Posted on 01/13/2005 2:48:45 PM PST by Delphinium
Wolves kill hunting dogs near Dent Bridge
Mike Stockton, guide for Reggear Outfitters, was conducting a hunt Tuesday morning, Jan. 11, around 8:30-9:30 a.m. in the Cranberry Creek/Elk Creek area northeast of Dent Bridge when he says three of his hunting dogs were killed by wolves. A fourth is being treated at the vet for bite wounds to his hind quarters. According to Stockton, the vet documented the dog’s wounds as inflicted by an animal of at least one hundred pounds.
Stockton and Travis Reggear (Outfitter owner) were on Baldy Road, on the other side of Dent Bridge, running bobcat. Stockton says there are two packs of four wolves each (one in Elk Creek, one in Swamp Creek) that they’ve been watching for six weeks now. Because of this, prior to beginning the hunt, Stockton and Reggear (who hunt together in an effort to protect the dogs), circled the road by pickup to make sure no wolves were nearby.
The dogs’ treeing switches were activated showing that a bobcat was treed. Soon after, the treeing switches quit signaling “treed” but since he and Reggear had already circled the area, Stockton didn’t suspect that wolves were around.
At that point, a single dog was showing movement throughout the canyon area. Stockton called to the dog and heard a wolf howl. He saw a second wolf. As Stockton reached the scene, one of his dogs was dead near the tree with the full kill site one hundred yards wide. The fourth dog was still running around the hillside.
Stockton believes the wolves came from Swamp Creek, down Baldy Road two to two-and-a-half miles. It had only been a little over an hour from the time the dogs were originally let out until the attack.
Stockton, a 24-year outfitter, believes the wolves were only doing what wolves do. He blames the people in society for causing the wolves to be there to begin with.
"we aren't always at the top of the food chain"
Now that's exactly why I'll never SCUBA dive or swim more that about 30 feet out in the ocean. If you stop moving in the water long enough, even the little fish will feed on you.
I've never head of any of the places mentioned in the article; what state is this?
Idaho, where people live, not just wild animals.
What state is this?
Another wolf article with interesting discussion.
Interesting post but it would be nice to know *where* you are talking about.
The ol' .270 has been and will continue to be a solution, one at a time.
It doesn't necessarily surprise me that wolves would "sport kill," providing they have the time and leisure to do that. I've owned dogs all my life, they sport kill all the time.
As for wolves wiping out whole herds of prey animals, that sounds very weird to me, something must be out of balance. Which is not a surprise, I guess, if the habitat is actively being "managed." The same people also want to "manage" you and I.
You think there shouldn't be ANY wilderness areas? I like them --- I often prefer to go where bears and wolves are and the inner city and barrio types aren't.
No clue at all where this is... Alaska? Wyoming? Florida?
22 posts before I found out where the heck this was at.
Journalism 101: News stories should contain WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHAT, and WHY in the first paragraph.
Something odd about this story. Three of his 4 dogs were killed by wolves. I can't imagine those four dogs not fighting back at the same time. In other words, the wolves would have to break each one out of the group one at a time and kill them, unless there were about 8 wolves. Hunting dogs are usually not fearful and are so adrenalined up from the hunt they would fight back hard if attacked. After all, they are going after bobcats. Something is missing in this story.
I fear it was a mistake to re-introduce wolves, because I think the wolves will end up suffering eradication ~again~, but I really like your style. I have more respect for the intrinsic value of things wild than I do the intrinsic value of suburbia.
What about a cannes perres?
Isn't this about the use of public lands also?
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