Science, Mythology, Hatred, and the Fate of the Gray Wolf

[houndawg]

Letters to the editor.

Game, livestock, people the victims
The wolf situation is getting out of control.

They have severely diminished game populations and are wreaking havoc on livestock all over. We have some lousy, stinking bureaucrats in our current federal administration that think we need these predators all around us. If these eight-balls want this then why don’t they keep wolves penned up in their own backyard? Instead, they think that we are all a bunch of poor, dumb, backwoods people who don’t have the money or the power to fight this. Let’s all get together (all who are against wolves) and not pay taxes or buy hunting licenses until this situation is taken care of. I know if we get everyone together and do this, something will get done in our favor.

I know it sounds absurd, but how else are we going to get this changed and keep it that way? Remember the next time you are out hunting or checking livestock and come upon a wolf situation. Are you just going to shrug it off and hope that something will get done? At what point will you have had enough? Personally, I have. Of course, maybe people will just keep putting up with this and will continue to fork out the tax dollars and buy hunting licenses. Perhaps I’ve just wasted newspaper space.

Lenny Page, Lonepine

Wolves worse than trespassers
I just finished reading the March 31 article written by Perry Backus, “Trespassers, vandals may lose privileges.” I could not believe my eyes when I read this line - “regarding vandalizing state parks, sportsmen pay the price when illegal antler hunters sneak onto state game ranges and disturb elk and deer at their most fragile time.” Meaning, of course, when they are heavy with their young. They are weak from hunger, the snow is crusted, and the wolves have run the supreme crap out of them for the last three months.

I agree, people should not be trespassing on these lands, but I will tell you this - a couple of beer-guzzling rednecks aren’t going to bother the deer and elk nearly as much as a pack of wolves. In the winter when the snow is crusted, they kill because they can, not always because they have to.

How many wolves are out there? Too damn many. In one day I have ridden my snowmobile starting from the North Fork across the flat, over the Ryan Bridge on to Downey Lake, past the Boot Tree, across Mollett Park, across McCabe Creek, hit the county road and headed for the Monture Ranger Station, and on up Lodge Pole Creek. And guess what I saw - fresh wolf tracks everywhere I went. I don’t need some tinker bell tiptoeing through the timber holding an antenna over his head sniffing wolf scat to tell me how many wolves there are out there. I would like to give you an idea of how many wolf kills I have found lately, but it is impossible to tell if the does were carrying one fawn or two.

By the way, if you are planning on deer hunting in the Blackfoot next fall you better bring one with you - for your chances of getting eaten by a grizzly bear are far greater than finding any game.

Larry Dillree, Ovando

Dog tracks.