wolves in wyoming range

[happytohunt]

startin to plan next years hunt...are there wolves in the wyo range between big piney and cokeville...also a buddy of mine has accumulated his moose points and is wondering about a suitable area for diy moose and elk without the wolves...thanks for info...hth

 

[TOPGUN]

It seems as though there a friggin wolves to some extent on the whole west side of the state now depending on who you talk to and now they are appearing more frequently even over in areas like the BigHorns and some say even around Casper and further south. I know there are some in the BigHorns from first hand experience over the last few years, but the moose and elk populations are doing well there and would make for good DIY hunts. I don't hunt down where you are asking about so someone else will have to answer that. If the guy has a lot of PPs for moose, I would be looking at the BigHorns or down northwest of Laramie where I believe it's supposed to be pretty good yet.

 

[Chesterwyo]

Moose hunting is pretty tough accross the board in wyoming right now. If your friend has max points for moose he needs to be looking at hunting them in either the snowy range in the southeastern part of the state or the bighorns in the north central part. These are the last strongholds for moose in the state. And if he has max points these are the only units worth applying for. If he has less than max points send me a PM and I can probably point you in another direction.

 

[mmwb]

Yes there are wolves in the area you indicated, as well as the odd grizzly.

 

[MaineFlatlander]

Hunted moose in that area this fall. Grizz and wolves. Feel free to drop me a PM.

 

[mightyhunter]

I hunted moose in Unit 10 this year. In portions of the unit, near Bondurant, Wyoming, I saw some wolf sign. It is nothing like the wolf sign you see around my home area near Cody. I can also say that over the last 6-8 years, I have seen more grizzly bears in the Wyoming Range. The wolf will only continue to range further as it exhausts its food supply in and around YNP.

 

[ForkWest]

I know for a fact there are wolves in there, closer to Cokeville than not. I came face to face with a big old black wolf while archery hunting two years ago. We stared each other down for a good while and then he hightailed it.

 

[happytohunt]

hello maine flatlander...could you describe your experience there? thanks...hth

 

[SSakitas]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-12-11 AT 08:13PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-12-11 AT 08:12?PM (MST)

I live in the wyoming range have done so my hole life. And yes there are wolves maybe not as many as around jackson and cody but there is still alot. And I am here to tell you people are blowing the wolf situation way out of proportion in western wyoming. I see several wolves a year and hear lots of howls all in the same areas a literally see thousands of elk. I watched two white wolves a grey one and redish brown wolf mess around and play on a hill side for 2 hours, Then walk over the ridge. 1 hour later from the same direction the pack of wolves went a herd of 75 cows and calves came over the ridge slowly feeding and fed on the same ridge the wolves spent two hours pissing all over and marking there scent on. So I am very sceptical to believe someone when they say "there was no elk in the area because the wolves were in there and ran them out" or ate them all. I relize that in some areas where there is extremely high numbers of wolves that could happen. But where I go there is a good number of wolf packs and the elk are doing really well and are way over populated. I am sure I well get ate alive by my comment but thats how i see it

 

[huntnrich]

I'm sorry SSakitas but yes you should get lots of attention from your comments. I used to hunt the Clearwater area in Idaho. Which used to be the largest elk herd in the world. I used to see thousands of elk while hunting spring black bears, or hundreds of elk when I went whitetail hunting up there. I went this year, both in the spring and fall, and I seen a total of 11 elk in 15 to 20 days of hard hunting. I found where the wolves had ate the butt end out of a cow elk and leave the rest, and wolves where howling everywhere. SSakitas don't talk to fast because that great elk herd that you've got will be slowly going if they don't open the hunt up to shooting wolves.(which we should shoot them with or without a hunt one).

 

[TOPGUN]

He is probably correct right now because evidently where he is the wolves are just starting to get established. If they are allowed to overpopulate there the way they have furhter north in the ecosystem, I think his thoughts on them will turn towards the negative.

 

[SSakitas]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-13-11 AT 04:14PM (MST)[p]I hope they do take out alot of the elk, The elk im my area are way over populated. That being said i know alot of people that like elk and they should have some to hunt. And dont worry wolves get shot all the time by locals more than most people think. The wolves are established im my area they were never eradicated I saw my 1st wolf with my dad when I was just a kid many years before the wolf rentroduction in yellowstone. My dad seen several wolves through out the 70's and 80's in the back country. The majority of hunters opinions about how wolves eat everything in sight and should all be shot and killed " the only good wolf is a dead wolf" type attitude is the reason they were not delisted earlier. I dont like the coruption and alternative agenda behind the wolf rentroduction either. But most hunters attitudes about wolves are just as psychotic as the crazy pro wolf advocates are.

 

[TOPGUN]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-13-11 AT 04:57PM (MST)[p]]

SS stated: "I dont hunt elk so I dont care if they all get ate."

That's a great conservation statement for a hunter to make!!! Is there anything else you don't hunt that needs to be eliminated?!!!

Edit: I see you took out that sentence I commented on here and added a lengthy paragraph to that post. That's good whether you meant what you said or not because IMHO it wasn't too good to put that up for ANYONE to read.

 

[SSakitas]

I dont care what you think or any body else. I cant stand elk and i dont care if they all get ate. The wyoming Game and fish bend over backwards for elk make sure there populations are managed right and herd numbers kept high(in most areas) while the muledeer are thrown to the side along with commen sense when it comes to managing them. So yes if alot of elk have to die to make room for more deer than so be it. I get so f'ing sick and tired hearing hunters biching about the wolves and most of them are people that have never even seen a wolf. Everybody is entitled to there own opinion you have yours and I have mine F'ing deal with it.

 

[Chesterwyo]

Wow Ssakitas. I am gonna go out on a limb here and say you are the only person in this part of the world with your view points. Usually people from around here think the other way. What you fail to realize is the wolf is just a tool for the anti-hunting community to use to make it so you can't hunt, own a firearm, or even camp on public land. You need to take the blinders off and look at the big picture.

 

[TOPGUN]

SS---No need for that language and I will only ask one question of you and then leave you alone. If the wolves go unchecked where you hunt the way they are to the north and all the elk you don't care about get eaten, what do you think they will eat next? Please think about that before you spout off any more!

 

[SSakitas]

Chesterwyo you dont think I see that. I have been saying that its a tool for the antis to stop hunting since I was in middle school. And people would tell me no they just want wolves back to yellowstone well look at it now there agenda is pretty obvious now. This is what gets me about most hunters, The minute somebody that is a hunter has a veiw that doesnt envolve killing every single wolf or shoot on sight people asume that the person most be against hunting of wolves. I never said that i think they should be hunted and regulated just like any other species. And If I had my way They would have never been reintroduced into yellowstone not because of the damage they have done but so I wouldnt have to hear people biching all the time about wolves.And to answer your ? TOPGUN I dont hunt anything in western wyoming anymore. I grew up Hunting deer and now that we have no deer left I dont hunt in western wyoming anymore. So my guess would be that when the wolves eat all the elk in western wyoming they will probably go to Utah because we dont have any more deer for them to eat.

 

[MaineFlatlander]

HTH
Sorry I've taken so long to get back to you. I hunted 24 this fall. - spoke to Forest Service employees who told me they had trapped two grizz in the area last summer for study and advised me to camp "bear aware" as I was tent camping. I spoke to several deer hunters who had seen a young grizz over the ridge from me. I saw sign but no bears. I also spoke to a resident who lives near and rides his horses on a regular basis. He has seen wolves.

This was my first trip to that area so I can't say the population is lower or higher than it was ten years ago. What I can say I saw moose sign but in general was very disappointed in the number I saw. It took me 6 days to find a bull. I did have two bulls come past my camp (two different locations) during the night so they are there. I couldn't get one to respond to calling.

I did have a copy of a friend's hunting notes from his hunt in 1999. He saw over thirty moose in the time it took me to find one. I was able to hunt the same areas because I had his detailed notes. Now in full disclosure...he was archery hunting mid Sept. I was early Oct, one full drainage he had hunted had burned 7-8 years ago so all of that could have had some effects.
Yes-if I could go back I would in a heart beat. Based on what secondhand information I have and from my trip I think the moose numbers are going down. But if you have the points don't hesitate to use them because you can still find moose. Mine was just under 43". I can't ever imagine playing the PP game again because of my age and the declining number of permits really don't make it practical. Good luck on what you do. BTW- I found some nice moose in 23 during an elk hunt in 2009 so that might be an option as well.

 

[liecabucks]

Uhhh I hope they don't get too established here in Utah SSSSitka, they will have to start eating people!


Sit tall in the saddle, hold your head up high, keep your eyes fixed to where the trail meets the sky...

 

[nocal]

Whoa SS........Santa ain't gonna like you!

 

[chipc]

I always wonder about people with disabled profiles who come on here and blast their fellow hunters about something that anyone with ANY common sense knows is ruining hunting as we know it. Not only out west but many other areas as well- like Wolf management (OR LACK THEREOF). I wonder what those peoples real agenda is ....

 

[DougW]

Ssakitas-

speaking of psychotic, what are your thoughts on the effect of wolves on mule deer?

Just wondering.

 

[TOPGUN]

chipc---I wondered if I was the only one who noticed that a big percentage of the ones who spout off and cause trouble on the Forums have their profile disabled. IMHO it's sort of "C......S..."!

 

[DougW]

Exactly topgun, and when their attention spans are spent, or they get some intelligent thoughts and questions in the replies, they mysteriously disappear. What a big surprise.