[Eska]

We've had yearlings run along the truck or in front of truck on our dirt road; pups that had just kicked out, late August to pack up. My kids would call pups in with rabbit squealers while waiting on the school bus. I've had wolf pups walk up my lane and sit down look over my dogs on chains; soon as I walk out on porch, they trot off. Young wolves will hang around humans, but they wise up quick their first winter. Two winters back, we had wolves in our garbage cans right nx to the shed for a couple nights in a row; wifey had dumped some old salmon in the one barrel. They'd come in at 3 am, my house dogs would wind them right through the logs of the cabin which is air tight. I'd stick the 6.8 out the window with a flashlight and they'd take off. Soon as put up the game camera, they never came around again.

The problem with wolves is they eat 5 times the moose people do and who has to give? The wolf or the human?

[headsonpikes]

Back in the ‘70s, I lived in various settlements and ranches in B.C. back country. Getting your moose in the fall was a given, the best plan being to share game with hunting buddies so that you didn’t have to deal with four huge quarters at once. Sighting wolves was a rarity at that time; now the wolves are everywhere in forested areas of B.C. while moose and mountain caribou decline in numbers. Deer populations remain strong, however, despite predation.

I believe folks will tire of wolf livestock predation within a few years; few people are outraged at the shooting of cougars anymore. My neighbours are mostly still enthused by the sighting of a wolf pack just a few miles away from our settlement. Should the wolves decide goat, horse, and poultry liven up their venison diet, I’m pretty sure the rifles will be pulled out of the cupboards, since we are somewhat overrun by black gears seasonally and they get shot for killing chickens, although not usually for stealing fruit. Luckily, the local grizzlies stay out of our yards, except for rare visits.