Wolves Kill Woman in Alaska

I am convinced wolf, coyote, fox, bear, and other species of animal behavior are significantly influenced by their environment. Certainly some of their behavior is predictable and inherted by their genetics. But some is learned - a consequence of lifes experiences and opportunites. I lived in Michigan for 20-some years and Alaska for 30-some years. Hunted extensively in both States. Also read about hunting all my life, and conversed with hunters from different areas of the country.

The Texas coyotes I saw sitting along the runway where my jet landed are significantly different - behavior-wise - than the coyotes in the wilds of Alaska & Canada. I'm not going to get overly analytical in this post. The point I'm making is just because you've observed coyote or wolf behavior in your home State doesnt mean one can correctly conclude the species' behaviors toward humans is identical in other areas of the country.

One very clear example of this is the behavior of these animals in the national parks or other lands where hunting is not allowed and human contact is common, compared to areas where hunting is typically open for a good portion of the year and they are pursued and shot by hunters.

Black bears behavior in the Province of Ontario where my cousin has operated a bear baiting hunting business for the past 30 years is much different than black bear behavior in much of Alaska where the bears have to co-exist with brown-grizzly bears, and the bears have had very little exposure to bait stations.
 
Phorwath, Do you think that the officers will be honest concerning how many wolves that they kill , the reason I would ask such a question is because of the pressure that I would imagine coming from the tree huggers and other groups. I sort of feel like thier is one side waiting to know how many they connect with (Me) and one side thats sitting back and hoping the wolves that did this can get away.

BigBuck
 
The number of wolves killed will be truthfully reported. Both the Department of Public Safety (Troopers) and Department of Fish & Game staff are involved. It would be too risky to take the chance that one individual won't go along with a fib.

Killing wolves up here is currently accepted by our State Administration and agencies as a game management tool. The State of Alaska is a proponent of predator control when it's felt that wolves or bears are too numerous relative to the available game populations in any specific area of the State. A wolf or a bear kills a man or a woman - there is no sympathy for those responsible animals in Alaska government or politics. Alaska is more than willing to incur the wrath of any anti-hunting anti-predator control criticism. The gunner will be considered a hero.

These wolf carcasses will be tested to death; the biologist really want to know if the wolves were rabid, well fed, healthy or diseased. There's a lot of attention on this because it's the first ever documented man-killing wolf incident in the State. So I believe every wolf harvested will be reported, documented and analyzed.

The only 'good' wolf within 5 miles of this kill site is a dead wolf, for the next couple of weeks. The poll in Alaska is running 2 to 1 in favor of killing the wolves in the immediate proximity of the kill.
 
Good for Alaska. In some states I'd imagine they'd be throwing a hissy fit. It will be interesting to see how many in that area they eventually harvest.
 
Troopers investigating the scene found many wolf paw prints around the body, which had been partially predated, and bloody drag marks in the snow, he said. Investigators were able to conclude after the autopsy that the animal injuries caused the death and were not inflicted post-mortem, he said.



"She was bleeding as she was being moved, being drug, and the damage to the throat," Holloway said. "The medical examiner concluded that she wasn't killed by any other method and that the damage to the throat was severe. There were animal bite marks on the throat.


Partially "predated" ???? i guess this is the new PC word for eaten....this does not sound like a fun way to go.

Her father was quoted as saying that the wolves were just doing what wolves do and that he does not blame them..... what the f**k kind of politically correct liberal spineless green weenies are we raising today....maybe it is a blessing that she wasnt allowed to breed more like her father. Sorry if i seem insensitive but it galls me to read crap like this. AJ


Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/03/11/1179368/teacher-likely-killed-by-wolves.html#ixzz0iNsqHu0k
 
I agree that the wolves are just doing what wolves do. You can't fault the wolf for being a wolf. That doesn't mean that I think we should just take it. There is only so much room for the top predators and something has to give. Humans being the very top predator means we can do something about it, and should. Predators of the four legged kind do not tolerate other predators, why should we. I admire the animal, I just do not want it in my back yard. They are great where there is enough space. In my opinion there is not enough space anywhere in the lower 48, or the populated areas of AK.

Steve
 
No offense intended to anyone, but drunk driving fatalities and statistics has nothing to do with wolf management. For one thing, there are a whole lot more drunk drivers on the road than there are wolves. But most important is that drunk driving fatalities do or any other terrible thing justifies mismanagement of wolves. Two wrongs have never have and never will make a right. They will still be tallied as two wrongs. It's like saying, ignore the termites that are slowing eating your foundation away and only worry about the fire that's burning your house down. You need to address both issues appropriately. Drunk driving has nothing to do with wolf management, period.

For anyone out there reading this who doesn't live in wolf country and whose lively hood isn't affected by wolves, I ask... would you want a pack or packs of wolves roaming your neighbor? I want an honest answer. Do you want wolves to be turned loose to breed and multiply in your forests and fields virtually unchecked.? Do you want them roaming near your children?

I actually like having some wolves around, mostly to hunt. But they need to be managed properly. Wyoming had a great plan IMO... Make them a game animal in areas near the Park and Predator/Varmint status in the rest of the state. If we could do that here we could effectively reduce their numbers and we would start seeing elk and moose came back. And the ranchers would have a lot less losses. The wolves would learn in a hurry to stay off ranch land and stay away from cows and other livestock.

What's going on here now is utter madness and a crying shame.

BB, you said this...

Game populations are at an all time high by artificial management such as can be found on the Utah DNR website and their response to the hunter survey on elk.

First off game populations are not at an all time high in areas were wolves roam freely. They are at almost all time record lows. They have already placed hunting restrictions on a nearby elk district that used to be one of the most popular in the state, district 310 to be exact. I'm not up to speed on some of the other areas. My guess is that available moose tags will be reduced if they haven't already, in many districts, as well as elk. Game populations in these areas were very good until recent years and now they are dropping quick, so the implication that wolves are not having affect on these populations is totally bogus and it angers me to see and hear people making such claims. It is false information, period.

BB, if you are a student of animal sciences you will know that typical prey and predator populations are cyclic. When there are few predators, prey populations increase, and when prey populations increase, the predator populations also increase... until the predators start killing off large percentages of prey and then reduce their populations, which in turn leads to reduction of predator populations, and then the prey populations begin to rebound and on and on.

We as humans, have the power to control those swings with good management. We don't need large numbers of wolves. A few here in there is plenty. If you or anyone else want to save wolves, then please take them to YOUR state. We LIVE HERE,and it's WE who have to live with the wolf consequences... the real consequences... not fairy tale consequences.

Artificial manipulation of the gene pool produces Perdue chickens and herefords and it is being used on game animals for the satisfaction of hunters but the wolves are going to put a monkey wrench into that artificial management. So there is a faction of the hunters who are upset because the elk are going to be smaller, faster and spookier in a few generations under natural selection management by the wolves. And the human predator/interactions will increase in frequency.

Just what exactly is "Artificial Management"? Management is management. It's because of management that we have good populations of game. And it's because of poor management that we will loose much of our game plain and simple. The fact is that wolves kill and they are very good at it. They kill and eat a lot of elk and moose... elk and moose that no hunter will ever have the chance to hunt. To say that they are just changing the nature of the populations is bunk. They are systematically eliminating the populations and it makes me mad. The elk population in Yellowstone has been reduced by two thirds. Did you get that? Two thirds! And it will not increase as long as the wolf population remains the same or increases. It will continue to decline until there are almost no elk left. Then the wolves will die off and move out until the elk come back. Then the wolves will be back again. This is a man made catastrophe. Yellowstone had good numbers of animals but they are systematically being wiped out and in a few years the Park will be void of animals, including the precious wolves.

For every wolf that runs, "x" number of elk die each year to feed it. A pack can go through an elk a day and that adds up to 365 in a year. Do the math. Elk and moose can not sustain good populations for very long under that kind of pressure.

On the subject of killing people, there have been very few attacks and killing of humans by wolves over the years, but this is the first time that wolves have had such a high level of freedom and protection. They will in fact learn to loose their fear of man and become more dangerous. I don't care what the blasted statistics say in the past... if I lived in wolf country with children, I would be very concerned and I would take the law into my own hands to protect mine. There are no statistics that tell us how wolves behave when they are not threatened with hunting. This is a whole new deal.

Finally, here's my definition of "Artificial Management".... letting wolves run free without fear. That has never been the case in the existence of wolves and man history ever. Man has always preyed on wolves and their populations were checked and they had much more fear. The situation we have now is what I would call "Artificial"

JM $.02

-Mark
 
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No offense intended to anyone, but drunk driving fatalities and statistics has nothing to do with wolf management. For one thing, there are a whole lot more drunk drivers on the road than there are wolves. But most important is that drunk driving fatalities do or any other terrible thing justifies mismanagement of wolves. Two wrongs have never have and never will make a right. They will still be tallied as two wrongs. It's like saying, ignore the termites that are slowing eating your foundation away and only worry about the fire that's burning your house down. You need to address both issues appropriately. Drunk driving has nothing to do with wolf management, period.

For anyone out there reading this who doesn't live in wolf country and whose lively hood isn't affected by wolves, I ask... would you want a pack or packs of wolves roaming your neighbor? I want an honest answer. Do you want wolves to be turned loose to breed and multiply in your forests and fields virtually unchecked.? Do you want them roaming near your children?

I actually like having some wolves around, mostly to hunt. But they need to be managed properly. Wyoming had a great plan IMO... Make them a game animal in areas near the Park and Predator/Varmint status in the rest of the state. If we could do that here we could effectively reduce their numbers and we would start seeing elk and moose came back. And the ranchers would have a lot less losses. The wolves would learn in a hurry to stay off ranch land and stay away from cows and other livestock.

What's going on here now is utter madness and a crying shame.

BB, you said this...



First off game populations are not at an all time high in areas were wolves roam freely. They are at almost all time record lows. They have already placed hunting restrictions on a nearby elk district that used to be one of the most popular in the state, district 310 to be exact. I'm not up to speed on some of the other areas. My guess is that available moose tags will be reduced if they haven't already, in many districts, as well as elk. Game populations in these areas were very good until recent years and now they are dropping quick, so the implication that wolves are not having affect on these populations is totally bogus and it angers me to see and hear people making such claims. It is false information, period.

BB, if you are a student of animal sciences you will know that typical prey and predator populations are cyclic. When there are few predators, prey populations increase, and when prey populations increase, the predator populations also increase... until the predators start killing off large percentages of prey and then reduce their populations, which in turn leads to reduction of predator populations, and then the prey populations begin to rebound and on and on.

We as humans, have the power to control those swings with good management. We don't need large numbers of wolves. A few here in there is plenty. If you or anyone else want to save wolves, then please take them to YOUR state. We LIVE HERE,and it's WE who have to live with the wolf consequences... the real consequences... not fairy tale consequences.



Just what exactly is "Artificial Management"? Management is management. It's because of management that we have good populations of game. And it's because of poor management that we will loose much of our game plain and simple. The fact is that wolves kill and they are very good at it. They kill and eat a lot of elk and moose... elk and moose that no hunter will ever have the chance to hunt. To say that they are just changing the nature of the populations is bunk. They are systematically eliminating the populations and it makes me mad. The elk population in Yellowstone has been reduced by two thirds. Did you get that? Two thirds! And it will not increase as long as the wolf population remains the same or increases. It will continue to decline until there are almost no elk left. Then the wolves will die off and move out until the elk come back. Then the wolves will be back again. This is a man made catastrophe. Yellowstone had good numbers of animals but they are systematically being wiped out and in a few years the Park will be void of animals, including the precious wolves.

For every wolf that runs, "x" number of elk die each year to feed it. A pack can go through an elk a day and that adds up to 365 in a year. Do the math. Elk and moose can not sustain good populations for very long under that kind of pressure.

On the subject of killing people, there have been very few attacks and killing of humans by wolves over the years, but this is the first time that wolves have had such a high level of freedom and protection. They will in fact learn to loose their fear of man and become more dangerous. I don't care what the blasted statistics say in the past... if I lived in wolf country with children, I would be very concerned and I would take the law into my own hands to protect mine. There are no statistics that tell us how wolves behave when they are not threatened with hunting. This is a whole new deal.

Finally, here's my definition of "Artificial Management".... letting wolves run free without fear. That has never been the case in the existence of wolves and man history ever. Man has always preyed on wolves and their populations were checked and they had much more fear. The situation we have now is what I would call "Artificial"

JM $.02

-Mark

Right on!

They got rid of them for a reason the first time. It's a monumental mistake to artificially bring them back. I think this will turn out like when the F&G decided to introduce a new salmon species into Flathead lake. Long story short, they destroyed the largest kokanee salmon fishery in the world. There is no longer any, I mean zero, kokanee left in Flathead lake. And the salmon species that they tried to introduce did not make it either. This time the experiment is on wildlife and covers the Western United States. This will not only affect the wildlife, but also our food supply. By predation and disease. Not to mention the occasional, unlucky, human victim. How much collateral damage is acceptable? Some body needs to explain to me how we as people are better off with wolves. To say that we now have a new hunting opportunity does not cut it. Loosing the ungulate populations and adding a wolf hunt does not sound like an added hunting opportunity to me. For those of you who do not understand, we have seen our game populations plummet in the last 2 years. I am not using the word plummet lightly. I mean game is scarce. The wolf does not stop killing when the population of prey gets down to "acceptable levels". For that matter they don't stop killing when they are not hungry. Why do you think the typical wolf kill has the prime pieces eaten and the rest of the animal left behind? They only eat the whole animal if they are having trouble finding something to eat.

I should stay out of these wolf discussions. We are stuck with it now and it is too late.

Steve
 
No offense intended to anyone, but drunk driving fatalities and statistics has nothing to do with wolf management. For one thing, there are a whole lot more drunk drivers on the road than there are wolves. But most important is that drunk driving fatalities do or any other terrible thing justifies mismanagement of wolves. Two wrongs have never have and never will make a right. They will still be tallied as two wrongs. It's like saying, ignore the termites that are slowing eating your foundation away and only worry about the fire that's burning your house down. You need to address both issues appropriately. Drunk driving has nothing to do with wolf management, period.

For anyone out there reading this who doesn't live in wolf country and whose lively hood isn't affected by wolves, I ask... would you want a pack or packs of wolves roaming your neighbor? I want an honest answer. Do you want wolves to be turned loose to breed and multiply in your forests and fields virtually unchecked.? Do you want them roaming near your children?

I actually like having some wolves around, mostly to hunt. But they need to be managed properly. Wyoming had a great plan IMO... Make them a game animal in areas near the Park and Predator/Varmint status in the rest of the state. If we could do that here we could effectively reduce their numbers and we would start seeing elk and moose came back. And the ranchers would have a lot less losses. The wolves would learn in a hurry to stay off ranch land and stay away from cows and other livestock.

What's going on here now is utter madness and a crying shame.

BB, you said this...



First off game populations are not at an all time high in areas were wolves roam freely. They are at almost all time record lows. They have already placed hunting restrictions on a nearby elk district that used to be one of the most popular in the state, district 310 to be exact. I'm not up to speed on some of the other areas. My guess is that available moose tags will be reduced if they haven't already, in many districts, as well as elk. Game populations in these areas were very good until recent years and now they are dropping quick, so the implication that wolves are not having affect on these populations is totally bogus and it angers me to see and hear people making such claims. It is false information, period.

BB, if you are a student of animal sciences you will know that typical prey and predator populations are cyclic. When there are few predators, prey populations increase, and when prey populations increase, the predator populations also increase... until the predators start killing off large percentages of prey and then reduce their populations, which in turn leads to reduction of predator populations, and then the prey populations begin to rebound and on and on.

We as humans, have the power to control those swings with good management. We don't need large numbers of wolves. A few here in there is plenty. If you or anyone else want to save wolves, then please take them to YOUR state. We LIVE HERE,and it's WE who have to live with the wolf consequences... the real consequences... not fairy tale consequences.



Just what exactly is "Artificial Management"? Management is management. It's because of management that we have good populations of game. And it's because of poor management that we will loose much of our game plain and simple. The fact is that wolves kill and they are very good at it. They kill and eat a lot of elk and moose... elk and moose that no hunter will ever have the chance to hunt. To say that they are just changing the nature of the populations is bunk. They are systematically eliminating the populations and it makes me mad. The elk population in Yellowstone has been reduced by two thirds. Did you get that? Two thirds! And it will not increase as long as the wolf population remains the same or increases. It will continue to decline until there are almost no elk left. Then the wolves will die off and move out until the elk come back. Then the wolves will be back again. This is a man made catastrophe. Yellowstone had good numbers of animals but they are systematically being wiped out and in a few years the Park will be void of animals, including the precious wolves.

For every wolf that runs, "x" number of elk die each year to feed it. A pack can go through an elk a day and that adds up to 365 in a year. Do the math. Elk and moose can not sustain good populations for very long under that kind of pressure.

On the subject of killing people, there have been very few attacks and killing of humans by wolves over the years, but this is the first time that wolves have had such a high level of freedom and protection. They will in fact learn to loose their fear of man and become more dangerous. I don't care what the blasted statistics say in the past... if I lived in wolf country with children, I would be very concerned and I would take the law into my own hands to protect mine. There are no statistics that tell us how wolves behave when they are not threatened with hunting. This is a whole new deal.

Finally, here's my definition of "Artificial Management".... letting wolves run free without fear. That has never been the case in the existence of wolves and man history ever. Man has always preyed on wolves and their populations were checked and they had much more fear. The situation we have now is what I would call "Artificial"

JM $.02

-Mark

Amen.

Below is an excerpt from one of the many articles compiled at
www. saveelk.com seen here at: The Outdoorsman. This is one of the things that makes many quite angry, myself included. These aren't even the wolves that were here!!

I would encourage anyone to set aside some time and visit the saveelk.com site and learn about this issue from another side than that propagated by popular media outlets.


Bangs Ignored ESA Subspecies Criteria​
In that letter Bangs changed the definition of a
confirmed wild wolf to be protected under the ESA to any
animal that looks and acts like a wolf and has either
survived in the wild or reproduced in the wild. He boldly
asserted that neither domesticated wolves nor wolf-dog
hybrids can survive in the wild and said any animal that
has been observed to survive is "confirmed" as a wild wolf.
By providing that new definition, Bangs ignored
20 years of scientific deliberation during which the FWS
Deputy Solicitor ultimately determined that only the
distinct subspecies known to have inhabited an area couldbe reintroduced to satisfy ESA requirements. Bangs paved the way to protect and propagate assorted wolf-dog, wolfcoyote and wolf-wolf hybrids in the Western Great Lakes and Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf Recovery Areas.​
 
Right on!

They got rid of them for a reason the first time. It's a monumental mistake to artificially bring them back. I think this will turn out like when the F&G decided to introduce a new salmon species into Flathead lake. Long story short, they destroyed the largest kokanee salmon fishery in the world. There is no longer any, I mean zero, kokanee left in Flathead lake. And the salmon species that they tried to introduce did not make it either. This time the experiment is on wildlife and covers the Western United States. This will not only affect the wildlife, but also our food supply. By predation and disease. Not to mention the occasional, unlucky, human victim. How much collateral damage is acceptable? Some body needs to explain to me how we as people are better off with wolves. To say that we now have a new hunting opportunity does not cut it. Loosing the ungulate populations and adding a wolf hunt does not sound like an added hunting opportunity to me. For those of you who do not understand, we have seen our game populations plummet in the last 2 years. I am not using the word plummet lightly. I mean game is scarce. The wolf does not stop killing when the population of prey gets down to "acceptable levels". For that matter they don't stop killing when they are not hungry. Why do you think the typical wolf kill has the prime pieces eaten and the rest of the animal left behind? They only eat the whole animal if they are having trouble finding something to eat.

I should stay out of these wolf discussions. We are stuck with it now and it is too late.

Steve

Here is just one more thought to throw in. I live a loooong ways away from Colorado and I know of several Non-resident hunters for that state . I know some of the locals don't like the Non-resident hunters but we foot the bill and make states like colorado MT Wy big bucks but with what i'm hearing you guys say then why would I want to pay $550.00 for an elk tag and another $450.00 for a muley tag $800.00 for diesel (at the very least) Not to mention sleeping and eating costs . Drive out to hunt were their is NO Elk ? I think what's going to really get their attention is when all the big money flow stops flowin into their state .Maybe then they will open their eyes!

Bigbuck
 
Here is just one more thought to throw in. I live a loooong ways away from Colorado and I know of several Non-resident hunters for that state . I know some of the locals don't like the Non-resident hunters but we foot the bill and make states like colorado MT Wy big bucks but with what i'm hearing you guys say then why would I want to pay $550.00 for an elk tag and another $450.00 for a muley tag $800.00 for diesel (at the very least) Not to mention sleeping and eating costs . Drive out to hunt were their is NO Elk ? I think what's going to really get their attention is when all the big money flow stops flowin into their state .Maybe then they will open their eyes!

Bigbuck

It is a Gov. agency, since when do they worry about their income vs expenses. I am not sure what the percentage of income to the F&G is out of state tags. There is still fishing licences, and they have started to implement State lands trespass fees. I suspect that will expand to all Government owned lands. The trespass fees are not just for hunting, you have to pay these to hike as well.

Steve
 
It is a Gov. agency, since when do they worry about their income vs expenses. I am not sure what the percentage of income to the F&G is out of state tags. There is still fishing licences, and they have started to implement State lands trespass fees. I suspect that will expand to all Government owned lands. The trespass fees are not just for hunting, you have to pay these to hike as well.

Steve

I think I partially understand what your saying steve but what about the Big money guide services they make big money for trophy hunts then they hopefully pay their state taxes so if their is No Elk then that would mean to me less buisness /less tax money to the state. Have you ever sat down and roughly figured the amount of money that out of staters bring in to your state? All I'm saying is the wolf problem will affect several different areas in the future .

How does the tresspass fees work ?

Thanks BigBuck
 
I think I partially understand what your saying steve but what about the Big money guide services they make big money for trophy hunts then they hopefully pay their state taxes so if their is No Elk then that would mean to me less buisness /less tax money to the state. Have you ever sat down and roughly figured the amount of money that out of staters bring in to your state? All I'm saying is the wolf problem will affect several different areas in the future .

How does the tresspass fees work ?

Thanks BigBuck

When you purchase hunting/conservation license it is automatically added to the price. It used to be elective, now it is mandatory.

I understand what you are saying about the financial impacts. I think it is too late to do anything about it. Sorry for the glass half empty attitude.

Steve
 
When you purchase hunting/conservation license it is automatically added to the price. It used to be elective, now it is mandatory.

I understand what you are saying about the financial impacts. I think it is too late to do anything about it. Sorry for the glass half empty attitude.

Steve


Thanks for the Info steve. It would be real nice in the future if they would allow a bonus wolf tag for all hunters that purchase say an elk and cow tag . That would be a reason to keep the staedy flow of hunters coming back but thats probably to good to actually happen.

BigBuck
 
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