Quote:
Originally Posted by Torkdiesel
Wolves are smart Sage ! Way smarter then cats are and they are tough to catch. Areas where they are starving or tough winters make it easier but not a slam dunk.
Yes you can leghold them successfully, and consistently but it costs big dollars. I love catching theme this way but it's not cost effective.
Snaring or poison is the only way to effectively kill them cheaply. Personally I'd rather hang then be poisoned, but that's just me. The government tasks us trappers with helping to control the wolf population, on our Traplines at least. We do what we can but can only operate within our legal limits.
Again back to snaring being the only effective way to kill them. Trying to predict when the wolves will be there so you can set a couple days before then pull right after is impossible. I've had snares sit empty for 50-60 days before a pack came back through an area and I've had them come the next day. Hard to predict what a pack animal with a huge home range will do.
As for aerial gunning the cost works out to $2,000 per wolf from what the bios reported. Give us trappers 2K per wolf and I know one area that will see a serious decline 
As for the cats being caught, if the numbers are consistently as high as they say they are, we have a cat problem. With the 125 or so a year being shot by hunters and all the problem ones that F&W kills, plus whats being trapped incidentally we should be seeing a decline.
But the numbers are steadily climbing across the board. Likely time to kill a few more. |
TD good post, yes wolves can be smart but they do a lot of things people say they don't, they are also made a lot smarter or become more educated by poor trapping or missed catches.
Like I mentioned I realize the cost thing that's why I said certain people should be hired to do it and paid to do it.
Im definatly against poison. Yes snaring can be affective as I also mentioned if done by the right people, and way better to catch multiple wolves out of a pack but also to many non-target catches IMO. One older guy I no pre baits but does not set till the target animals are coming in. Yes this takes time why I again said people should be hired to do it and be out there full time. It is easier to try and catch them where they go then just hoping they will go there.
Aerial gunning may cost a lot but if the pack is caught in the right area a good chance of taking out more. The people I no that have done it in the past were all ready there so I guess not concerned about the cost.
I hear that from quit a few trappers pay us a bounty and we will trap more
why do they have to be paid more especially when they keep complaining that there is to many wolves out there if they don't want to do it let those in that do or as I said hire those that will but they must be able to go in where ever which will be on others registered lines.
If cat numbers are to high why not push to have the zone quotas increased and let hunters take more.
I do not agree with the cats been destroyed so will ask again have any of you gone to F&W and proposed an offer to skin the cats for them so they could be sold and have the money go back into wildlife enhancement or some thing along those lines.