Wolves (Again)

[DrMike]

I found this article interesting. I question the hunter's story, but I don't doubt his genuine fear. He spoke of his first ever encounter, and he certainly didn't understand wolves. Nevertheless, it is a challenge that has not been thoroughly addressed after reintroduction into the Lower Forty-Eight.

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/or...f/2017/11/i_was_terrified_says_elk_hunte.html

It does seem from this rather distant perspective that the Fish and Game Gurus (to say nothing of the politicians) haven't truly grappled with the fact of the brave new world they have unleashed on their ecosystem.

 

[Guy Miner]

Ya - I read that article as well Mike - and though I'm not sure I would have fired - I don't question his decision to do so. When encountering not one, but several large, predatory animals at rather close range... It's likely to make some adrenaline flow.

Guy

 

[Guy Miner]

My youngest son in particular enjoys his long hikes in the hills. (Hmm, I wonder where he got that?)

We've had cougars & bears here in central Washington for his entire life, but wolves were a pretty recent addition to the area. Mama Miner had NO PROBLEM agreeing with me that his 21st birthday present should be a good handgun & holster. He ended up with a brand new .45 1911 Kimber, because he demonstrated that he could shoot mine rather well. It's become his constant companion.

When he feels the need to carry something with more punch, it's a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt, with some reasonably stout 300 grain handloads. That ought to work.

Guy

 

[HAWKEYESATX]

Just me, but I don't buy his story.
Ballistics don't lie. He saw the wolf at a distance, shot it on the right side, bullet exited the left side.

I think its the primeval fear we all feel when there's a distant encounter like his, but I think he eradicated the wolf out of that fear.

Sent from my LG-TP450 using Tapatalk

 

[Thebear_78]

Just me, but I don't buy his story.
Ballistics don't lie. He saw the wolf at a distance, shot it on the right side, bullet exited the left side.

I think its the primeval fear we all feel when there's a distant encounter like his, but I think he eradicated the wolf out of that fear.

Sent from my LG-TP450 using Tapatalk

It’s a very real possibility that the wolf cut hard before the shot taking the impact in one side. I don’t know about down there but wolves up here are VERY elusive. You wouldn’t get that close to several of them if they didn’t intend it. We have had a few wild attacks in Alaska. It is a real possibility.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lefty315]

To the untrained I can see where people would think there's no way he didn't know the wolf was broadside when he fired. (Guy knows what I'm talking about). Either way it's just going to become more common in the lower 48. The wolves have no fear of people so even if they weren't actually going to attack how close do you let them get? Very similar to coyotes in certain areas of the country having no fear of humans and running up and snatching a small dog off its leash.

 

[Thebear_78]

We had some wolves on elmedorf Air Force bade that got that brazen. You couldn’t hunt them on base, after a pack attacked a trio of women walking their dogs the air force took them all out. Predators need to be reminded to fear humans, for everyone’s safety


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DrMike]

It’s a very real possibility that the wolf cut hard before the shot taking the impact in one side. I don’t know about down there but wolves up here are VERY elusive. You wouldn’t get that close to several of them if they didn’t intend it. We have had a few wild attacks in Alaska. It is a real possibility.

For sure, it is common that wolves appear to turn on a dime when you raise a rifle. It is almost as if they are prescient about firearms.

I have never been attacked by a wolf, not even close. I have certainly seen wolves. I don't carry firearms every time I venture into the woods, in part because carrying a handgun is discouraged by the government. I have once or twice got in touch with my primal self, knowing that something was nearby and stalking. However, nothing ever came of this sixth sense kicking in. Still, I enjoy seeing wolves--just don't want to get particular close to them without a firearm in my hands.

 

[Elkman]

I walked into a pack one very dark morning in Idaho, while elk hunting, they were close and howling and carrying on. I knew exactly where I was so I walked up to about a 3 foot diameter fir tree and set down with my back to it. After a few min I started howling, and they moved off down the hill away from me. I never felt threatened but stayed cautious.
Its been two years now since the cougar and I had the encounter within sight of my house, I was also armed that day, thankfully as I believe that it was going to charge. I don't hike anymore in the dark without carrying.
I believe I am safer in the woods than in the city, but one has to be aware where ever they are.

 

[Thankful Otter]

Several have ask me to respond as we live with wolves on a daily basis. I agree with Dr Mike, I also question the hunter's version of the story. I also agree with Bear, yes the wolf could have turned, we all have had animals turn, not just a wolf. Possibly if the wolf was rabid she might have been charging other wise, it just doesn't sound right based upon my experience watching wolves kill caribou, moose, etc, and having been threatened many times myself, the story just doesn't sound right.

However, as I previously mentioned in regards to bear attacks. I personally feel safer ( and there are fewer casualties) from bears and wolfs in the mountains, in the Territories here in Canada, than walking thru central park at night in New York.

Personally I have always felt the "reintroduction program" was a mistake. They want to put an animal back in an area where they once were 100 years ago but they dont take into account the area where they want to re-introduce them does not look the same as it did 100 years ago and has a lot more people, and people who have zero knowledge about wolves. I am sure there was once lions where downtown Cape Town is now, but they are not reintroducing lions into downtown Cape Town, nor should they. We need to be at least as smart as the animal

 

[truck driver]

Don't know if the guys story is fishy or not since I wasn't there when it occurred and have no everyday experience with wolves.
Having just recently had my first and second encounter with a wolf while hunting Elk in MT I will say the first encounter was very unnerving since it was with in 20yds of me and I'm still not sure I wasn't being stalked but it left with out incident so I'll never know. And they are legal game with a stamp in MT.
This was a very big animal with a paw the size of my XL size hand measured in the fresh snow.
The second encounter was the mourning I was leaving and returning home, there was one shadowing a small herd of white tail deer down a county road in front of my truck. Had he remained in the road instead of going off into a pasture he would have been road kill and no tag needed. But he choose to stop in the pasture and stare at me while I sat in my truck about 50yds away and the deer ran off free and clear. He wasn't afraid of humans but respected what a pickup truck was. Had he been in a place where he wasn't on private land he would have meet up with a 210gr PT from my 338Win and I would have worried about the tag latter since I was told to shoot first and then get a over the counter tag by the locals.
Here's a picture of his track in the fresh snow that I showed to my outfitter and the first thing she said was Wolf when she saw it. One of the guides also looked at the picture and said it must have weighed close to 120lbs or a little more.
The one I saw chasing the deer was a big fellow also.

 

[Guy Miner]

I'd like to be able to do this here in Washington, but they're protected here.

 

[Polaris]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_w ... th_America Although rare, there have been documented and fatal attacks by Grey wolves in North America. Don't believe the narrative by wolf lovers to the contrary.

 

[baltz526]

If you look at the picture of the wolf. It has the exact coloring of a coyote. Which exactly fits the guys story on the encounter. Milliseconds to make trigger decisions under stress, adds up to a dead threatening wolf. The investigators found no cause to charge the guy. That should be the end of it.