Damn Wolf's

[elkster123]

In the near future the only big game we will be hunting is the wolf exspecially in the state of Ideeho. The elk are getting more elusive each year. Elk are just more intuned to there surroundings now that the wolf population is expanding and growing. It use to be that elk were realtively easy to locate but now it's getting difficult. I understand that the elk have to adapting in order to survive. But the wolf needs to be keep in check. We hunted in Unit 36 this year did not see a thing in a week of hunting which is not normal.

 

[runamuk]

no kidding, i have hunted 36 for the last 17 years and it is getting REALLY bad..
i hunted 41 days in there this year, between archery the spike hunt and helping friends during the rifle hunt..
it was like every elk in the area was gone very few tracks or sign of any kind..when we did find some fresh tracks they ALWAYS had wolf tracks in them.. we glassed till our eyes damn near bled..
still nothing..
i called fish and game, talked to a bio. from salmon,, she insisted that the elk numbers are very good and above where they need to be for that area.. and the wolves were not hurting the elk numbers one little bit..
she also said that they had moved to their winter range the last part of aug. and first part of sept.. because there was no feed for em.
i said well the grass that is in the open hill sides was a little dry but as soon as you stepped into the shade of the trees there was lots of lush green grass..she agreed that there was plenty of good feed now but it all grew after the elk left ..
i asked her that if the elk were on the winter range already what the hell are they gonna eat when winter hits, cuz it don't seem like there will be much left if they are three months early.. she simply said it will be a tough winter...
there was plenty other discussion but i wasn't taking a bite out'a any of the crap she was dishing out..
i ain't sure if the wolves are the whole problem,,i am sure they have quite a bit to do with it though..
i was toataly blown away by the sudden lack of elk in there,,but refused to give up,, thinking they will be pouring back in the area any time..WRONG!!! i ain't sure what i am gonna do for future elk hunts but i doubt i will be there again next year..
i am pretty bummed about the whole deal cuz we have a bunch of spike camps all through that area that we have been maintaining
for quite a few years and they were all packed in on our back,,
i guess we will have to just pack em out same way..
sure had problems with bears this year though,,
they tore my wall tent to shreds, dragged my sleeping bags and all my gear out of it and pretty much trashed everything i had, more than a couple times..even chewed up 4 gas cans that were full.. he was like a bored pup..
the first time he came into camp he was in one of my coolers,
he seen me and just walked about 20 yards and stopped to just look at me,, i took off one of my broadheads and put on a rubber blunt,, whacked that SOB right square in the chest,,
he jumped up in a tree and started climbing, well i thought not far enough fella so i picked up my arrow and nailed him again..
so i am thinking when he comes down he will scatter and that will be the last i ever see of him..
man was i wrong i wish i would have killed him that first day..
elkster i am gonna pm ya..

 

[idabigbuck]

While I do agree that the wolves have changed the elk's behavior. On the other side of the Sawtooths in unit 39, I saw elk every time I went out. I was also very surprized that the bulls were bugling their heads off during the cow season which my son and I had tags for. I would have thought that the bulls would go silent with the presence of wolves. But that was not the case at all. Having said that, I can't wait for the chance to thin the wolves out. Because over time I believe that the wolves will have a very devastating effect on the elk and deer herds in Idaho.

Its fair chase, or its foul!

 

[manny15]

have a friend that hunted I daho this year, he said he busted a big 6x6 just before dark came back in the morning and a wolf was on it...disapointing ....

 

[muzz]

Shot everyone of them bastards you see. shoot shovel and shut up. Carry some full metal jackets with you and shoot them with those so it just keeps going through them. No bullet to check for ballistics. damn things should have never been turned loose!!!!!

 

[Zigga]

Montana has wolves and the feds say we have 12,000 too many elk. I currently have two elk tags in my pocket. I do find the ignorant comments amusing still. Shooting wolves will only get you more wolves transplanted. Nice try though. Elk hunting is all about changing your strategies....like leaving your truck. Good luck!

 

[mntman]

>
>
>
>
>Shot everyone of them bastards you
>see. shoot shovel and shut
>up. Carry some full metal
>jackets with you and shoot
>them with those so it
>just keeps going through them.
>No bullet to check for
>ballistics. damn things should have
>never been turned loose!!!!!
>
>

Last time I checked they were here prior to all of us ingnorant bastards and should be managed the same as any other big game animal.
Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"

 

[3DEffect]

I hunt in an area of Idaho loaded with wolves. Have heard them, seen them, and heard a story this season of a guy who lost half a deer to them. I agree that they are out of hand.
But I have found in the past few years the elk have changed there behavior. Not much really. They just don't seem to be out quite like they used to. I saw as many elk this year as I have any other year. Most of the elk I saw this year where in the thick timber just off the ridge tops. Not many elk out in the open any more.
I have been trying some different hunts and have noticed the elk are a little lower than in years past. They hang in trees more and aren't quite as vocal.
Bottom line is that the elk are still there. You just have to hunt a little harder and try some new places. They just have changed there habits.

 

[tufcntry]

i don't know about montana but the wolves are a serious problem in idaho the selway wilderness used to be one of the best places to hunt elk in idaho now it is not worth your time due to those wonderful dogs people love so much. i have also notices when hunting the wilderness when i saw fresh sign from wolves i saw zero game. the elk in alot of units hardly bugle anymore because the wolves hear these l and chaze them down. and who ever thinks they kill just for food is also a fool last year i walked up on cow elk that had wolf tracks all around the only thing wrong with the elk was the head and neck. these wolves need to be controlled or else they will kill the game then start eating peoples dogs and pets, like they already have in idaho. the three s's works great but a well placed gut shot will let the dog run off and not put you near the dog for evidence.

 

[runamuk]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-13-07 AT 10:12AM (MST)[p]no doubt about it the elk have changed their habits, and wolves play a part in that..
but as far as them staying in the trees more, well i don't think the wolves have anything to do with that,,in fact when i am in a drainage that has a lot of wolf pressure the elk are bedding out in the open more times than not...
that is as good of defence there is for the elk, the wolves have to show themselves before they can get to close..
them wolves are gonna eat, trees or no trees, they rely on there noses much more than there eyes,, just like any hunting dog..
its the drought that is causing them to stay in the trees more..
that is where there is the best grass,, in the shade of the trees where the moisture is retained longer..
as far as elk numbers i think they are still good even in unit 36..
i talked to a different bio.. in that area he pretty much echoed
what the first one i talked to said..
i am starting to believe that they left the area to head to winter range early in sept. because of lack of feed..
from everything i have gathered it has been a slaughter in and close to there traditional winter range and transition areas..
i was just stubborn and refused to leave my cherished little area in that unit,, and ended up with a uncut tag for the first time in a lot of years hunting there..
i don't have any scientific evidence to back up anything i have written,, but i have constantly been trying to figure out whats going on out there and those are just my theories...
it is easy to blame the wolves for everything,without looking at the whole picture.. and i hate having them here as much as the next guy..but i must admit that it is pretty cool to hear a pack of wolves going off all around you at less than 200 yards away..

 

[YukonDall]

MOST ANY DEER/ELK BULLET PASSES THROUGH A WOLF, YOU DONT HAVE TO SHOOT ANYTHING SPECIAL. EVEN FINDING SOME WOLVES AFTER THE SHOT CAN BE A TASK...........YD.

 

[ALLMASS]

I don't kow about the wolf's, but the wolves are over achieving the objective and need a little lead poisoning.

 

[GoHuntin]

I hunted in Unit 36 at about the same time you did and didn't see anything either. I've heard the best way to hunt that unit is during the archery hunt with a really good bow....I heard about some fellas that went in there during the archery hunt several years ago & they really cleaned house on a couple of monster bulls! I heard they had really good bows, so I traded my old 30.06 that didn't eject very well for a really good bow at Red's Trading Post....it's a semi-automatic bow with a scope on it...I'm hoping to try out my new bow next year in Unit 36 around the 3rd week in September. I have to agree with you that the elk are harder to find because of those damn wolves, but I guess we'll just have to hope for better luck next year!

 

[elkster123]

RE: Damn Wolves

I am not hunting in that Damn state anymore. Not unless I get a permit and thoes are nearly impossible for some people. I hear there is some goog hunting around the fossil beds towards the evenings. Were you hunting around Miller Mountain this year?