus years that I can remember and last year Montana cancelled the hunt completley because elk nubers are so low. 
The hunting of Moose and Elk out west is managed as intensily as any wildlife in the country. Tag numbers and harvest quota's are adjusted to meet herd objectives each year depending on the severity of the winter and last seasons hunter kill ratios. Western states wildlife depatments know that their elk numbers are huge part of their rural economy and they manage herds numbers as a business. Winter kill and hunting have nothing to do with the decline that we are seeing today. 
Wolves are beautiful animals but their numbers are *Wayyyyyyy* over what were agreed upon when they were reintrduced*.* That's the problem with environmental groups. They get a concession then start moving the target. Wolves belong in the west but their numbers have got to be reduced then maintained at that reduced number. It always boils down to money and elk are worth a bunch more to a state than a wolf. Remember ---- Always follow the money. Later Baker


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

osoobsessed said:


> haha....i KNEW i had seen your screen name somewhere before:
> 
> http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1415300


yes thats me but what are the other 2 ya mentioned in earlier post?


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## Capt. Marcus Canales (Aug 25, 2005)

farmdude said:


> yes thats me but what are the other 2 ya mentioned in earlier post?


HBH huntingbrotherhood.com

MO Missouri Whitetail or Whitetail Nation, i get them confused as i don't frequent this one often...


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

osoobsessed said:


> HBH We're doing our part out
> 
> MO Missouri Whitetail or Whitetail Nation, i get them confused as i don't frequent this one often...


I'm on MO whitetail

will have to check out the HBH

thanks man!!!


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## Capt. Marcus Canales (Aug 25, 2005)

farmdude said:


> I'm on MO whitetail
> 
> will have to check out the HBH
> 
> thanks man!!!


you MO boys should know all about HBH, you guys rocked the multiforum hunting contest and because of that, i had the pleasure of guiding Rick (chairman) and his dad at the wounded/disabled veteran hunt that we at KLVR offer up as the prize to the contest. :rock:

i'm on the far right squatting down.


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

I particularly liked the post on archery talk where you told a marine who is still in Afghanistan that he had no guts. (sarcasm on my part guys bout the liking) And that is a direct quote. Post #14 on the AT link


You expect to gather followers after calling out one of our defenders for (and again I quote) "not wanting to break the law". Even if you control the population there's always a risk of human animal interaction. You can't live life in a bubble. So don't throw attacks against dogs and people in the mix to sweeten your story for the sell. Deer have attacked people but we don't say we hunt them for our own safety.


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

alot of ranchers practice SSS.
more need to.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

thanks to all wwho have contacted their reps!!


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## 11andy11 (Aug 12, 2004)

I like wolves. They are part of the eco system. Should there be a season on them? Hell yeah.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

excelent post from another hunting forum



> I think you are onto something with the wolf reintroduction....but by default the anti's have gained a foot hold with the wolves or red tail hawks and other things that are placed on the protective lists. Personnaly, I don't think the anti's and all these animal do righters give a darn about the animals, I do however think they don't was hunters to be able to hunt them. Therefore, they have figured out if they can get animals on the protected lists and then in some cases get them reintroduced to old ranges, they predator animal may and most likely will cause prey populations i.e. deer, elk, moose, rabbit, quail, etc. to fall below unhuntable populations and therefore have a chance to get them on the protective list.....which as we know it is VERY difficult and darn near impossible to have an animal removed from that list! SO, slowly they win and we lose. AGAIN, the animals rights folks don't give a hoot about the animals, they just don't want us to hunt them, any of them.


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## wampuscat (Jun 30, 2009)

http://www.tednugent.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?PostID=1155913#topNav


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

wampuscat said:


> http://www.tednugent.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?PostID=1155913#topNav


good site...I copied and pasted so all can read it










> I sincerely request your help getting support from your elected officials for the emergency caused by the serious overpopulation of wolves in the American West as they decimate game populations. It took us many years and many billions of dollars to restore and safeguard these precious big game populations across the West, and wolves are wiping them out at an alarming rate. The wolf recovery has gotten out of control and the disconnected bureuacrats driven by the animal rights orgs haven't the faintest idea how devastating this out of control wolf population has become. Wolves don't buy licenses, dont have seasons or bag limits, and if not delisted from the Endangered Species Act (they are in no way an endangered species) wildlife as we know it will cease to exist. Please hammer like hell to pass the American Big Game and Livestock Protection Act HR509 delisiting the wolf so they can be managed as an asset instead of the runaway liability that they currently are. HITIT!!


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## Bukkskin (Oct 21, 2009)

I'm with ya Farmdude. They do need to be thinned down. Good for you on working it out with the moderators.
I do not like wolves, but then again I live on a ranch, and raise livestock and deer. 
They remind me of yotes, and that is not GOOD.


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## Rusty S (Apr 6, 2006)

I think I will go shoot me some wolves right after I get these giraffes and zebras thinned out, maybe take out a bison or two for the freezer, there is only so much one man can do. On a seperate note, sounds like a good excuse for that high powered motor for the chair, ehhh Farmdude. rs


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A northern Idaho lawmaker says the state should not punish people who kill federally protected gray wolves. 
Republican Rep. Phil Hart unveiled legislation Friday to prohibit the state from investigating, arresting or prosecuting any person who kills a gray wolf in Idaho. The bill would also prohibit state employees from helping federal agencies arrest or prosecute someone who kills a wolf. 
Those who punish, or help punish, people who kill wolves face a $500 civil penalty under the measure. 
Wolves in the Northern Rockies are listed as endangered under court order, but state and federal officials have been looking for ways to curb their population.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

GOOD LUCK with that, reminds me of when the Feds stocked 1000s AND protected Timber Rattlers in the Lance Rozier unit of the Big Thicket park, when they found out the wild hogs loved to eat them they checked into hiring a Goverment trapper to catch all the hogs, that part fell thru.....WW


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

and::::::::::

Governor encourages Montanan's to shoot wolves north of interstate. Not sure I would want to hitch my liberty on Brian but it is the latest salvo.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer says the state will defy federal protections for gray wolves and kill packs that have been hurting elk herds.
Schweitzer also told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he is encouraging livestock owners north of Interstate 90 to shoot wolves that harass their animals. He says state game wardens would stop investigating wolf shootings in that part of the state.
Livestock owners in southern Montana already have authority to shoot wolves that harass their animals.
The Democratic governor says he is fed up with years of litigation that have kept wolves on the endangered species list even as their population has grown to more than 1,700 across the Northern Rockies.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

*Wisconsin DNR Says Wolves Killing More Dogs and Livestock !*

2/16/2011 
The state Department of Natural Resources says wolves are causing more problems for Wisconsinites. 
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The state Department of Natural Resources says wolves are causing more problems for Wisconsinites. 
A new report says wolves attacked animals on 47 farms last year compared to 28 farms in 2009. Twelve of those attacks were in Douglas County with 16 other northern Wisconsin counties reporting problems. 
Wolves killed 34 dogs, 47 calves, 16 cows and six sheep in 2010. The DNR estimates the wolves cost farms a total of $114,000. 
The agency's wolf expert, Adrian Wydeven, tells the Duluth News Tribune that the increase in attacks is because wolves are moving into new areas and because state officials have few options to kill wolves, which are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

Just wack any problem wolves that are attacking you animals and leave it at that. I don't need permission to look after my animals, from anyone.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

Defying federal authority over gray wolves, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Wednesday encouraged ranchers to kill wolves that prey on their livestock and said the state will start shooting packs that hurt elk herds.
whole article here
http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/pr...or-encourages-ranchers-to-kill-problem-wolves


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

watch this then tell me the wolves are fine!


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

*Despite Montana Governor's Claims, No Big Wolf Kills Planned*

2/21/2011

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer turned heads when he announced he was sending out state wildlife agents to kill packs of endangered wolves any time they attack livestock or drive down elk numbers.
http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/adclick.aspx?id=124 BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer turned heads when he announced he was sending out state wildlife agents to kill packs of endangered wolves any time they attack livestock or drive down elk numbers. 
Yet there's been no immediate change in how the state deals with problem wolves, and Schweitzer's office on Friday backed away from some of his most adamant declarations of defiance against federal wolf protections. 
Schweitzer declared in an interview this week that his state would "take action'' on its own to remove wolf packs that have caused declines in elk herds along its western border with Idaho. 
On Friday, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim said the agency was awaiting a response from federal officials on a pending state petition to kill those wolves, in an area known as the Bitterroot Valley. A decision from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is due within six weeks. 
Schweitzer this week also notified U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that he had directed wildlife officials to shoot "whole packs that kill livestock, wherever this may occur.'' 
That directive was revised Friday to reflect less-severe policies already in place for the state's more than 500 wolves. 
Projections made last year by wildlife officials showed that killing off all packs that attack cattle, sheep or other livestock would have quickly reduced wolf numbers below sustainable levels. 
The governor's natural resources adviser, Mike Volesky, told The Associated Press that wildlife agents had "discretion to use whole-pack removal'' - not a mandate to do so. 
``The letter probably dealt with the issue inartfully,'' Volesky wrote in an e-mail response. "It's usually better to leave some discretion to the experts on the ground, who can then react to specific circumstances.'' 
Roughly one out of every three packs will kill livestock in any given year. If every livestock-killing pack was eliminated, within four years the number of breeding packs would be reduced by half, to just 14, according to the state's projections. That is below the level considered necessary for Montana's wolf population to remain viable over the long-term. 
Although the state has authority to take out problem packs - and did so nine times in 2009, the most recent year for which data was available - its longstanding practice has been to try other methods first in most instances. That includes non-lethal measures and shooting wolves from attacking packs one at a time until the problem stops. 
More than 600 wolves have been killed in Montana since the animals were reintroduced to the Northern Rockies by the federal government in the mid-1990s. Most were shot by government wildlife agents in response to livestock attacks. 
"The idea is to address the depredation problems and still maintain a recovered wolf population, which we are committed to doing,'' Aasheim said. 
Schweitzer's show of defiance was welcomed by some in Montana, where ranchers and hunters have grown increasingly frustrated with federal restrictions against public wolf hunts. 
But they were rejected by the Interior Department as taking the wrong approach and generated alarm among wildlife advocates. 
The governor also encouraged ranchers in northern Montana to shoot wolves that harass their livestock - currently prohibited north of Interstate 90 - and said state game wardens would no longer investigate wolf killings in that part of the state. 
"It sends the wrong signal to would-be wolf poachers that they could say they are protecting livestock and eliminating wolves,'' said Michael Leahy with Defenders of Wildlife. 
Wolf poaching laws still will be enforceable by federal wildlife agents. 
Lawsuits brought by advocacy groups including Leahy's have kept gray wolves in the Northern Rockies on the endangered list for a decade since the animals exceeded the government's original recovery goals. 
There are now at least 1,700 wolves in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington and Oregon - more than five times the goal to maintain at least 300 in the region. 
Public hunting for wolves has been banned since they were listed as endangered in 1974, except for a brief period when they came off the list in Idaho and Montana in 2009.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

*Montana Biologists to Study Elk and Wolves with GPS Collars!*

http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/pr...ists-to-study-elk-and-wolves-with-gps-collars


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## mudcatz71 (Jun 8, 2006)

If there is too many wolves i am ok with shooting them and hunting them. I just can't stand when people claim the wolves and cougars are gettint too close to civilization. That kinda chaps my arse.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

*Ex-Senator Larry Craig Lobbying on Wolf Legislation*

Former Idaho U.S. Sen. Larry Craig is working for a sportsmen's group that wants Congress to lift Endangered Species Act protections from wolves on grounds the prolific predators are hurting big game populations coveted by hunters in the region.
whole article here
http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/pr...ator-larry-craig-lobbying-on-wolf-legislation


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

2/25/2011 
Federal officials say a record number of pets and livestock were killed by wolves in Minnesota in 2010. 
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

*feds hunt wolves*

3/1/2011 
A federal official says authorities are running out of time to find and kill a single wolf or pair of wolves blamed for killing a cow in eastern Idaho. 
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) - A federal official says authorities are running out of time to find and kill a single wolf or pair of wolves blamed for killing a cow in eastern Idaho. 
Todd Grimm of Idaho Wildlife Services says hunters have been searching since Jan. 21, and have until March 7 when a depredation permit runs out. 
Officials say one cow was killed and another injured during the January attack about seven miles east of Howe. 
Grimm tells the Post Register that tracks disappeared into an area without snow, and officials have since flown over the area several times without spotting wolves. 
Grimm says the wolf or wolves probably live outside the area. 
Near Mackay in central Idaho, Grimm says officials are also hunting a single wolf blamed for killing four calves.


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## farmdude (Mar 25, 2008)

Idaho Sheriff's Raffle

GRANGEVILLE, Idaho (AP) - An Idaho sheriff's raffle called ".308 SSS Wolf Pack Raffle'' in a region where SSS commonly stands for what to do after killing a federally protected wolf - "shoot, shovel and shut up'' - has brought in $13,000. 
Idaho County Sheriff Doug Giddings said the SSS in the raffle stands for ``safety, security and survival,'' and the drawing held Tuesday for a rifle and shovel wasn't meant to encourage the illegal shooting of wolves. 
But the added publicity with the wolf angle helped sell 13,000 of the $1 tickets, he said. 
"That's almost as many people as are in Idaho County,'' Giddings told the Lewiston Tribune. 
Some buyers were from as far away as Chicago and Florida, he said. 
"This is somewhat of a 'Whoa, wait a minute' raffle,''' Giddings said. "The wolves are not beneficial to anybody except some environmentalist someplace who has nothing to do with Idaho County. (The drawing) drew a lot of attention to the wolf issue, and that was good.'' 
Giddings pulled 10 preliminary tickets from two empty beer kegs, with those tickets then placed in a basket with the winner drawn by the 2-year-old daughter of a sheriff's deputy. 
Top prize went to Norm Sonnen, of Greencreek, who said he bought about 20 tickets, though he doesn't hunt wolves. 
"I support what (the sheriff's office) is doing,'' Sonnen said. "I think our ancestors got rid of them for a reason and we don't need them back. Although I'm not going to go against the law to get rid of them. But I don't like the wolves being reintroduced.'' 
Giddings said raffle money is being divided among eight elementary schools, four high schools, and the Idaho County food bank. 
Second place in the raffle was a knife, while the third-place winner received a $25 gift certificate to a sporting goods store

http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/predator-hunting/articlecontent/3/2011/1917/idaho-sheriff's-raffle-taking-heat-for-wolf-connection


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