by James William Gibson – March 28, 2012
“On March 16, a Friday, a US Forest Service employee from Grangeville, Idaho, laid out his wolf traps. The following Monday, using the name “Pinching,” he posted his story and pictures on http://www.Trapperman.com . “I got a call on Sunday morning from a FS [Forest Service] cop that I know. You got one up here as there was a crowd forming. Several guys had stopped and taken a shot at him already,” wrote Pinching. The big, black male wolf stood in the trap, some 300-350 yards from the road, wounded—the shots left him surrounded by blood-stained snow. Pinching concluded his first post, “Male that went right at 100 pounds. No rub spots on the hide, and he will make me a good wall hanger.” The Trapperman website went wild with comments. “That’s a dandy!! Keep at it,” wrote Watarrat. Otterman asked, “All the gray on that muzzle make a guy wonder how old he is or if it is just part of his black coloring.” Pinching’s picture of the wolf’s paw caught in the trap got special attention. “Is that the MB750 stamped ‘wolf’ on the pan?” asked one man. “Looks to be a perfect pad catch. Congratulations! Pinching confirmed the trap model and commented, “Oh an [sic] by the way, a wolf is a heck of a lot of work to put on a stretcher! Man those things hold on to their hide like no other!” By late March some 117 Idaho wolves had been killed in traps and snares, and another 251 shot. Montana saw 166 killed, for a total of 534 wolves out of an estimated 1150 in the two states. Although Montana’s season ended in February, Idaho is not quite done. Both states have announced plans for increased hunting in the 2012-2013, and discussions are underway among hunting groups and state officials to allow private donations to establish wolf bounties.
As recently as the spring of 2011, gray wolves in the Northern Rockies received protection from he Endangered Species Act. But in April, 2011 Congress passed a rider on a federal appropriations bill removing them. Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester, facing a 2012 challenge from Republican Congressman Danny Rehberg, wanted to show Democrats hated wolves just as much as Republicans. Conservation groups filed suit in Montana’s federal district court, claiming the delisting represented an unconstitutional infringement by Congress on the judicial branch while it deliberated an ongoing lawsuit over federal wolf protection.
Thus wolves, demonized by the far-right in the Rockies as disease-ridden monsters and icons of the federal government (see my Summer 2011 Journal story, “Cry Wolf”), now face a brutal campaign to radically reduce their numbers so far that extermination can not be ruled out. Idaho’s Governor Butch Otter declared in a March 25 news conference that his state faced a “disaster emergency” from wolves. “We don’t want them here.”
Skirmishing on the web escalates. Footloose Montana, an anti-trapping group, posted the trapped wolf’s pictures on its website, drawing over a 1,000 comments within days. Word spread. Nabeki, founder of Howling for Justice, opined that “This wolf will be the face of the cruelty and ugliness that is the Idaho hunt…Our forests are hiding acts of unspeakable horrors that are being perpetuated on innocent animals.” Protesters called Idaho and Montana tourist bureaus, demanding the hunts end. By Monday, March 26, Trapperman learned that its photos now circulated offsite. The group’s administrator demanded that Footloose Montana remove the photographs.
Footloose staff and board members also received an anonymous death threat in their email: “I would like to donate [sic] a gun to your childs [sic] head to make sure you can watch it die slowly so I can have my picture taken with it’s [sic] bleeding dying screaming for mercy body. YOU WILL BE THE TARGET NEXT BITCHES!” FBI agents and Missoula, Montana police received copies of the threat.
Wolf advocates hope that these pictures will go viral, shaming a nation into facing the torture people inflict on animals and the moral and political failures that promote and legitimize it.”
**Special thanks to “Earth Island Journal” for providing this information!
The Wolf Preservation Blog 
this just makes my stomach turn. What is wrong with people???? The wolf is NOT the devil of the woods, MAN is!
do a google search of images for : wolf kills; wolves kill livestock; wolf kills dog; wolf kills pet; wolf kills sheep; wolf kills sheep; coyote kills pet; coyote kills; coyote kills dog…. makes my stomach turn. what is wrong with you people???
You think your actions have no consequences? Are you kidding? Put on some tear jerker music, sit back and linger over the images you will find from the above search. You want wolves, you got wolves and wolves being wolves deal death out, you are responsible for that. Some wolves are going to killed as management of the population is necessary. YOU know that. Maybe if it directly effected you and your horse lay half eaten out by the fence.
Man is the top predator here, he is responsible for managing the animals, animals are not human, managing means leaving some alone, killing some, relocating some, limiting the numbers of some… interestingly commentors on the earth island site made death threats against trapperman, I wonder if those were given to the fbi. betch you aren’t upset at that…
dogmantrainer–correction: it was the ANTI-TRAPPING group that received the death threat in this case. So, you already confirmed the FBI should get involved with such comments. Those comments are typical of anti-wolf extremists. People like that have NO business being in charge of wildlife! Also, do you believe in the viscious tactics (such as aerial gunning, poisoning, and trapping) used by people to be necessary?
Since a wolf can only use it’s mouth to hunt, how do you think it’s going to look? The difference is wolves don’t kill for sport (not to be confused with surplussing) and people do. People have a choice to use the tactics they use, wolves do not have that luxury. Since man is responsible for removing many wolves to begin with and moving onto it’s territory, wolves have a right to be here, as I’m sure you agree. Why do wolves need to be managed, unless they are physically attacking someone? Again, people with such hatred for wolves have no business managing populations. Just because man is at the top of the food chain does not give us the right to torture and sport hunt.
Erica,
Take a look at children’s folklore, stories such as “Three Little Pigs” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” Wolves have been wrongly labeled for a long time and it is our obligation to erase misconceptions and half-truths about them. Bears are much more dangerous and look how they are portrayed in children fables. No other animal has received such negative attention. Advocates like me are making a difference in doing so through education. So, what is the big fuss about them being here?
No animals should be subjected to brutal tactics such as poisons, trapping, and aerial gunning. This should illegal. I’ve spoken with many anti-wolf extremists who believe every wolf should be destroyed in brutal fashion. As long as psychopaths like that live in states inhabited by wolves and other wildlife, there will be opposition inside and outside of the area.
Wolves have a right to be here and were present long before humans were in many areas. Wolves hunt by instinct and to survive. Most humans do not.
Certainly, calling people “idiots” doesn’t help your arguement either.
I’m old enough to see the affects wolves have had on Western MT and Northern and Central Idaho. I have been in a few situations with wolves in the Bitterroot that have made me the way I am about them. my neighbors dogs were ripped to ribbons right inside her fenced yard by 4 wolves. That could have been my kids or her kids. In all the years I’ve been in MT (my whole life) I have always seen wolves in the mtns here. my father has seen them and my grandfather trapped them in Western MT. they’ve always been here. I’m not saying eradicating them in the first place was right, and I’m not saying it’s right now. All I’m saying is that a management system has been in the plans since day one of the introduction. I also don’t see why hunting wolves to manage their numbers is so much worse then hunting mtn lions, coyotes, or any other animal. there are no save the cougar, elk, or any other sites out there trying to protect other hunted animals…why wolves? I’m not a trapper. my grandfather was, and he checked his traps every 24 hrs. that’s how he made a living back then. I apologize for calling people idiots, even though it wasn’t directed at anyone in particular, but I don’t like being called a blood thirsty killer just because I hunt for food. Yes I am aware that wolves have no other way to hunt and it’s instinct but I would rather kill my own food then buy abused processed meats from the store. I don’t understand what the hype is with wolf hunting. It appears it would be wise to just agree to disagree on this issue, since we’ll never see eye to eye
There are advocacy sites for other animals you mentioned: http://www.priderock.org/ and http://www.wcs.org/saving-wildlife/hoofed-mammals/caribou.asp to name a few. Many false claims of wolves depleting ungulate populations have been made, too much negative attention. I remember a previous survey stating wolves killed 40% of ungulate populations and many were destroyed in response. Later, the same surveyors concluded their previous numbers were inaccurate and agreed wolves were not responsible. While wolves can be a small contributing factor, hunting, disease, and weather are primary depletion of prey animals, not wolves. There is always choosing to live amongst wild animals.
Looks like perhaps anti-wolf people are posting on this site now. Pity.
This is a wolf preservation blog. Not an anti wolf blog.
I live in Montana. We have ranch property on the Big Hole River. I’m not some “tree hugging” city dweller who hasn’t had any contact with wildlife or someone who is just visiting the state from California or somewhere.
Erica, you seem to think that wolves have always been here in Montana. I can assure you, that they have not “always” been here. I remember when there were none. You must be very young, not to recall that. There were too many elk and deer. The herds were dying from disease and eating all the trees in the Yellowstone and on our property. The game was over-grazing our land. The ranchers and hunters where begging for the reintroducton of wolves to the region. They wanted herds reduced to healthy levels. Now the herds are healthier.
My father (deceased) was a Montana rancher and outfitter. We rescued a wolf puppy who’s mother was killed in 2003. We’ve had a wolf actually living with us and in our house. I’m 58 years old and not some kid. I live in the country with lots of cattle everywhere. I am also a pro wolf advocate/activist for many reasons.
I think you people who are anti-wolf have never actually had contact with a wolf. Our Big Hole wolf pack was wiped out. What a sad thing that is. Since then, the elk and deer are over-running our property. They are damaging my trees, eating the grass and hay etc in search for food.
We had a mountain lion at my parents ranch about 30 years ago that left a horse and a colt dead. But,no wolf has ever attacked our livestock. We tried to hunt down the offending mountain lion because we had colts and calves at the time, but didn’t find him. It was a dry year and the mountain lion came down to hunt due to fires in the mountains,I assume. Other than that, we haven’t lost any livestock to wolves. We see lots of coyotes. The only wolves I’ve seen lately near where we live, were shot and left to rot where they fell. I never want to see that again. If I ever see anyone trying to shoot a wolf. I’ll put myself in front of the gun.
I’ve interacted with wildlife since I was a kid. We’ve had bears in the apple trees and in the garbage cans, coyotes and lots of other animals abound.
I did see a lone wolf run down a deer a couple of winters ago. Ran right through the pasture where cattle were and across the road. It was a beautiful thing to behold, actually.
I’ve also gotten up at dawn and have had to get a herd of deer out our yard. They’re ruining the trees and landscape. We have herds of elk in the pasture across from our house all the time. I see them right out my kitchen window. Frequently we see moose walking down our road. The deer where we live breed like bunnies (too many of those around now, too). I’m tired of nearly hitting deer every time I leave the house in the country. The antalope race my vehicle along the fence line and run in front of us.I truely wish we had our Big Hole pack around to thin them out.
I think that wolves are an asset and that hunters who think that wolves are killing all the wildlife are insane. I’ve seen the hunters trespassing on our land drinking beer and shooting at anything that moves. They’re the ones who most likely are out of state people. We’re posted no hunting due to the risk to people, pets and livestock. If the hunters don’t bag a deer or an elk, they aren’t opposed to shooting a black angus. Guess that’s easier. We’ve seen that happen, too.
Regarding traps:
We’ve had people put traps on our property. We’ve had pets caught in those traps. We destroy those traps we find. Usually those traps have a cat, skunk, rabbit or some poor bird or some other small animal in them in them. Certainly those poor animals aren’t what the trapper intended to get. One summer a fisherman’s golden retriever got trapped in one and died right near the river where we live. I hate traps. Trapping is not hunting. It’s torture for the animal caught in them. If you see an animal caught in a trap and suffering once, you’ll never want to see it again.
I am a hunter but don’t have wolves on a priority list. I enjoy going into the wilderness and the challenge of hunting an animal in it’s own terrain. whether it be an elk, deer, mtn lion, bear or wolf. I know there are other sites for those other animals, but they’re not as up in hunter’s faces about it. I know a lot of people that hunt bear and mtn lion for their skins. There’s a quota set on ALL hunted animals that is put in place to keep their number high enough to be healthy but also keeps them form overrunning other species. RMEF and other organizations have kept elk numbers high because there are so many taken during hunting seasons, and a lot are taken by out-of-state hunters. which helps the economy in our state A LOT. I don’t put any animal above another and don’t put animals above people….well, most people. That doesn’t make me a blood thirsty redneck, hillbilly, inbred, animal abuser, or psychopathic like I’ve been called for it. I have never made an unclean shot and no animal suffers by any weapon of mine. I live my life the way i was raised and the way my ancestors did. I don’t criticize others for the things they choose to protect and they way they choose to live so why is it okay for them to do it to hunters and trappers?
Fredrick Perls couldn’t have said it better “You do your thing, I’ll do mine”
One of your fellow trappers and Vice-President of MTA had this to say, ““We trappers do cause pain and suffering to animals and apologize to no one” – Dennis “Foothold” Schutz, Vice-President West of the Montana Trappers Association (MTA)
Here are additional answers to your question about why trapping should be criticized. Please read the article through the link below and view the picture through other link about trapping:
http://www.predatordefense.org/traps_maggie.htm, https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151452328555500&set=a.274660255499.309614.274653705499&type=1&theater
Actually, I think Gandhi said it best,
“The greatness of a nation and it’s moral progress can be judged by the way it’s animals are treated.”
Again, wolves do not overrun other species. I’ll use your own words…
You said it yourself, “RMEF and other organizations have kept elk numbers high because there are so many taken during hunting seasons, and a lot are taken by out-of-state hunters.” I couldn’t agree more. So, if elk numbers are kept high, as you pointed out, and “many” are taken during hunts, exactly how are wolves depleting them?
again, I am a hunter, not a trapper. just because one person said something about something he’s passionate about doesn’t mean it’s how everyone feels. your first link is about a family pet that gets caught in a trap. that sucks, but everyone has access to trapping area maps, isn’t it the dog owners responsibility to keep track of their pet, even in the wilderness? yep. In the second link, the animal probably chewed it’s foot off. There are some traps that I don’t agree with, but some of them are humane. like i’ve been saying, I’m not a trapper, but have had my hand in a trap similar to the one in the second link and it hurt my hand when it snapped shut and left a nasty bruise, but it didn’t break my wrist.
I never said anything about blaming wolves for elk depletion. I understand that adding another predator to an ecosystem is going to reduce numbers in prey animals….that’s common sense. but there are areas that have been dramatically changed since the wolves were introduced, and they are responsible for a large majority of elk numbers dropping. Elk numbers are besides the point. all I was asking is why people are so against wolf hunting/trapping? As far as i knew wolves were predators, so why shouldn’t they be managed like one? there may be groups that support other animals, but they’re not starting ridiculous, unnecessary crap with hunters over it. Wolves are not humans and as far as I’m concerned shouldn’t be put up there with them. that’s why i don’t understand why there is such a fuss about wolf hunting/trapping
The one person happens to be the Vice-President of MTA, and many followers believe what he does. Why don’t you show some proof that wolves have kept elk at low numbers? Your comments are very much contradictory. You already mention elk are kept at high numbers by people and most hunted by people, yet you say wolves are depleting a large majority of them? Let’s look at your logic about people being responsible for their pets. Your comment, “my neighbors dogs were ripped to ribbons right inside her fenced yard by 4 wolves.” Shouldn’t the owner have been responsible for watching her pets more closely? The trap was placed in their yard, hidden with no warning signs. I’ve already addressed why trapping is inhumane. And a majority of anti-wolf folks have done nothing but threaten me, unprovoked. Erica, by your own comments, RMEF and other organizations have kept elk numbers high because there are so many taken during hunting seasons, and a lot are taken by out-of-state hunters.” Now, you claim wolves are “responsible for a large majority of elk numbers dropping.” There isn’t consistency in your arguments but thanks for trying. Now, the rest of us have more important issues to discuss on this site so it’s best if you refrain from anything further. Thank you.
Erica,
The following link is from the Montana Standard. This paper is probably one of the most conservative papers in MT. It is about how blaming wolves for declining elk numbers is a very lucrative venture for the RMEF. It’s called “Ridin’ the Wolf Gravy Train”. You might be interested it:
http://mtstandard.com/lifestyles/recreation/in-the-hunt-ridin-wolf-gravy-train/article_6794cbc4-7953-11e1-a35e-001a4bcf887a.html.
Why you want to keep discussing wolf hunting and trapping on this wolf preservation blog is beyond me.You must have a lot of time on your hands. I highly doubt if you’ll have any success changing anyones mind from being “wolf preservationist” to “wolf exterminationist”.You are most likely wasting your time. Why don’t you just give it up?
I’m am interested in hearing other peoples points of view. I don’t care what side they take. It’s all very interesting to me. I’m not trying to change people’s minds…just learn 🙂 what better place to get your views the on a blog like this
It’s not a surprise that MTFWP would provide such a false statistic, considering they have a financial interest with hunting licenses and wish to appease the hunting community. Plus, form the article Diane provided, herds are plentiful and healthy. The primary cause of ungulate decline is hunting (both sport and food), disease, and weather. Many individuals do not hunt for food but for sport. Even if the 40% reproduction rate is true, have you also accounted for high wolf pup mortality rate and short life span of wolves? Since I am moderator of this blog, I don’t have to allow comments from folks who are anti-wolf.
Taking a look at my posting from https://wolfpreservation.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/the-wolf-as-a-predator-wolf-control/ is also very revealing regarding predator/prey relationships. As wildlife biologist Chris McBride stated, “The very fact that any species of predator still exists today is proof that is has evolved in such a way that it cannot seriously limit the numbers of its prey. If it did, it would have become extinct.”
In “The Wolf Almanac,” by Robert Busch, it documents that overhunting by humans is often a major factor in ungulate declines. In one study of Alaskan wolves, it was found that humans had killed 44% of the Nelchina caribou herd in 1971/1972, a decrease that HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY BLAMED ON WOLVES.
One year, when caribou strayed too close to the city of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories and were slaughtered by its residents by the hundreds, outsiders immediately blamed wolves for the kills!
Major factors of prey decline comes from habitat loss, overhunting by humans, and the effects of severe winters.
I had that man for doing that to a beautiful wolf, what an arsehole.