Important wolf decision
Colorado
Looks like there will be a bit more flexibility in dealing with the wolves released in Colorado.
"In short, it means that the wolves reintroduced to Colorado won’t fall under the same regulations and protections as the federally listed wolves in other parts of the state. For ranchers and other rural residents of western Colorado, it means they can use lethal control to manage wolves that are harming their livestock without being charged with a federal wildlife crime.
“Management of the nonessential experimental population would allow gray wolves in the NEP to be hazed, killed, or relocated by the Service or our designated agent(s) for livestock depredations,” the final rule reads. “Under special conditions, the public may harass or kill wolves in the act of attacking livestock.”
The agency further defines “in the act of attacking” as “The actual biting, wounding, grasping, or killing of livestock or working dogs, or chasing, molesting, or harassing by wolves that would indicate to a reasonable person that such biting, wounding, grasping, or killing of livestock or dogs is likely to occur at any moment.
So according to the above info. I as a hunter ie, "the public", , if I see a wolf chasing, molesting, or harassing livestock. I can kill it.=???????????
How many cattle do you have Paul?
While this may allow the state to use lethal controls, I highly doubt it would ever be authorized by this commission. Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it.
Maybe time to buy some cattle if ya dont have some already? Good to know that if a wolf is attacking my dog I can legally wave my arms or make noise. Ok to kill unborn babies in Colorado according to some
Talked with a rancher over near Collbran. He was saying, even with the reimbursment or this ability to shoot, most of the attacks will be on calves that they will never witness or be able to find a carcass to show proof they lost cattle.
If Lauren Boebert's "Trust the Science" bill passes the Senate inside the Appropriations Act, which is highly likely, the whole equation will change. But as Grasshopper noted, this Commission won't allow lethal management no matter how many wolves we have. But future Commissions might, if we get a governor who isn't sleeping with an animal-rights loony (who is responsible for recommending Commission appointees).
Brad, I have a new Labrador Retriever who thinks he is a cow because when he sleeps, his shoring sounds like a , well, MOO. That surely qualifies me.
Put your dog on salary Paul. It says you can protect "working dogs".
well I guess it's time to fight fire with fire. Since the anti's have been using lawsuits to prevent wolves from being hunted, why not use lawsuits to stop the release of them into the state. https://www.denverpost.com/2023/12/11/gray-wolf-colorado-parks-wildlife-lawsuit-cattlemens-association/
Hope they can make it work. At least get a ruling to delay it while the lawsuit is going on.
When is the initial release supposed to be. I thought I read Dec-Jan
first release of a dozen is supposed to happen before years end, last I had heard.
Oregon agreed to allow them to catch up to 10 wolves this time around and Parks and Wildlife said they would fly helicopters and tranquilize the wolves and then examine their teeth and health and only bring back healthy ones and leave the unhealthy ones in Oregon unfortunately.
One of our Wildlife Commissioners used to be the lead attorney for Defenders of Wildlife. He is famous for the quote, 'Saving wildlife, one lawsuit at a time".
Time to start aggressively fighting fire with fire. My only question is whether hunter dollars will be used by the State to fund the fight against the cattlemen lawsuit. Wouldn't that be ironic?
Lou, I might expect the lawsuit funding might come from State General Fund much like the wolf introduction money, and not Game Cash Fund.
So you and I help pay for it anyway. Sorta like North Korea sending a bill to the family for the cost of the bullet used to execute the father.
The "experimental" designation is the ESA 10j rule. Paul brought this up a year or so ago, so I don't think anything has changed. They were always going to be a 10j/experimental population. I believe the state can still make it illegal to kill them. At least that is the way the Colorado Wolf Managment Plan reads, and it was written understanding that it was always an experimental population.
Yep, the initiative makes it illegal to kill them. It will stay that way until something goes terribly wrong (it will, eventually) and we have a Governor who is reasonable and less of an ideologue. This governor would veto a lethal control bill out of the legislature even if wolves were eating children at school bus stops.
Kill them, yes buy a rancher with a permit but at this time, NEVER by a hunter or will there be a hunting season at this time or in the near future. The Initiative states the gray wolf is a non game species which prevents any type of big game hunting of. Nor is there a population level for wolves here in Colorado so in the future there might be 500 plus wolves here in Colorado, unless better minds are in control of the State Capital and the Wildlife Commission.
Whatever was the judge's decision she said he'd have yesterday re: a delay on wolf release?
Let it be written, so let it be done. ‘’ The Times They Are A-Changin’’
‘’I’m relieved that the court saw right through the livestock industry’s self-serving and meritless arguments.’’
– Allison Henderson, of the Center for Biological Diversity
A friend of mine sent this today. It has begun.
I never read that Grand County was a release site. Well, just over the hill to the east is Boulder and Boulder County and then Denver.
I was told they were released around Radium.
That's not all that far (maybe 60 miles?) from the Walden pack. I wonder why the ratio was 3 males to 2 females? I don't know wolf dynamics but that ratio sounds problematic.
Dropped in Radium SWA. Have fun local sheep herd evading 4 juveniles and 1 adult. I'm hoping the adult male immediately kills the two juvenile males and then it becomes a pack of three or he just continues on on his own looking for wolves that don't exist and ends up in Wyoming where he will get shot
The reason for the grand county drop site could be that the latest location of one of the remaining north park wolves has been hanging out in middle park which is grand county. Our base camp was within a couple miles of the den from the north park pack in 2021. We saw the wolves multiple times harassing the elk that fall as they were mostly juvenile. We even had an archery hunter call in the whole pack to 40 yards with cow calling.
As you know since then that pack either dispersed or were shot in WYO. And since then we have seen ZERO mature bulls in late season and the resident herd that winters there has reduced significantly. If you were a mature bull or a whole herd for that matter, would you want to go back to the same location that you were harassed for a whole winter? Didn't think so.
This last fall we saw a single wolf track twice during the whole fall and never actually saw a wolf. But the last two years have been the worst harvest and least amount of elk seen in over 25 years hunting the same area. In 22 we still saw a few wolves but was not like it was when they were the fresh pack in 21.
Best thing that could happen is the "family group" or pack is not able to get established. But if so we'll have to see if the elk herd gets pushed out of that region like it seems they did in NP.
I saw another video and I swear it was ziek stroking polis before he released the wolves
Orion sure pretty hard on old Ziek
You need to get good with your blunts, keeps the canines in check, and afraid of humans,
