Should We Kill Wolves? Wolves in Yellowstone have not yet taken off the endangered species list, yet in March, a new law will allow them to be shot or trapped. It is mighty hard to shoot a wolf without the help of an airplane, as is allowed in Alaska. When wolves were killed off in the U.S. years ago, they were killed by poison...as were thousands of other animals who tasted the poisoned meat.

Ranchers dislike wolves, because they have been known to attack their herds of cattle and sheep. The truth is, wolves usually attack the most vulnerable, the old and the sick. Moose herds are usually improved by the culling done by wolves.

There has never been a human killed by a wolf in the United States. They are elusive creatures and it is difficult to even see a wolf, let alone shoot it. Game officials have worked hard to bring back the wolf to our country, rescuing it from extinction. The question is, should hunters be allowed to shoot wolves before they are removed from the Endangered Species List?

Let%26#039;s see...

It%26#039;s true that the wolves in Yellowstone are on the protected species list. It%26#039;s also true that the original 30 or so wolves that were released into that area have expanded their population to over 1,000. There are many different packs in the Yellowstone area, and even expanding into Idaho (which was also one of the approved reintroduction locations), Montana, Wyoming, and even Utah. There%26#039;s potential for them to spread into Colorado and even northern Nevada (and Nevada has NO historical record of wolves being in that area IF I remember correctly).

Mighty hard to shoot a wolf without the help of an airplane? Are you serious? At the rate those wolves are expanding their population and range, it probably wouldn%26#039;t be too difficult for a rancher to shoot a wolf from his pickup truck or horse - especially while watching the wolves attacking his livestock.

Your %26quot;truth%26quot; about wolves attacking the %26quot;old and the sick%26quot; is true when it comes to WILDLIFE - but that truth goes right out the window when it comes to domestic livestock such as sheep and cattle. When it comes to domestic livestock - which animals do not have experience with wolves - they are easy prey for a wolfpack.

...And %26quot;moose herds%26quot;? Am I missing something? Because in ALL of my travels around the back areas of the western United States, I have yet to EVER see a moose herd. For your information, moose are generally solitary animals. You%26#039;ll see a bull moose and a cow moose getting together to mate, and that%26#039;s about it. Then, after the calf is born, the cow moose cares for it until it%26#039;s the age to strike out on its own. On occasion, you might see two or three adolescent moose together - but that doesn%26#039;t qualify as a %26quot;herd%26quot;.

Now, ELK do travel in herds. ELK herds have been thinned by wolves. Heck, even the range quality in Yellowstone has improved because the wolves keep the ELK moving - that way the ELK cannot stay in one area and overgraze. They are moving pretty much constantly, so the range health has improved in Yellowstone.

Oh, and while the overall population of wolves was reduced in the lower 48 states, there was still a huge, viable population of wolves in Canada - so they weren%26#039;t really on the brink of extinction.

Now, ranchers have always been legally able to shoot a wolf that was in the process of attacking or killing his livestock. Further, ENVIRONMENTAL organizations have promised to compensate ranchers for the %26quot;fair market value%26quot; of each animal that has been killed by wolves. Unfortunately, those same environmental groups fail to keep their promises. They%26#039;ll try and worm their way out of paying by saying the animal wasn%26#039;t %26quot;killed%26quot; by the wolf - and that the wolf was merely eating a dead cow/sheep/horse/etc.

Am I against wolves? Actually, NO. I%26#039;m glad they were reintroduced into the Yellowstone area. However, those wolves need to be managed. If they attack livestock, they need to be hazed, or even shot, to protect the ranchers%26#039; livelihood.

Unfortunately, most of the %26quot;wolf loving%26quot; population are Urban Environmentalists whose experience with wolves or ranching comes mainly from the Discovery Channel and from the meat section of their local supermarket. They have no practical knowledge about life in on ranches or in wolf country except from the internet, TV, or books.

Oh, and yes, I know I%26#039;ll be given almost exclusively %26quot;thumbs down%26quot; - because I%26#039;m not willing to worship the wolf and accept everything the wolves do as OK. I know my position goes against the internet urban environmentalist thought process...

Have a nice day. Sources? I grew up in a rural community where ranching was a big part of life. I%26#039;ve traveled extensively and lived in California (the Owens Valley/Eastern Sierra area), Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Colorado. I%26#039;m about a semester away from completion of a degree in Natural Resource Management (and I%26#039;ll never finish that degree because it won%26#039;t help me with a job or in my current lifestyle).

Most of my experience is from practical life experience.

People just don%26#039;t see what their doing, Their going into their homes. but anyways HELL NO! Wolves are one of the most beautiful creatures in this world.

This is an issue that has been going on longer than you know. We discussed the Yellowstone wolves in one of my environmental studies courses. People aren%26#039;t dying, but farmers are getting a little impatient. They won%26#039;t reinforce their fences and they are actually allowed o shoot at a wolf if they see that wolf trying to attack their livestock. There should be camera monitors, I think, so that the government doesn%26#039;t get taken advantage of by these farmers putting in claims for money for their livestock and so that the farmers can scare off the wolf before it has the chance to attack a cow.
Hunters, on the other hand, should not be allowed to hunt and kill this animal unless for protective reasons. What reason would hunters have to kill a wolf? The Endangered Species list protects these animals for up to 5 years after they are removed from it. We probably don%26#039;t have to worry about the hunters- we%26#039;ll have to worry about the money-grubbing cattle ranchers.

Shoot every last one. They serve no use to have them million dollar wolves eating our livestock.
Shoot only on Private land. Want do you they can read. All you wolf lovers when you write your answer tell everyone where your from.
read the one that she thinks we should improve our fences. and put up cameras. Lady do you know what it would cost to put a wolf fence around 60000 acres.where should we place our cameras? go out and buy a satellite? You people do have a clue on what goes on in the west. Montana right in the middle of this mess.
CJA what the are talking about????

kill or be killed