Got wolves?

[Kathie in Thorp]

As the crows fly, this is 15-20 miles from us. http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2015/jul/21/wolf-killed-cow-confirmed-near-cle-elum/ Getting too close.

 

[Nesikep]

I could use a few to wipe out these *(&&$%(&* indian horses that are busting my fences.. I'll return them when I'm done with them though

 

[Ohio Cowboy]

I would say thats pretty good. All the cattle all over the place and only one wolf kill seems like the range riders are working. :banana:

 

[red angus 2010]

I would say thats pretty good. All the cattle all over the place and only one wolf kill seems like the range riders are working. :banana:

Read the entire story 5 CONFIRMED kills, no way of knowing how many more are killed but not found. This is rugged terrain. One loss to a producer is one too many.

 

[Bestoutwest]

What about all the cattle killed by disease, lightning, cars, and their own sheer stupidity? Do we ban lightning next?

 

[Dave]

Take a drive up in Northeast Washington where there are lots of wolves. On a hot day all the cows are in a tight bunch in the middle of the fields rather than laying in the shade. They didn't do that before wolves. How much does this affect weight gain? Conception? It is not just the ones that get killed. But they certainly don't come close to finding all the wolf kills. Lots of big rugged ground that is partially timbered. And the wolves aren't just on public lands. They are coming on private land too.

 

[red angus 2010]

What about all the cattle killed by disease, lightning, cars, and their own sheer stupidity? Do we ban lightning next?

Would you like to have an intelligent discussion or would you just prefer to continue to show a lack of understanding of the cattle business?

 

[Bestoutwest]

Would you like to have an intelligent discussion or would you just prefer to continue to show a lack of understanding of the cattle business?

I don't ranch/farm/raise cattle for a living. Which, to me, makes any loss that I have an even bigger hit b/c it's a higher percentage of my money invested. However, I also understand that in any business venture there will be loss. This is the nature of business. No one likes it to happen, but it's inevitable.

As humans, we like to think that we can control all loss, and prevent anything from turning out in any form other than what we intended. That being said, we like to move into a situation and completely dominate it. We think that because we, as humans, have a larger cerebral cortex than any other animal on the planet, can therefore dominate/own/control all situations. In the end is this a good thing? I don't believe so. I think it's hurt a lot more than it's helped. Look at the eradication or introduction of certain species. We think we can control a situation to the point of "This isn't going to get out of control," and it most certainly always does. We take things out environments and we add things to environments, and in the end the environment is screwed up. Wolves are part of the natural environment for a reason. By taking them out, we've done some damage. Now that they're introduced again people are scared, upset, and mostly angry. But should we just eradicate everything we don't like?

 

[SteppedInIt]

Would you like to have an intelligent discussion or would you just prefer to continue to show a lack of understanding of the cattle business?

I don't ranch/farm/raise cattle for a living. Which, to me, makes any loss that I have an even bigger hit b/c it's a higher percentage of my money invested. However, I also understand that in any business venture there will be loss. This is the nature of business. No one likes it to happen, but it's inevitable.

As humans, we like to think that we can control all loss, and prevent anything from turning out in any form other than what we intended. That being said, we like to move into a situation and completely dominate it. We think that because we, as humans, have a larger cerebral cortex than any other animal on the planet, can therefore dominate/own/control all situations. In the end is this a good thing? I don't believe so. I think it's hurt a lot more than it's helped. Look at the eradication or introduction of certain species. We think we can control a situation to the point of "This isn't going to get out of control," and it most certainly always does. We take things out environments and we add things to environments, and in the end the environment is screwed up. Wolves are part of the natural environment for a reason. By taking them out, we've done some damage. Now that they're introduced again people are scared, upset, and mostly angry. But should we just eradicate everything we don't like?

OPEN ENDED ARGUMENT. :roll:

I understand some might be upset because a new threat is added to ones livelihood and there is nothing wrong with that. I don't think anyone is out to exterminate anything. I think anyone with sense eradicates unnecessary problems daily, if possible.

 

[melking]

And then we have our whole coyote problem down her with packs running night along the fence lines and killing a calf or three. I will eradicate any of those I can, for sure.

 

[Nesikep]

What about all the cattle killed by disease, lightning, cars, and their own sheer stupidity? Do we ban lightning next?

Of course you can't ban lightning.. but you also wouldn't put a lightning rod hooked up to your stock waterer either.

 

[Dave]

There use to be a number of deer in those areas. Not so much any more. The government has been spending a lot to preserve a very small herd of caribou. The only caribou in the lower 48. An endangered sub species. The wolves have moved in next door. How long until those caribou are extinct?

 

[Bigfoot]

According to information I have recieved here, there are good coyotes and bad coyotes. Perhaps wolves could be classified the same way?

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

There have been packs of livestock predatory wolves taken out in both WA and ID -- not sure about OR. When the re-introductions came, the wildlife people were sure it would take years and years and years to get the wolves back up to sustainable numbers. It took about 5, and there's been hell to pay with livestock -- not just cattle -- ever since. Yep, we've got yotes here, too, but on our place have not had issues with them. We've got lots of deer around and wild rabbits like crazy. There's a 2 year old missing up around Salmon, ID right now; been missing from a family camping trip for about 10 days. Right in the middle of heavy wolf country. My bet is kid vs. wolf.

 

[red angus 2010]

Would you like to have an intelligent discussion or would you just prefer to continue to show a lack of understanding of the cattle business?

I don't ranch/farm/raise cattle for a living. Which, to me, makes any loss that I have an even bigger hit b/c it's a higher percentage of my money invested. However, I also understand that in any business venture there will be loss. This is the nature of business. No one likes it to happen, but it's inevitable.

As humans, we like to think that we can control all loss, and prevent anything from turning out in any form other than what we intended. That being said, we like to move into a situation and completely dominate it. We think that because we, as humans, have a larger cerebral cortex than any other animal on the planet, can therefore dominate/own/control all situations. In the end is this a good thing? I don't believe so. I think it's hurt a lot more than it's helped. Look at the eradication or introduction of certain species. We think we can control a situation to the point of "This isn't going to get out of control," and it most certainly always does. We take things out environments and we add things to environments, and in the end the environment is screwed up. Wolves are part of the natural environment for a reason. By taking them out, we've done some damage. Now that they're introduced again people are scared, upset, and mostly angry. But should we just eradicate everything we don't like?

I don't ranch/farm/raise cattle for a living. If you raise cattle for a living you are 100% invested it is what you do for a living.

Which, to me, makes any loss that I have an even bigger hit b/c it's a higher percentage of my money invested. It may be a higher percentage of what you have invested but that doesn't compare to someone who has as a only source of income their cattle. That's like saying "I lost 90% of my cattle business" when you have only 5% of you total income derived from cattle. Sounds like a huge amount but it is only 5% percent of how you make a living.

If I am to be a good steward of my cattle I am responsible to make sure I do all I can to create a healthy animal that buyers want when our steers go to market. Part of that equation is to minimize my losses. It is called animal husbandry. If the creek washes away soil from the roots of a tree I go down on Sunday and fill it back in with creek sand (17 tractor buckets/ front end loader) so a cow, calf or bull doesn't drop down in the hole and end up dead. I can't prevent a calf from deciding to try to squeeze thru a fence get hung up and die but I can put down a pack of dogs chasing them into the fence. You have to have a deep rooted passion to do this for a living why else would you get up in the dead of night at 5 below to check on a cow about to calve. Would you like to guess how many time I have been peed on sitting on a four wheeler bringing a calf into our basement to warm up before taking them back to momma? You appear to have a philosophy about the circle of life that would have got you killed 100 years ago. A predator is a threat to what you do for a living. Look at it this way you're at home and you hear a thief break in and start to beat up your wife in the next room do you just sit there and say to your self well if he kills her it's an acceptable loss? There have been thieves since the beginning of time and who am I to try to play god he has the same right to live how he is as I do.



However, I also understand that in any business venture there will be loss. This is the nature of business. No one likes it to happen, but it's inevitable. There is a huge difference between preventable and unpreventable loss.

 

[Ohio Cowboy]

Red angus-
Welcome to 2015. Wolves are here and are here to stay. Either adapt and change to make your living or die wishing it was 100 years in the past.

 

[red angus 2010]

Red angus-
Welcome to 2015. Wolves are here and are here to stay. Either adapt and change to make your living or die wishing it was 100 years in the past.

I would seriously doubt that I will ever have to deal with this issue in my life given where we farm/ ranch. Easy to look to some positives from yesteryear and wish for a simpler time but I suspect that it was too hard a life for me given how soft I am.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

I don't ranch/farm/raise cattle for a living. Which, to me, makes any loss that I have an even bigger hit b/c it's a higher percentage of my money invested. However, I also understand that in any business venture there will be loss. This is the nature of business. No one likes it to happen, but it's inevitable.

As humans, we like to think that we can control all loss, and prevent anything from turning out in any form other than what we intended. That being said, we like to move into a situation and completely dominate it. We think that because we, as humans, have a larger cerebral cortex than any other animal on the planet, can therefore dominate/own/control all situations. In the end is this a good thing? I don't believe so. I think it's hurt a lot more than it's helped. Look at the eradication or introduction of certain species. We think we can control a situation to the point of "This isn't going to get out of control," and it most certainly always does. We take things out environments and we add things to environments, and in the end the environment is screwed up. Wolves are part of the natural environment for a reason. By taking them out, we've done some damage. Now that they're introduced again people are scared, upset, and mostly angry. But should we just eradicate everything we don't like?

My Grandmother instilled in me that "the only good wolf is a dead wolf." But should we just eradicate everything we don't like? From our ranches and back yards ? Yep One reason the wolf was supposedly re-introduced was to help manage the elk populations, not to kill our cows, sheep, horses, mules and our dogs. I have always strongly supported re-introducing the Wolf and Grizzly to San Francisco. I don't think many people realize the Golden Bear on California's State Flag represents the Grizzly Bear that used to be present in California. Most likely they associate it with "Jack Nicklaus". Are you going to change my way of thinking "nope"

 

[gcreekrch]

I don't ranch/farm/raise cattle for a living. Which, to me, makes any loss that I have an even bigger hit b/c it's a higher percentage of my money invested. However, I also understand that in any business venture there will be loss. This is the nature of business. No one likes it to happen, but it's inevitable.

As humans, we like to think that we can control all loss, and prevent anything from turning out in any form other than what we intended. That being said, we like to move into a situation and completely dominate it. We think that because we, as humans, have a larger cerebral cortex than any other animal on the planet, can therefore dominate/own/control all situations. In the end is this a good thing? I don't believe so. I think it's hurt a lot more than it's helped. Look at the eradication or introduction of certain species. We think we can control a situation to the point of "This isn't going to get out of control," and it most certainly always does. We take things out environments and we add things to environments, and in the end the environment is screwed up. Wolves are part of the natural environment for a reason. By taking them out, we've done some damage. Now that they're introduced again people are scared, upset, and mostly angry. But should we just eradicate everything we don't like?

Wolves were eradicated from the US, people like you brought them back. Predators have cost us in the neighborhood of a million dollars in last 20 years. They have also nearly wiped out ungulate herds in BC. The government has just in the last three years activated a wolf cull in areas where caribou are. We are fortunate enough to be in one of these areas. Many of us would rather never see another torn up calf that escaped killing or find a carcass. The best place for a wolf in today's world is hanging on a wall.

 

[DNelson]

Wolf urine!!!!! We have wolves and coyotes. We are in a mainly cattle area and close to large state forests that wolves live in. Coyotes move out and wolves move in. Wolves on trail cams this winter and no coyotes howling or yipping tis spring yet. I read on another site that using wolf urine in certain locations will keep the coyotes weary and might keep wolves away since wolves will think its another wolf's boundary markings. So I got a bottle from Amazon and will give it a try. The snow is melting or was, and when I went to fix some electric fence I found tracks and signs of a loan wolf so I hope this plan works. My neighbor lost a new born calf last spring and the DNR said it was coyotes but he was not buying that. anyone else use this method to control wolves moving in to your area?