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.
I mean presa canarios.
We need to deploy wolves at or Southern border. They could
easily out-perform the Border patrol.
No --- political correctness will rule --- if a wolf attacks an drug runner from Mexico --- the government will quickly turn on the wolves.
Thank you for raising our awareness.
I hope the enviroloonies in Pennsylvania never get the wacky idea to introduce Canadian wolves here.
The farmers here would shoot them on sight.
(Not the loonies--the wolves).
I've seen a lot of threads posted about wolves, I think people are aware that wolves have been reintroduced. This article just has no clue where this incident took place if you don't know where "Dent bridge" "Baldy Road" are.
The guy had hunting hounds loose in the back country who are quite often at risk of tangling with the wrong prey. It's a sport for the rugged, it ain't golf. If not a wolf, many hounds are hurt or lost when they tangle with cougar, coyote, moose, elk or a bear. Many hounds take off after something and are never seen again if they get out of range of their radio collars. Had a hungry tired hound show up at my campsite once, whose owner had given up looking and gone home. Lucky for him he got a phone call.
But this article doesn't describe the problem many on here fear, of suburban wolves preying on pets in a back yard, or stock on a farm. This guy was hunting, and he lost the hunt.
If it really happened.... seems like it would be news... if this story was.
I posted it on FR over a year ago, along with many others. We have had some pretty heated debates.
I know - I usually read them, and sometimes post on them.
You seem to think I am not aware of the issue. I am. I only asked where this incident was.
I thought you were, but maybe I am too defensive. Sorry.
I don't have a knee jerk reaction that all predators must be eliminated whenever one is spotted, I don't come on these threads and say "shoot shovel shutup" like I am a tough guy, but I do think re-introducing wolves is probably a mistake, and farmers have a legitimate reason to fear for their stock.
There are probably too many people everywhere now to have room for wolves... any more than we had 'room' for them the first time we wiped them out. But I mourn that, I don't celebrate it.
I am all for wilderness areas and have spent many days in them here in Colorado.
Adding wolves to them serves no purpose whatsoever except to make it potentially dangerous for people who want to enjoy the public lands.
They are already taking cattle and sheep where they have been un-naturally re-introduced.
I believe the best place to see a wolf is in a zoo.
Anything in my post that disagrees with that?
I like some wolves and bears around. I think they actually help keep wilderness areas safe --- they deter some of the people types that could really ruin them.
Cougars are even better for that ;~D
Some here in Alaska go 150lbs- their print almost the size of your hand- HUGE!
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