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Montana Bans Wolf Hunting Near Yellowstone After ‘Famous’ Wolf Killed Legally by Hunters

Dec. 12, 2012 10:23am Liz Klimas

Montant Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission Bans Wolf Hunting in Two Areas Near Yellowstone for Scientific Study

This August 2012 photo shows an image provided by Wolves of the Rockies of the Lamar Canyon wolf pack on a hillside in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. The pack s alpha female was shot Dec. 6, 2012, in Wyoming, among at least five collared wolves from Yellowstone killed by hunters this fall. (Photo: AP)

The legal hunting of wolves near Yellowstone National Park, which has only just been allowed after the animals were taken off the endangered species list two years ago, has been called into question since an alpha female described as “famous” to the park was shot last week. Not only has the Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit, but now Montana has banned the hunting of wolves near the park in response as well.

According to a press release issued by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the ban on hunting and trapping wolves in two areas within the Wolf Management Unit 390 went into effect immediately on Tuesday. The release stated the commission closed these areas of the park due to “public concern over the harvest of wolves that wandered out of Yellowstone National Park.”

The New York Times reported commission chairman Bob Ream saying the scientific study being conducted with some of the wolves — some wolves have been tagged with GPS tracking collars — influenced the decision to ban hunting in the area as well.

“We recognize they put a lot of time and money and effort into collaring wolves, and we want to see that research continue,” Ream said according to the Times.

National Parks Traveler reported Northern Rockies regional director for National Parks Conservation Association, Tim Steven, praising the commission’s decision, but also noting that the NPCA would like a permanent buffer zone banning wolf hunting around the park. This would “protect park wolves that occasionally leave the park’s boundaries, boundaries for which it is impossible for wildlife to understand the safety risks associated with it,” Steven said.

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Comments (112)

Keatonc33
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 2:35pm
why would anyone want to kill a wolf? They’re the most beautiful animal in North America! plus direct descendants of mans best friend!

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- Jenny Lind
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 2:51pm
  This is just a theory mind you, but my “guess” is when they start killing the “easy” prey of cattle and sheep, the ranchers who put money and their lives into raising said prey, get rather ticked off and want to protect their investments. The whole thing is about balance, and since we started the meddleing by almost destroying the wolves completely, we now get the flip side, the folks who put wolves before humans, and human food. So we still have not got balance, and if a wolf was hauling off your toddler, or favorite pet, $ cow or sheep, or showing teeth to you and advancing, you could possibly find a reason to shoot. However, a collared, gps tracked wolf?, not even right.
  
  Report this comment
- Mr. H.
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 2:56pm
  Wolves not only control the population antelope, bison, and other animals within the park, but go outside the park, and kill domestic live stock. When a wolf kills a steer for instance, the rancher just lost $400 to $700 in income. Ranchers are in a risky business to start with, and having live stock killed while at pasture can cost them a lot of their annual income. Ranching is an expensive business. Ranchers need everything they earn just to stay in business.
  
  Report this comment
- flipper1073
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 3:08pm
  Keaton
  Try telling that to the next Wolf or Cougar you see !
  I Don’t suppose you see to many in Central Park.
  
  Now there’s an Idea
  Reintroduce Wolves, Cougars an Bears to Central Park.
  an I don’t mean in Zoo’s.
  
  Report this comment
- Keatonc33
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 3:29pm
  flipper.. i live in kansas. my state is as red as they come. and to the other two posters. those are great points! and I have no problem with shooting a wolf that is on your property and or posing a threat to your life or lively hood. but to go out hunting with the intention of killing a wolf is wrong…. i believe at least.
  
  Report this comment
- rangerskippy
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 3:41pm
  Hunting the wolf actually helps it. It keeps it having a fear of man, and makes him sharper, less apt to mess with humans, and keeps the pack healthy.
  
  On the flip side, we could make life easy on the wolf, give it free food without the need to hunt, it would become fat, lazy, and emulate our welfare population.
  
  Report this comment
- Keatonc33
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 4:12pm
  Ranger. id choose to live in the grey area, pun intended, between hunting and feeding them. leave them alone seems to work best for nature.
  
  Report this comment
- Silvertruth
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 5:11pm
  Well, the reasons for wolf hunting go back as long as men and wolves have existed together.
  
  It’s not a one-way street, wolves do kill people, they are pack animals. Even keepers of semi-domesticated ones get attacked and hurt by them with no provocation. They are wild animals and need to be respected as such.
  
  I’m not a hunter at all, I could only kill an animal if it was me or them (either out of defense or need for food) so part of me understands your question, but I think it’s better asked as ‘should there be the freedom to hunt a wild animal’ (no matter what the animal is). If that answer is yes, then the idea of it being a wolf, as long as the population is healthy, is a matter of personal taste.
  
  Report this comment
- Walkabout
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 5:25pm
  Keeton
  
  Wolves are not direct descendants of man’s best friend, dogs. It is the other way around.
  
  Everyone know that. Now I see your major malfunction.
  
  Report this comment
- pandora665
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 6:20pm
  I’m going to guess your experience with wolves is limited. Wolves are not uncommon in my area. A few years ago my neighborhood was being terrorized by an unusually large pack, people out walking dogs, kids at bus stops,……..were constantly being confronted by the animals. The state hired trackers to thin out the pack, and no problems since. The action taken reestablished a fear and avoidance of humanity. If situation had continued I have no doubts that someone would’ve ended up seriously injured or killed.
  
  Report this comment
- fukjihad
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 7:48pm
  because they kill a tremendous amount of Elk
  
  Report this comment
- bulletsinthegun
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 9:36pm
  you will never understand as your question shows you are an IDIOT
  
  Report this comment
- Keatonc33
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 12:41am
  WALKABOUT. Wolfs are definitely the descendants of dogs. I thought that was a well known fact. you can’t have a domestic animal without first having a wild animal. Humans domesticated wolves during the ice age. since then through breeding we have the wide variety of domestic dogs today. were you joking?
  FUKJIHAD- ya thats how they eat,
  and Bullet. how does this make me an idiot?
  
  Report this comment
- Jacob Dillon
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 6:10am
  Keatonc33 you should really look to the comments below. I live here in Montana and those wolves which people seem to think are basically “mans best friend” and are cute are known to go out and kill for the fun of it and then keep going. They have all but destroyed the elk populations in the areas of the state that they are thickest and, as many of the people below have pointed out, are making a go at people’s stock. If you want my honest opinion I think these predators should never have been re-introduced to our state and in the long run Montana will come to regret doing so. So what if a “famous” wolf was killed near Yellowstone, THATS PART OF MANAGEMENT! If they were so concerned about the collars they never would have opened the area to begin with. All this is is the states reaction to bleeding heart wolf lovers latest effort to get the animal back on the endangered species list even though it is far from “endangered” in fact it has done a great job at “endangering” every other animal in the area.
  
  Report this comment
- G-WHIZ
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 9:43am
  You will feel so worm and fuzzy after they kill your young children and pets for food. Just think one full size wolf can takeout a full size buck or doe…just sayin–y’a-know?!
  
  Report this comment
- banjarmon
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 12:06pm
  Don’t mess a round with MOTHER NATURE…She WILL WIN!!!
  
  Report this comment
OBUMAURMAMA
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 1:48pm
Just ban people. Problem solved and environmentalists celebrate with animal rights fruitcakes. Agenda 21 with inner city housing projects for all. No more suburbs or highway travel out of towns without proper papers.

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- Keatonc33
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 2:37pm
  whos the bigger “fruitcake” someone who fights against well armed people to try and keep animals from becoming trophies. Or someone who shoots defenseless animals from 50 feet away.
  
  Report this comment
- White Devil
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 3:37pm
  “Wolf Harvesting”. Reminds me of the Invader Zim Episode “Dark Harvest”.
  
  Report this comment
- Walkabout
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 5:47pm
  Wolves are not defenseless. They will kill your dogs & livestock. As such, yes I would shoot therm from 50 feet away.
  
  You go into that country without a firearm & we will see how long you last. the previous, I can walk into any forest without care was due to the hunting & trapping that proceeded it. Somewhere not too far in the future a 7 year old is going to go into the woods & a mountain is going to get them & it will be east of the Missouri if not the Mississippi. And wolves are no different.
  
  Report this comment
- Keatonc33
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 7:35pm
  Walk about. yes shoot a wolf if you are in danger. but don’t just kill them for fun. thats is my point
  
  Report this comment
Rockholm
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 1:33pm
I am very disappointing in the reporting of this story. The entire article was nothing more than regurgitation of other articles written.
We need to have a spotlight on this issue, and “The Blaze” can do this, but only if you understand the scope of how really big this story is. My very good friend, Robert T. Fanning, has been on the front lines fighting this wolf fraud for thirteen years. He is the founder of the Friends of The Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd. He is the only person in the United States who has the standing to go before the Supreme Court on this issue. “The Blaze” never sought him out, nor did the reporter seek the truth. Both Mr. Fanning and myself have been working to expose this wolf issue for what it is. This is more of the Agenda21 wildlands agenda. You will find no other people educated on this than us, and you can do a little research to find this information. Wolves are being used as a bioweapon on the people of the Western United States, and we can prove it. This latest Commission ruling is a smoke screen for the larger plan to expand more Government taking of land. The goal is a 100 mile buffer zone, which will destroy lives, economies, and every living thing within that area.

The next time you want the facts, and not the same one sided reporting, look us up. We would be more than happy to help you find the truth. Look me up on Facebook @ Save Western Wildlife. We expose the fraud in this wolf issue.

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- fxgal
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 2:03pm
  Rockholm, Right on…..this is Agenda 21. I thought this might be a little much for this forum…The area I live in is slated to be an area for only large carnivores. I am sorry I am not aware or your organization, I should have. I mostly follow the local (nongovernment) wolf expert that would be right up your alley. Her name is Cat Urbigkit, maybe you have heard of her. She is an author and reporter and a rancher. I will take my own advise and look you guy up. You are exactly right. This “issue” is contains the same fraud that the Black Footed Ferret does or the Lynx issue does. “They” us furry
  critters to confuse the issue. They have just built several of these multi million dollar antelope tunnel crossing in our area….more agenda 21. Thanks for the post
  
  Report this comment
- VRW Conspirator
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 2:18pm
  Just a point…you say that your are trying to “save western wildlife” by allowing the destruction of the wolf – the NATIVE predator in that part of the USA and Canada?
  Are you also planning to fight against the cattle and sheep ranchers in the western USA? After all, ranchers fenced off the land and killed off all the American Bison herds that used to roam the Great Plains region in the 10′s of millions…today there are no wild herds outside of national park land and those herds barely total 10′s of thousands…
  The ranchers also killed off the elk, deer, bear, and wolf populations for their herds to roam on the land and not have to compete for food and water resources.
  The problem is that the natural balance has been destroyed over the last 140 years and when the Grizzly and wolf populations were reintroduced from Canadian populations, the “hunters” started to see the over population of the elk, moose, deer, and so on returning to quasi-normal levels. The numbers are not “dropping”, they are returning to where they should have ALWAYS been.
  
  Now if you want to hunt for food or sport, fine, I will join you, but I do not believe in the systematic extermination of an animal simply to give me the right to kill an elk whenever I wish. Conservatism at its root means to conserve, that includes the natural balance between man, land, and animal. You are on THEIR land.
  
  Report this comment
- skaulr
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 2:58pm
  VRW Conspirator – You seem to have a number of misconceptions. One of them is the fact that wolf packs expand. As the pack gets large enough the younger males will splinter off and create new packs. Obviously, they have to be in a different area in order to have their own range. Since their introduction (I will not say ‘re-introduction’ because they are not the indiginous specie) the decendents of the originals placed in Yellowstone have expanded to hundreds of miles outside that area working their way down creek/river drainages. This creates an even greater problem because farms, ranches, towns and homes populated with people, pets and livestock are virtually all located along these same areas.
  When they introduced these wolves they were warned what would happen by those who live in this area (as do I)…still they placed them and did so without any real plan in place to keep their numbers in check.
  To all who love wildlife, as I do, please, please take the time to really get to know all sides of a subject before you make up your mind. A wolf pack has to kill a large animal such as an Elk about every other day to survive, with now hundreds of packs, that means hundreds of other animals die every day to feed them…and belive me, it isn’t a pretty death. Have you ever seen an animal being eaten while it is still alive? Nature is wonderful and beautiful…but as Grandpa used to say, “the prettier it is, the deadlier it is.” -God Bless.
  
  Report this comment
- Hawk69
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 5:31pm
  SKAULR – Very well put. Liberals are idiots and they are conducting this circus for another 4 years. Also if wolf populations were left unchecked that would be the end of deer hunting. And man is and always has been the apex predator. Its perfectly natural for man to hunt and kill wolfs and coyotes. Bambi was cute but that don’t mean would shouldn’t kill deer. Man should try to safeguard species from extinction (I mean at least not be the cause of it) And this is why we have wildlife management and hunting seasons. But these ******** put animals above man which makes zero sense. These PETA types are nuts.
  
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- BannedByHuffpo
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 6:26pm
  In 1994, one year before wolf reintroduction, the elk population in Montana was 90,000.
  In 2010, 15 years after wolf reintroduction, the elk population in Montana was 150,000
  
  In 1994, one year before wolf reintroduction, the elk population in Wyoming was 100,000.
  In 2010, 15 years after wolf reintroduction, the elk population in Montana was 120,000
  
  These are elk population statistics provided by the Montana and Wyoming game departments.
  
  Report this comment
- mtcountrygrl
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 9:58pm
  @ Bann
  And they also said there were no wolves here. People that live here know the real numbers. But let the government site tell you the “truth”. They also say on a government site that there is no inflation, but have you been to the grocery store lately. Ask an elk hunter or deer hunter, how the populations are! I can tell you our family has gotten 6 deer and 1 elk every year, the last three a total of 3 deer and no elk. There isn’t even sign around anymore.
  
  Report this comment
SquidVetOhio
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:35pm
Did the Blaze remove my comment about hoping wolves eat a tree-hugging liberal? Good lord, it’s called a joke. I guess if I were an atheist saying that the world would be a better place if only all the Christians and Jews were extinct, I’d manage to keep my post on here. What fascist did Beck hire to monitor comment section?

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- flipper1073
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 1:31pm
  SQUID
  You should know by now that You have to be somewhat PC
  or the Blaze will not let you comment.
  Happens to me all the time.
  Merry Christmas !
  to You an Yours.
  
  Report this comment
fxgal
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:20pm
Hey, I live in Big Piney Wyoming. Wolves are beautiful creatures….but they are also lethol. There are 3 winter feeding grounds in my area. Wolves do and have decimate winter herds. You can search for several articles in the Sublette Examiner or the Pinedale Roundup. The wolf pack went to the winter feeding grounds and killed approx 60 elk and on moose. It is true they were killing for fun….practice. They were teaching the younger ones and none of the meat was eaten. Now if you are a rancher, and that was your heard of pregnant cows….that is easily a $60,000.00 loss. Who can absorb that. I am not a rancher, I am not a hunter…I am not against either. There are a lot of myths out there about wolves….do your research, don’t just except someone elses premise….there is always more to the story than is reported in the news. All the nature programs always focus on the beauty of the wolf, but they never show the destruction that a pack of wolves can do in just a couple of hours. I do not see the need for trophy hunting, but if it is legal…so be it. But people do need to hunt these creatures to keep the packs under control. I am less that 110 miles from the park….I’ve seen wolves less than 5 miles from my home in town……this is not an issue that can be understood from a spectators point of view! FXGAL

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- The_Jerk
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:32pm
  Hunt the wolves.
  
  Report this comment
- Wiseone1w
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:37pm
  I live about 450 miles from Yellowstone and have seen photographs of wolves that have left yellowstone on friends property nearby. The Department of Fish and Game denies that they exist, even in the presence of photographic evidence. Meanwhile, pets go missing, shredded, uneaten deer carcasses turn up, and families are afraid to go outside without a firearm. The easterner animal rights loons need to go back to Chicago and protect the puppies and kitties and stay out of our business.
  
  Report this comment
- VRW Conspirator
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 1:01pm
  FX and all..
  how do you know if the wolves you saw were from Yellowstone or not? do you have the transmitter frequency of the tagged Yellowstone wolves or any of the other dozen or so packs that roam the Canadian/Montana/Wyoming/Idaho area?
  just because you saw wolves near your house or community doesn’t mean they were from the Yellowstone packs, which are monitored for size and if needed captured and relocated to other areas, mainly in Canada.
  I do not think that the “buffer zone” would extend to the 100 or even 400 mile limit…wolves do not roam that far from their dens unless they are starving and looking for food but in Yellowstone there is plenty of wildlife for them to hunt that they really don’t need to wander off the reservation so to speak…
  if you have seen wolves at 110 or 450 miles outside the park, you are not looking at a Yellowstone pack, even if they have transmitters. Nearly all wolf packs in the USA have some member of the pack tagged because they were already hunted to near extinction in the USA and had to be repopulated with captured wolves from Canada to provide a natural ecosystem to control wildlife populations in and around Yellowstone.
  and NO I am not a liberal treehugger..I just have much respect and admiration for wolves and just like the Bison, we are in their lands…conservative means being responsible, so ranchers that graze on FED land free should shut it…
  
  Report this comment
- garylee123
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 1:30pm
  @ VRW Maybe you should follow OR7. He has traveled from northeastern Oregon to Plumas county in California. He’s traveled 2500 miles since starting and goes up to 40 miles a day.
  http://www.plumasnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9784:the-gray-wolf-or7-still-in-plumas-county&catid=69:-headline-news&Itemid=6
  
  Report this comment
- allen0617
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 1:31pm
  Wolf hunting will be on again when they run out of deer, elk, antelop, and moose, then start going after people.
  
  Report this comment
- VRW Conspirator
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 2:35pm
  @Garylee
  Thanks for the article. I was born and raised in CA…now in TX…been to nearly all of the major national and state parts in the western USA…have always loved the outdoors and nature.
  While it is interesting to note that this one wolf was seen to range over 2500 miles, even the article mentioned that he has settled down recently into a much smaller roaming area. Granted I acknowledge that even a roaming area of 100-200 miles from a den can put the animals in range of human contact and interaction.
  But the article also states that you have to go back nearly 40 years to find wolf attacks on humans, the most recent was 2010 in Alaska and the man was probably out alone and seen as an aggressor by the pack or prey, since he was running. I also recognize that having our pets killed by wolf is sad and tragic.
  I lived in CA and had coyote and bobcats and even a mountain lion seen roaming the hills surrounding my community, along with rattlesnakes and tarantula. Some people had their smaller dogs and cats and rabbits taken. I would go run and often came across a coyote or two on my jogs. They kinda stare and then turn and run when you come near.
  
  The article seems to back up my opinions..there can be a balance between human settlements and travel and animals of ALL types, including the Natural predators of the region. Extermination is NEVER the answer, we tried that and other problems arose.
  
  Report this comment
- chaparra72
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 1:50am
  Hey Fx, are you seriously in Big Piney? So am I! Wow, small world, huh? *waves*
  
  The whole wolf issue stirs up a lot of emotions for those of us who actually live in the states where the wolves have been imported. The emotion is not usually Joy. As a local well known bumper sticker so aptly verbalizes it- “Wolves, government sponsored terrorists”.
  
  I do not disagree that wolves did indeed at one time inhabit large portions of this great country of our. But what most of these “Friends of Animals’ types seem to overlook is that somewhere between the past and the present, we have gained a slightly larger populous. For the most part, our great nation is no longer vastly uninhabited. Wolves no longer fit in. That may be a tough pill to swallow, but it is the truth. While it may be nostalgic to think of times past, they are just that,past. Things will never be the way they were then.
  
  Report this comment
BannedByHuffpo
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:59am
Wolves preying on livestock is one thing. But so called “trophy” hunts aren’t for protecting livestock, or for filling the freezer with meat. It’s simply killing because you can.

Why there was so much public outcry regarding the wolf hunt near Yellowstone this year is because packs were being baited to leave the park’s boundaries, and the vast majority of wolves (8 out of 10)shot were collared wolves subject to study by park biologists. This targeting of collared wolves was pure and simple an attempt by some angry “hinters” with a chip on their shoulder and pissed that wolves were re-introduced, to sabotage the research. These “hiunters” TARGETED the research wolves specifically, not to protect livestock, not for food, but for bragging rights that THEY killed the park’s most recognizable wolf because they could, and by god that skin hanging on the wall is proof.

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- Wiseone1w
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:15pm
  You have never seen how these admittedly beautiful animals kill. Looks can be deceiving, they are not sweet little puppy dogs. They are among the most vicious predators on the planet and they will kill anything. Like people, wolves are one of the few species that kill for fun instead of just for food. Beautiful, yes, treacherously destructive, yes. Do they belong in the vicinity of people, pets and livestock, NO. All you eastern city weiner types think you know best how to manage rural lands, but you don’t live there and you aren’t the ones who have to deal with the problems you create. Settlers hunted these beautiful monsters out of this area for a very good reason, they simply cannot safely mix with humanity. Only an ignorant moron would want them back.
  
  Report this comment
- jginmt
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:19pm
  I live just 30 miles outside the park. For the past 3 years the number of wild animals you see has been drastically reduce. Meadows that used to be full of elk are now bare. I would kill any wolf I could. Wolf kill for sport and have decimated wildlife in this area. It is total b__s___ they only kill the week.
  
  Report this comment
- BannedByHuffpo
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:32pm
  “Eastern city weenie type”??
  
  My cabin is just a few miles off the Chief Joseph highway northwest of Cody WY.
  
  I’ve been watching the Yellowstone packs for the past 15 years, summer, winter and fall. Wolves DO NOT ATTACK PEOPLE unless they’re infected with rabies, and then extremely rarely. Healthy wolves AVOID human contact. Lots of misinformation in your post.
  
  What happened just outside Yellowstone was the purposeful targeted killing of as many collared research wolves as possible out of pure spite and anger at a native species being restored to the habitat it has occupied for tens of thousands of years.
  
  Report this comment
- charles116
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 1:20pm
  These wolves, some collared are part of ongoing studies.
  Some of you apparently don’t read the articles.
  It’s nice to see the government acting QUICKLY, when it
  decides a mistake has been made.
  
  Report this comment
- mtcountrygrl
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 1:27pm
  @Bann
  You don’t know what you are talking about. Wolves absolutely attack people. An elk hunter was attacked by a wolf just this last season and luckly she was able to shoot and kill the wolf (and had a tag so it was legal). There are wolf tracks EVERYWHERE in my neighborhood. They kill peoples pets. In Hamilton just last week one was attacking a guys dog on his front porch. Wolves have no natural preditors except man and since all the stupid tree huggers make it illegal for man to shoot them, their numbers are out of control. Elk herds have been decimated. This was the worst hunting season I have seen. And many of us DO FILL OUR FREEZERS with elk. So shooting a wolf does help fill our freezers. IF you live in WY you must be a recent transplant, because us natives know all about the wolf injustice. I suggest you watch an independent fill named “Cry Wolf” made by a Montana Biologist about the impact on our enviroment by the invasive wolves. The biologists warned FWP that the larger Canadian wolves were super preditors and would destroy the wildlife balance if introduced, but they ignored the warnings and brought them here anyway. That would be like me saying oh Mountain Lion numbers are down in this area, so let me introduce Africa Lions and then protect them from hunting or shooting. Only idiot environmentalist thought this was a good idea.
  
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- VRW Conspirator
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 2:05pm
  Hey…you all don’t like the wolves killing your little rat dog or cat you let roam outside…then MOVE!!
  
  You are on wolf ground…same with the Grizzly and Bison….ranchers started killing the Grizzly, bison and wolf in the late 1800′s for SPORT…because they could….then taking the land and using it for cattle which is STUPID because the grasslands are not the right feed type of most cattle used for beef…
  
  Wolves would only attack a human if that human was IN their roaming area and did something dumb like come near the den or incite the wolves by killing their food source, sort of like a shark in a blood fury….How many hikers do you hear about being attacked by wolf or bear? 2, 3, maybe…
  
  My sister – Marine Biologist – has been in the water with Great White and other sharks…with the exception of Tigers and Bull…they LEAVE you alone if you leave them alone…keep your distance…and don’t start a feeding frenzy but killing their prey in front of them…
  
  Wolf are the natural predator for the food chain of that area. WE messed with that, drove out or killed off the wolf and bear. There can be a balance, there are many packs that roam the MO/WY/ID area that are not Yellowstone packs, they come down from Canada. Control the pack, protect yourself – fine… kill for sport and bait them out of the park…go to jail..the root of Conservative is to Conserve… you after all are on their lands…
  
  Report this comment
- skaulr
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 3:06pm
  MT Country Girl……
  AMEN!!!!!
  
  Report this comment
- Keatonc33
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 4:10pm
  MTCOUNTRYGIRL… their numbers are out of control? They were removed from the endangered species list less than 2 years ago..
  
  Report this comment
- mtcountrygrl
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 9:50pm
  @ VRW
  Actually I live in town, Hamilton is a town. And why should I move, I lived here before they decided to bring the Canadian wolves here. I’ll tell you what, how about I round some up and drop them off in your neighborhood then tell you it is a felony to shoot them. See how long you like it. These are not native wolves. They were brought here. They are a larger, faster breed (that weigh up to 150-180 pounds). The pets they are killing are large ranching dogs (the one in Hamilton was a bull dog mix). And for the other guy, YES THEIR NUMBERS OUR OUT OF CONTROL. They were just de-listed, but we have been fighting for years to get them de-listed. And for all the other people who don’t live around here talking like they know anything about how wolves don’t decimate deer and elk populations, PLEASE! There are areas around here where meadows would be filled with elk every evening (behind my house we watched them come down the hill every night), haven’t seen one in two years now. There is a balance to nature, they threw off our balance here by introducing a super preditor.
  
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CALLMEMSGT
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:49am
If I had a wolf, it would look like “famous”

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BasketFullOfPuppies
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:40am
I wonder if they have considered that this particular wolf might have “wandered out of Yellowstone Park” because of overpopulation?

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- one.dakine.howlie
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:06pm
  My family lives in the West entrance of Yellowstone National Park in a town called West Yellowstone. America needs to know the truth about what’s going on in this amazingly beautiful area of our country. The government and environmentalist are lying to everyone about the wolves and the motives behind every law they pass that involves the park.
  
  One issue here is that if a buffalo wanders even a foot out of the park boundaries you can shoot it on site. Not only that but the government has made deals with a certain ranch owner who is also a Washington bureaucrat. This man owns land all over Montana including right outside the park. If a buffalo wanders outside the park guess who has sole rights to that buffalo? Yep, this gentleman. He has his own buffalo slaughtering corral where he takes the stray buffalo and kills them for meat, hide, etc. This whole environmental movement is a scam and a game. It’s used for control and to provide a sovereign nation for hippies to do whatever they want. And it’s expanding everyday.
  
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- BannedByHuffpo
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:07pm
  It was baited. This was the pack alpha female. One of the same pack’s beta males 754M was killed about a week earlier in the same area. 832F was very likely searching in that location for the whereabouts of 754.
  
  “Hunters” use a variety of methods to lure wolves into their gun sights, from killing a deer or elk and leaving the carcass, to “rabbit distress calls” similar to a duck call.
  
  Anyone watching the packs in Yellowstone over the last two decades knows that the litters are smaller and pup mortality is higher when food sources are scarce. Then there’s the issue of an Idaho rancher several years ago that introduced mange into the northeast corner of the park. Most wolves in two of the most prominent Lamar Valley packs froze to death that winter after losing their fur to mange. Pretty ethical, huh?
  
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Tom70
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:33am
Hmmm could be the other, other white meat…. I guess this has to be some sort of problem? If they stray they pay. Ranchers are or aren’t reimbursed for wolf kills by the “wolf hugger preservation society”, PETA or the Forestry?
I think that is a fair Question to ask?

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- Uechi
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:39am
  Ranchers should abolutely be allowed to kill a wolf on their property if they have lost live stock and should receive some compensation.
  
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- KevINtampa
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:27pm
  @UECHI
  
  “Ranchers should abolutely be allowed to kill a wolf on their property if they have lost live stock and should receive some compensation.”
  
  No qualifier clause needed. “Ranchers should abolutely be allowed to kill a wolf on their property” was good enough.
  
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- Keatonc33
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 3:33pm
  I’m sure they are. the government pays farmers and ranchers around 20 billion a year
  
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ArmedAndReallyPissed
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:33am
What a stupid Ban. How can we kill everything that moves now ?

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searcher619
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:21am
Last I hard Wolves are no longer endangered so where’s the issue?

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RodT82721
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:18am
The wolf is a large predator.
They didn’t almost disappear from some act of nature. They were hunted to near extinction because they are a large predator that attacks humans and destroys the personal property of ranchers.
The wolf is about as useful as a rattlesnake.

The feelings people, most of which will never lay eyes on a live wolf, or have any idea what a wolf does in the wild.
They listen to the Discovery channel and love the pretty wolf. Just a big ole friendly dog, right?

A couple if nights in the wilderness with a wolf pack tracking them might change their opinion, but that is doubtful (even if they survive).

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- Uechi
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:37am
  Watched the movie “The Grey”and believed the bull crap. Put down the joint dumbo.
  
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- Keatonc33
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 4:11pm
  ya dumbo… watch the fictional movie! ; )
  
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ares338
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:13am
He’ll…Just paint the damned things day glow orange so the hunters can see the special ones. Wait…Then all the prey animals would be…….oh well…you get it.

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Goldlady
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:12am
@oldsurfrat That is just the attitude the Agenda 21′ers are looking for. Nudge, nudge, move along sheeple. Indoctrinate the youth to accept no private property, shared wealth, the environment before humans. We’ll be arriving at full implementation of Agenda 21 soon, shhhhhh.

80% of our great nation will be accessible only to wildlife and ‘nature’. No nasty, animal murderers, hiking tramplers, bird watchers, farmers… You know: no more living off the land God gave us. And no more food production.

Our involuntary diet will commence very soon..

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flipper1073
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:08am
Why is it that these PETA types never get it ?
If you ban hunting of Wolves you end up
Up to your ass in wolves.
They have NO natural predators an breed in large numbers.
They decimate deer an elk herds an then start on livestock.
They also Kill for Fun.
(unlike what PETA would like you to believe)

I Don’t hate Wolves, I hate Stupid People with no idea of the
Consequences of their Actions.

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- Uechi
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:35am
  Nobody with half a brain is suggesting that wolves be keep entirely protected from hunting. You however don’t have a clue what you are talking about. Wolves do not decimeate deer and Elk herds. That is absolute bull crap. There are more deer and Elk in North America then there were in the late 1800′s and not because of the wholesale slaughter of wolves, but because of land management namely the establishment of National Parks and Preserves and bag limits. Take a look at some of the old photos of deer or Elk hunts and you will see dozens of animals killed in one hunt by a few people. In many cases for hides and meat. If you knew what you were talking about you would know for example that Elk are very often given hay during harsh winters to prevent mass starvations in these parks.
  
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- flipper1073
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:17pm
  My first question to you would be Where do You Live ?
  My Quess is a North East Big City.
  I Live where the Elk an Deer an Wolves live.
  An You are somewhat right the Elk an Deer Herds were
  Growing. Thanks to proper Management an Hunting
  But since the Reintroduction of Wolves Their Numbers
  have fallen Dramatically.
  Wolf Pack’s don’t generally attack Full grown Deer an Elk
  but they Do Find (Smell) the Newborns while the mother is
  still weak from giving birth.
  NO Calves or Fawns No Herd !
  I’ve seen it happen so Don’t lecture me on What You’ve
  Seen on the Discovery Channel !
  
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- Wiseone1w
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:30pm
  Amen brother. UECHI has obviously never been outside the city limits and is desperately addicted to kool-aid. I would love to see him for camping with wolves trip. He could do the whole Never Cry Wolf thing. If he makes it out alive, I bet he would sing a different song. These city people think that wolves are just cute little wild dogs. They don’t realize that fully grown wolves outweigh most men, run like a silent wind, use their fierce teeth and claws to shred living things for sport, and leave wildlife populations in shambles.
  
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- toto
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:45pm
  UECHI, rented a home a couple of summers ago from a family that made their living as guides Elk hunting outside West Glacier, they told us they were losing their business because the Elk herds had been decimated by the wolves. Why would they make something like that up, we were not there to hunt, it just came out in the course of the conversation, needless to say they were none to happy with the government and the environmentalist who they claimed had not idea the mess they were making of things. Have often thought it ironic that the liberal, left, government, environmental types, all believe totally in evolution and Darwinism, but fight tooth and nail to save things that are evolutionarily on their way out, or declining because of Darwinian principles, by wanting to exclude man from the equation.
  
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- flipper1073
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 1:08pm
  UECHI
  as to your statement about feeding Elk hay.
  My brother in law Feeds the Elk that come on his Ranch.
  (in far fewer numbers than 10 yrs. ago)
  It’s cheaper an easier than having them eat the bottom bales.
  an the stack falls.or putting high fences around them.
  Also He has lost Numerous head of cattle to wolves.
  Mostly newborns and Hamstrung Heifers.
  They tear the hamstring an leave them to Die.
  They Don’t eat them for the most part.
  Try living in My world before you Comment.
  
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RaydocX
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:57am
Wolves are pack hunters. They predate. And their numbers have rebounded.
So long as the limits are respected, it should not matter collared or uncollared wolves be harvested.
In fact, they can use that in their data collection (they could also recruit hunters to help in collaring new wolves, but that would be anathema to their true motives)

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- mercenary4freedom
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:20am
  Maybe the wolves should hire a lawyer, Ass Sunstien thinks so!
  
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- naughtycal
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:27am
  I understand the necessity of wolve hunting I just don’t understand the desire to hunt wolves….they don’t eat them do they? and where I grew up killing just for sport or pleasure is considered a sin.
  
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Dano.50
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:53am
Read “Wolves In Russia” by an American named Will Graves.

Farley Mowat is so hated in rural Russia, for his “Oh the wolves are such loving cleaner uppers of the forest” that if he EVER showed up there, they’d chain him up in the forest for bait cause wolves attack humans about as regularly as we fill up with gas.

These greenie city jerks just can’t get it through their thick skulls that wolves make pit bulls look like poodles and thanks to wolf (and cougar) re-population schemes I know ranchers who won’t go from the house to the barn anymore without packing.

They’ve even gone back to locking the horses back up in the barns and corrals at night.

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- americanexile
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:01am
  There’s only been one recorded attack on a human by wolves in North America.
  
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- Clownzilla
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:19am
  @AmericanExile
  
  LOL:)
  
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RANGER1965
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:51am
It truly baffles me why this is an issue. Wildlife officials have a very accurate count of the wolves in the Yellowstone area.

They know how many wolves can be killed to keep things in balance so that you don’t have an over population of wolves killing all the elk and mule deer in the region.

Just issue that many tags, no more, no less. The program pays for itself, doesn’t drain the budget, and makes hunters and ranchers in the area happy. If a radio collared wolf gets killed legally, well that’s just too bad. Give a little reward for the return of the collars and most hunters would gladly do it.
Instead the Humane Society will create a costly nightmare, and the wolves no longer being hunted will explode in population.

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Silvertruth
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:48am
“protect park wolves that occasionally leave the park’s boundaries, boundaries for which it is impossible for wildlife to understand the safety risks associated with it,”

Really? THIS had to be said?

Following this logic, you should ban hunting of all ‘tagged’ wildlife across the country, but since you don’t know a tagged animal until you actually shoot it, ban all hunting… duh.

I know you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work for the NPCA but really, stopping hunting in private areas just because animals don’t have the ability to know ‘they are in danger from human’s hunting them out of this zone’ is still projecting human emotion and values on them.

As far as the wolves know they are in danger of death at all times (like any animal knows) and react accordingly. By not hunting them in the park, they get the wrong idea about how harmless humans are and don’t stay away from them in the park, and outside the park, they still won’t stay away from them.

NPCA staff is creating it’s own problem.

A GPS tagged animal killed outside of park boundaries still provides valuable data. Hunters should be nice enough to send the collar back in. Nicer if they included a note “Sorry, didn’t see the fancy collar at 200 yards. Good thing I missed it. Sorry you have to track another wolf now.”

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- BannedByHuffpo
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:44pm
  Radio and especially GPS collars BIG and are clearly visible through a 6X rifle scope at a distance of 200 yards.
  
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- BannedByHuffpo
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 4:12pm
  If you can’t see a GPS collar at 200 yards through a scope, you probably can’t tell the difference between a wolf and your neighbor’s Husky. Better see an optotmetrist.
  
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- Silvertruth
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 5:07pm
  It was a ‘joke’ sir. Nobody has said ‘why’ the wolf was killed or by whom. If it was just a hunter, the wolf was a legitimate target, it’s legal. If it was a rancher, the wolf was a threat.
  
  I wouldn’t choose shoot at one with a GPS collar on it if I could see it, but without actually seeing one of the collars, I’d have no idea how visible they are. The ones I’ve seen are black with a small black tube on the bottom of them… not so easy to see in heavy winter fur, even with a scope.
  
  I’d be able to see a claim that a bright yellow one would be detrimental to the wolf and cruel as it would kill their camoflage to some animals.
  
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TEIN
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:46am
More and more steps towards turning the USA into villages and territories….This country is moving back to the good ole’ days of Europe where nobody can hunt in the Kings forest except the King….

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- OldSurfRat
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:57am
  Didnt know that wolf was such good eating.
  Your comment is a little off in my opinion but thats just my opinion.
  
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- flipper1073
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 11:13am
  OLDSURFRAT
  Most people who hunt wolves are Trophy Hunters.
  Head an Hide to hang on the wall.
  Same with Cougar an most Bear
  but I have eaten Bear Jerkey (not bad)
  Never been a Trophy hunter Myself
  But I did get a 6 by 7 Bull Elk a few years back.
  Nasty Meat ! spikes an raghorns if you want the best meat.
  I don’t shoot the Girls Never Have.
  
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jrgray6
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:42am
I just watched a special about how the wolf population has rebounded to such an extent that all prey animals are declining in population (deer, elk, rabbits, squirrels, etc.) The only way to keep it balanced now is to outlaw hunting on those species as well.

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- Popp40
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:50am
  @JRGray6…..as messed up as that sounds…..you may be right on point with that.
  
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OldSurfRat
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:41am
I dont agree with the earlier story that the hunters could be in trouble if the law was that they could hunt.
However I have to agree with the ban. Even if you hunt you can see the beauty of a unique creature and should not shoot just because you can.
Call me a lib but I do beleive in some restraint

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- Fubared
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:53am
  Wall in Detroit and try that with the predators that don’t wander out.
  
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- RavenGlenn
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:53am
  I’ve never hunted once in my life despite growing up in the woods of Kentucky. But even I know that this isn’t about just shooting something for the heck of it.
  
  It was made legal to hunt the wolves because they have no real natural predator in that area. They are growing swiftly in population and are taking out all the other wildlife in the process. Not only is this bad news for the deer, squirrels, rabbits, etc…but what happens when the wolf population is too big for the amount of prey? They begin to starve. Not only are they suffering at that point, but they begin to turn desperate and attack humans.
  
  Hunting is a means of controlling population as well as feeding/clothing people. It’s no different than the food and clothing you buy at the store, except those hunters are going out to get it themselves. But most importantly is controlling an ecosystem like the one in a protected forest area.
  
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- OldSurfRat
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:10am
  Ravin
  
  Sorry dont buy it.
  If you hunt you have to have some discretion. I dont hunt anymore becuse I grew to dislike it. I dont agree with sport hunting at all or sport fishing either. If you cant eat it dont kill it is my feeling.
  
  If I had that wolf in my sight I would pass because I would know that the only reason that I would pull the trigger would be ego. Its not like the wolf was caught in a trap. The hunter mad a concuss decision.
  
  However I agree with hunting if it puts food in the freezer and I still enjoy bambi burgers and a good fish sandwich.
  
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Popp40
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:41am
Really….who didn’t see this one coming?!?

Watch in about 5 years when the wolf population has exploded and decimates all of the other animals in Yellowstone, these same people will be asking the question “How did this happen, why are all the other animals gone?”

You have to love these animal rights people who claim to be for the animals….however, every policy aka law they pass does nothing but hurt them. Sorry but I think the hunters care more about conserving animals than these animal rights groups.

I have a question: We have all these animal right groups that are constantly saying how horrible it is to hunt and shoot animals, however, there are no groups representing the fruits and vegetables…I mean when you think about it at least the animals have a chance to run away, however, the fruits and vegetables have no ability to run. They are just ripped or pulled up from the ground or off the tree….what about their rights and their “feelings”……I mean they need protection as well!!!

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WarMunger_Al
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:37am
It isn’t the “public” that is concerned. It is liberal, animal rights terrorists who don’t have a clue on true conservation or naturalism. The funny thing is, they usually believe in evolution, but they always stand in its way.

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- searcher619
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:22am
  no one can stand in the way of a natural process. Evolution takes place regardless of what anyone does.
  
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TX_45_ACP
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:33am
I hope no one kills Bambi. We will never be able to hunt deer again.

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- salvawhoray
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:38am
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpBkc2jK-6w
  
  babi was alread killed by Godzilla.
  Watch vid for proof.
  
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- TX_45_ACP
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:59am
  Bummer… well I hope no one kills Godzilla.
  
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