Alaskan Wolf Hunt (was: Please Don't Do This)

[Guest guest]

Well I think there's merit to both sides of the issue. On the one hand, if

you came across a wounded, sick, or starving animal, and you had the power

to help it, you would. I probably would. Most people on this list would.

On the other hand, there's Lee's point that nature can keep balance

itself, as it has done for millions of years. Is it really our place to

interfere in such a situation? To make animals dependent on us? Would you

save a rabbit from a fox? You'd be saving the rabbit's life, but you'd be

denying the fox its food.

 

I think there are times when it's clear one way or the other (I certainly

don't advocate hunting for sport as an appropriate " interference " with

nature), but I think this is a legitimate ethical dilemma.

 

What do other people think?

 

Clark

 

Today, Lee LeBlanc wrote:

 

> Ah, yes the noble homosapiens once again now what is best

> for the environment. Boy, those castle rock outfitters are

> really, really smart. And I'm stupid (obviously) because I

> know nature can keep balance itself without any human help

> -like its done for millions of years.

>

[cut...]

 

> > Hello from Alaska,

> > Yes, thank goodness for people like you who know more

> > about my immediate

> > surroundings than I do!!

> > We in Alaska harvest wolves in a responsible and

> > reasonable manner in order

> > to keep populations at a steady and healthy level. When

> > prey is abundant

> > the wolves flourish and multiply until they over

> > populate. And then their

> > natural survival instinct kicks in and larger packs kill

> > off smaller packs,

> > young and old wolves are kicked out of their pack to

> > fend for themselves.

> > When inevitably their prey decreases the wolves decrease

> > with them. We as

> > hunters in the state of Alaska know all this and have

> > learned lots from the

> > mistakes of the past and the lower 48 states. We are

> > not the Ranchers of

> > the past! We are managing all our game and the end

> > result being that we all

> > live together in this beautiful state. Don't you think

> > responsible game

> > management would work the same for a wolf as it would

> > for a moose?

> > This year was a very low snow year. Where I live we

> > have 3 inches as

> > opposed to the several feet we usually have. The wolves

> > are not as

> > effective at killing their prey, moose, because moose

> > are not bogged down in

> > the snow and can easily outdistance a wolf on solid

> > ground (it is not

> > calving time and there are fewer vulnerable moose

> > around). The caribou did

> > not make it to this area on their annual migration,

> > perhaps they did not

> > need to travel as far foraging, because lack of snow

> > cover has provided

> > easier food (a guess).

> > This equates to young wolves run off from the pack.

> > There is limited food

> > and only the strong can survive. I saw a wolf several

> > weeks ago near my

> > home. He is starving to death, very skinny and ragged

> > looking. He poses no

> > threat to me I know this, I have lived around wolves all

> > my life. I hear

> > them howling often and plan to until I leave this earth.

> > All animals are

> > very important to me and I believe in managing wildlife,

> > because we have

> > that knowledge and ability.

> > I wonder what you would do if you knew wolves were

> > starving in your back

> > yard. Would you harvest a few and utilize them? Would

> > you try and feed

> > them, therefore making them dependant on humans and

> > unafraid and when they

> > venture in to close to civilization we have to kill them

> > on the grounds that

> > their scary and a nuisance? Or would you just leave

> > them to starve and die

> > and hope that nature takes its course and in the next

> > cycle the wolves come

> > back strong (or not)?

> > We believe in keeping things on an even keel, again,

> > because we have that

> > knowledge. The prey does not have to over graze and eat

> > themselves out of

> > house and home. The predators don't need to follow, and

> > don't forget when

> > predators overpopulate they acquire disease to wipe them

> > out.

> > Hunts are 10 to 15% successful. Most excursions see a

> > lot of sign, kill

> > sights and get to hear these animals howl in the dusk.

> > It is awesome.

> > Transplanting is a great idea, but who wants them and

> > where does the money

> > come from. The park service just killed 3 wolves

> > recently with tranquilizer!

> > Have you not heard the complaints of Yellowstone

> > ranchers, even today?

> > Hunters pay to come and experience 20 below temps. with

> > 80 below wind chill

> > factors on the mountain. We don't ride groomed trials.

> > The riding is

> > uncomfortably rough and beats your body. The wolves

> > also don't wait for you

> > to ride up on them. The last successful hunter stalked

> > on foot, for 7

> > hours, crawling and breaking through the snow (not a

> > walk through the zoo).

> > And witnessed a pack of 16 wolves interact. If you

> > think the hunters don't

> > go away with new knowledge and an awesome respect for

> > this animal, whether

> > successful or not, you are wrong. And if they didn't

> > feel a need to protect

> > wolves before, they feel it strongly after, and that has

> > happened in all my

> > experience.

> > We also know that when animals loose there fear of

> > humans they are

> > eliminated, examples, the coyotes of California (L.A.),

> > Mt. Lions that

> > venture in to close to fido or the family cat.

> > Our Alaskan predators are doing great, populations are

> > high (you can

> > actually confirm this statement with the real numbers).

> > You don't have to

> > kill in defense of life or property when animals know to

> > keep their distance

> > from our homes.

> > The money from hunters is collected by the state and

> > goes back directly

> > toward habitat enhancement (controlled burns, to enhance

> > moose habitat),

> > biological studies, protection, education and in general

> > animal welfare and

> > survival. The money donated to your " protectors of the

> > wolf " goes directly

> > into your independent biologists pocket for his food,

> > shelter, cameras,

> > travel, propaganda and publicity. I think it's obvious

> > who cares more about

> > the wolf!!!!!

> > The only danger our Alaskan wolves are in is from your

> > kind of ignorance and

> > emotional propaganda.

> > I did not learn this from a book, university or a

> > commercial, I have lived

> > in Rural Alaska all my life and hunted all my life and I

> > see first hand how

> > responsible, ethical and regulated hunting benefit our

> > wildlife and assure

> > it's survival.

> > I am reminded, by your misguided actions, of an article

> > I read several years

> > ago. Forgive me for not being able to quote the exact

> > source. Deer

> > overpopulated an island back east somewhere. The

> > suggestion to remedy this

> > problem was to open a limited hunting season and have a

> > certain number of

> > deer harvested in order to restore the natural balance

> > and stop the deer

> > from overgrazing and as a result starving themselves

> > out. An emotional

> > group against all hunting and killing of animals

> > protested this logical

> > solution. Their suggestion was, since all killing of

> > animals is wrong (in

> > their opinion), to bag the deer's head and take them in

> > a boat to another

> > location, therefore saving them and introducing them to

> > a suitable area for

> > them to continue living and reproducing. The end result

> > of this effort was

> > many dead deer!!!! The deer were so traumatized by this

> > action that they

> > were having heart attacks and dying before they could be

> > released from the

> > boat. The majority of the deer died and no one was able

> > to harvest or

> > utilize them. I am sure the group responsible was

> > mortified and did not

> > intend for this to happen, but none the less their

> > ignorance of nature and

> > our place in it was responsible for an atrocity.

> > Fact: 1% of our wolves killed are taken by man, 86%

> > killed by other wolves

> > and a small % in accidents ( avalanche, fall through

> > ice, unknown).

> > Your concern is noble, but very misplaced.

> > I would suggest you not read non-factual propaganda

> > designed to pull

> > heartstrings and pocketbooks. Greenpeace (in Alaska)

> > fund raises for many

> > causes. 80% of the money they raise goes back into

> > publicity for more

> > fundraisers (I was quoted this over the phone). That

> > leaves 20% to pay

> > their bills for their people to camp, boat around with

> > their little 2-cycle

> > (polluting) motorized rafts, eat, etc. Where is the

> > money to help what ever

> > their actual cause is?

> > I am sorry if you cannot see this point. Perhaps it is

> > because you do not

> > live near a pack of wild wolves. We have trapped for 20

> > years. There is

> > nothing more awesome than being out in the middle of

> > nowhere, Alaska miles

> > and miles away from civilization and hearing the wolves

> > howl. Believe me, if

> > your snow machine breaks down it is the most helpless

> > feeling you could ever

> > imagine.

> > If the wolf numbers here ever do get to low levels. We

> > will be the first

> > people to stop everything and protect them and we will

> > know this long before

> > anyone else. We work with Fish and Game actively, there

> > are over 100

> > volunteer committees throughout the state that advise on

> > these issues, and

> > keep track of numbers, habitat, etc. etc.....along with

> > just being out in

> > the country and seeing first hand. We hope by acting

> > responsibly and

> > effectively managing that wolf numbers will stay

> > consistent and we don't

> > have peaks and valleys in population. Yes nature takes

> > its course and that

> > is how it is designed. We humans are here to stay and

> > have been given the

> > brains to control how we treat our environment. The

> > legal and ethical

> > hunting of wolves serves us well. It funds further

> > state research and

> > prevents this animal from overpopulation and natural dye

> > off. Predator to

> > prey ratio is very important to the survival of this

> > animal and he can not

> > infringe on humans or he will not survive, we don't have

> > to make the same

> > mistakes twice. Please help save and protect our wolves

> > and don't put them

> > into a position where they are overpopulated and

> > starving therefore looking

> > closer to human populations for food.

> > We live side by side with our wolves. We keep our packs

> > strong and healthy

> > and there numbers coincide with there prey. Why would

> > you want to protest

> > this and therefore put them in danger of dying for

> > unnecessary and

> > preventable reasons. Why do you think they were shot to

> > near extinction in

> > the lower 48? You see it has already been proven that

> > humans don't live in

> > harmony with animals, unless animals can keep out of our

> > way (tremendous

> > loss of habitat is more a part of the endangered species

> > list). The animal

> > looses everytime when humans are involved. We live with

> > our wildlife in

> > Rural Alaska, we respect all game and utilize it as

> > well.

> > There are many great sources of information available to

> > someone interested

> > in Alaskan wolves. The State Fish and Wildlife is a

> > great source to start

> > and also Denali National Park. There is also a book out

> > called The Wolves

> > of Denali it contains a ton of great factual

> > information. Please try and

> > set aside raw emotional reactions and learn actual facts

> > before you try to

> > effect a change. The future of wolves depends on people

> > like us, who want

> > all animals around forever, being able to work towards

> > that in an effective

> > way. It is not reasonable to expect that if humans

> > " leave the wolves alone "

> > that they will thrive and continue to be around for

> > future generations to

> > enjoy, I would think the mistakes of the past would have

> > more than proven

> > this!!

> > Thank you for reading and considering our point of view,

> > even if you never

> > change your mind, please remember you do not have first

> > hand knowledge of

> > this situation.

> > Sincerely,

> > Castle Rock Outfitters