Colorado Restoration of Gray Wolves initiative qualifies for 2020 ballot

[Okie4570]

If memory serves, right or wrong, some states were paying folks to kill wolves a year or so ago. I’m pretty sure it was Idaho and maybe Oregon. I do remember hunters were getting paid $1,000 a wolf.

I have friends in MT, ID, and WI that trap and hunt them.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

What's the estimated loss of livestock in those western states?

From The Montana Standard newspaper.

BOZEMAN — The state of Montana has made more payments to ranchers for livestock killed by predators in 2019 than any previous year.

The Montana Livestock Loss Board has paid ranchers more than $247,000, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported Thursday.

The claims were made on more than 360 animals killed by mountain lions, grizzly bears or wolves.

 

[Cowcatcher]

No offense man. Talking about big time outfits in Mountain West states. Those that have a million acres and thousands of cattle. Whereas across Oklahoma, the vast majority is the casual rancher like my grandpa was. Hundred head at the top of his game, not enough land to grow larger.

I’m not offended. This lazy ranch-hand is always willing to learn how to be successful when he’s not out dumping feed.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

I’m not offended. This lazy ranch-hand is always willing to learn how to be successful when he’s not out dumping feed.

You and me both. I'll take all the cotton seed I can get from the gin.

 

[ignerntbend]

Just ship in a few hunerd head of them Milk River range cattle. Only half of em will die from fever. The other half? You'll wish they had.

 

[SMS]

From The Montana Standard newspaper.

BOZEMAN — The state of Montana has made more payments to ranchers for livestock killed by predators in 2019 than any previous year.

The Montana Livestock Loss Board has paid ranchers more than $247,000, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported Thursday.

The claims were made on more than 360 animals killed by mountain lions, grizzly bears or wolves.

Yup. 363 confirmed or probable cases. Only 65+/- attributed to wolves, or 18%. Grizz killed the most and lions were right behind grizz.

In recent years that state has determined the number 1 cause of livestock predation is coyotes....but it’s not included in the numbers above because there is no payout for coyote predation.

 

[CHenry]

So these random packs of feral dogs that kill more cattle than anything else... do they make an impact on hogs?

If OK had wolves, we would have much fewer issues with a lot of things. But that doesn't make all those things good to not have issue with.

It's not been good for Yellowstone's Elk:

Some of the stats -

• Kill rates by wolves in winter are 22 ungulates per wolf per year – higher than the 12 ungulates per wolf rate predicted in the ESA.
• Since 2000, wolves have caused 45 percent of known deaths and 75 percent of predation deaths (not including human harvests) of radio-collared female elk on the northern range. By comparison, human harvest and winter-kill accounted for 30 percent and 8 percent respectively of the known deaths.
• The average annual harvest of 1,372 elk during the Gardiner late elk hunts from 1995 to 2004 was higher than the long-term average of 1,014 elk during 1976-1994. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has reduced antlerless permits by 51 percent from 2,882 to 1,400 during 2000-2004 and recently proposed 100 permits for 2006 – a 96 percent decrease from the 2,660 permits issued in 1995.

https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/gray-wolves-impact-elk

That's freaking alarming.

Those numbers are higher than 20 years ago and the reason i the elk population has risen a lot, as has the wolves ...so did the actual percentages go up? Kills per wolf or pack? Who knows?