Heavy Artillery for Colorado Wolves?
Elk
This is the state of the art defense mechanism to fight the fight against wolves who are soon to be coming to a neighborhood near you. They can’t be serious! The freaking things are going to be on the menu in about 10 minutes. Who will take responsibility for the dead burros? Will the wolf huggers protest the unfair employment of said burros? Are the wolf huggers selling them the burros for $20,000 each? Follow the money. Lol
I’m sure they’ll win a few battles but they’ll lose the war. Poor burros….
The feds are also handing out high dollars dogs that are supposed to be trained to stay with the ranchers cattle and protect them but wound up at the Refuge. Scared to death of being away from people. Had to have a rescue come get them to re-home them as pets. Thousands spent per dog for absolutely nothing. The government is so friggin stupid I'm embarrassed to say I work for it.
My donkey will kill a single dog but a pack of wolves would be a little much for him to take on. Years ago I sold a horse to a guy that had 2 Nieghbors dogs pestering his livestock for years.
I forgot to tell him this horse hates dogs.
The horse killed both dogs. He played me for a bit that he was devastated. He eventually started laughing and thanking me for solving his roving dog issue.
Sheep farms here use Donkeys. One time we were driving by the farm and there was a donkey all ready to fight on the inside of the fence with a wolf on the outside. Wolf looked roughed up.
Lot of cattle guys around where I live have donkeys in with cattle. They're an effective coyote deterrent supposedly. Although I've never seen them in action.
I would think probably effective against a single wolf. Against a pack, I wouldn't think they would stand a chance, but I guess I don't really know.
I think a healthy donkey would leave a lot of teeth and hoof marks. And maybe kill a few. But they would eventually wear him out and bring him down. But it wouldn’t be habit forming for the wolf. That’s for sure. They would learn to get an easier meal down the road.
I guard donkey fending off 3 coyotes is a lot different than a pack of wolves. Coyotes are shot eaters the are good at killing mice and eating cow shit. Wolves make a living with their teeth and do it well.
Like I said I’m sure they’ll win a couple battles here and there. But wolves aren’t coyotes. They are team players with a game plan. They effectively kill big animals like elk and moose so it’s only a matter of time until those burros become missing in action.
One time a neighbor in the Bitterroot was pulling into his driveway. There was a single wolf trotting one of his horses around the perimeter of the pasture. At the top of the hill were two other wolves just sitting there watching. At some point in time like a tag team the one wolf would take a break and a fresh one would take its turn chasing the horse around the pasture. By the time the guy drove the rest of the way up the drive got a gun loaded it and came back it was too late. The horse was dead and all three wolves were on it. All three made it out of there alive too unfortunately. Wolves are smart. Patient to. If they want to kill something it’s pretty much a done deal. Fish and game has to realize that eventually that whole plan is going to be nothing but an embarrassment.
I laughed out loud when I saw the news story the other day. Just adding meals to the wolves menu. A selection for em, so to speak.
Wait til I see the warden Zach… I’ll ask him how the burro feeding is going.
LOL Burros are the real deal. On coyotes or a single mountain lion. Pack of wolves is another thing entirely. The only thing that would have a chance is a 100lb wolverine. Try getting one of those to treat cattle as family.
Lots of folks down here have donkeys to keep coyotes away from their calves. I once saw a donkey in hot pursuit of a coyote and the yote looked pretty scared to me, but a wolf ain’t no coyote, thankfully.
Altitude sickness, surprised the guy who had neighbor dogs harassing his livestock, didn’t resolve the issue, before you sold him the horse that solved it.
If you want a guard dog for any animal out there check this dog out. I’ve never heard of this breed but they are born to protect. Interesting that their skin is so loose a bite barely affects them.
Click on this and scroll down to get a grasp on the size of this dog wow.
Ranchers in North Park are also getting these big dogs to help protect
The Kangal Dog isn't a well-known breed outside of its circle of enthusiasts. That can affect the availability of puppies and, thus, the price. Your challenge will rest with finding one. You can easily expect to pay at least $1,000 for a pet-quality pup.Feb 23, 2022
What a shocker...and who could have predicted; Wolves eating livestock- who knew?
The stupidity of the DOW is beyond comprehension.
I’m gonna guess that a pair of those dogs would cut down on trespassing issues as well.
But the question is… Are these dogs going to provide any protection to the deer and elk which are going to stack up on private property as they attempt to get themselves away from the wolves?
I’m guessing 3 of these dogs on your ranch would deter quite a few wolves.
Paul $1000 actually sounds cheap for such a rare breed. All the doodle dogs and English bulldogs are more than that. It would be pretty funny to see a home video of a burglar looking in the window and turning around after seeing that beast.
The wolves in turkey are a lot smaller then the wolves in Colorado.
Those Kangal Shepherds are what the gov is handing out to the ranchers in North west Colorado now.
Spike, I just spent $2000 on a new Lab pup.
Bendare, the DOW/CPW did not want forced introduction of wolves into Colorado, so now they have to find ways to management them, wolves mandated by ballot initiative.
My neighbor bought a donkey for coyote protection for his calves. Donkey drove the calves away from their mothers...neighbor shot donkey.
great, another big dog to worry about running into when hunting around flocks of sheep. and I thought the Great Pyrenees currently in use in my favorite hunting area were bad. they are the reason I carry a handgun at all times up there. they can be friendly or down right scary.
I would think that if a pack of wolves can drive a griz off a kill, a lone donkey would certainly be in trouble if a pack of wolves decided to kill it. JMHO.
Not trying to hi-jack this thread, but .............
One of my hunting partners had a terrifying encounter with a Great Pyrenees in CO a few years ago. Here's a brief synopsis of what happened:
Lots of sheep in the area where we were hunting, with 2 Great Pyrenees' watching over them.
He was about 3/4 of a mile from camp, sun was just coming up and he had a few mule deer go running past, then couple more, then a cow & calf elk also went running past. Following them a few more elk went trotting past --- all going the same direction.
Right behind the last few elk, 2 Great Pyrenees's right on their trail. Although he stood motionless, one the dogs spotted him, growled with teeth showing, walked up to with-in about 10 feet of him.
He's a big time dog lover. He removed his face mask and calmly talked to the dog. The dog continued the same aggressive behavior and take a step towards him, then stand still. The second dog then joined the first, barked, but stood behind the first dog and just looked on (non-aggressive). After a few minutes both dogs turned and continued chasing the elk / deer.
The only thing my partner had was his bow. He said that he for sure thought the dog was going to attack him. He promptly headed back to camp and called it a day.
When we got back home, I called the CO Department of Wildlife, and explained what happened and who I should talk to. The gal gave me an address to file a written complaint - she said someone would contact me afterward.
Two of us filed written complaints with the CO Department of Wildlife, explaining, in detail what happened. Neither of us received a response.
My neighbors had an Irish Wolfhound, which is the tallest of all dog breeds. It spent a lot of time at my place playing with my Goldens. Occasionally, their play sessions would get a little rough and I'd have to break them up. I have no doubt that breed could hold its own against a wolf, but a whole pack of wolves? Not likely.
I was actually glad to see that dog pass away. He was friendly to people, but he was hell on the local wildlife.
Matt
Edit for my post ......... it was not Colorado, it was Wyoming.
Paul I sure hope chase just needed an extra furry friend!
My last trip to Colorado, my wife went and just hung around camp, hiked abut, etc… while I hunted. Every evening when she’d pick me up or I stumbled back into camp, she’d complain about the sheep dogs acting mean with her when they came into our camp. Which they did often that trip. Scattering garbage and growling at my wife if she was there. I was getting irritated that she had to put up with that.
The morning we were packing up, the cowboys who continually allowed those dogs to do that, drove a herd of sheep right by camp. The big white dogs were pretty cool at first. But, as we started loading the truck, one came up to about 20 feet growling and showing his teeth. The cowboys didn’t seemed to concerned until I retrieved my pistol and told them I was going to kill that dog if they didn’t get him away from us.
It’s amazing how previously non English speaking Mexicans suddenly knew exactly what I was saying. I’ve grown to despise the raping and pillaging of the national forest that goes on with grazing permits.
Back on subject, no dog, donkey or pack of either two stands a chance against a pack of wolves. Zero. It’s almost funny that this is even being considered.
My nephew has French Bulldog pups for $15000, no help with the wolf problem besides a meal.
WV
I think everyone said the same thing. Many times above
One on one. Many animals can and do kill wolves.
It’s the fact they run and hunt in packs that makes them formidable.
I think Paul is off hunting turkey. But I was on the phone with him a couple days ago. He been trying to find a pup for a while and just found one. I think Chase is fine but get up there in dog years, I think he said 13 years old.
A few equine out of a million would make it & devastate the wolves. Most wouldn't. A horse that knows how to kill is a bad sob!
Yep, chase is doing fine for 13 years but a new pup is needed for future hunting. JUST PREPAIRING for the future when Chase will not be able. New pup mid August at 2 months old.
I have neighboring cattle ranch with 3300 head and 9 donkeys. I have seen them in action against coyotes and even pit bulls (a few get cut loose from the pack when they get ineffective chasing deer during the season when you can run deer with dogs) and they are effective with the mule kick. A second wolf would be on the front legs in about 10 seconds once they figure out that's the only defense for a donkey. Bye bye eeyore.
Chupacabra is ultimate deterrent.
Donkeys Burros Mules are mean! Don’t underestimate on what they can do to wolves.
What jackass thought if this ?
If a cow moose can’t hold off wolves what chance does a donkey have?
I know sheep ranchers use Great Pyrenees to protect the flocks. Is this a thing for cattle?
Wolves kill entire packs of lion dogs. Dogs are tough, not a good match for wolves.
Tree huggers that reintroduced wolves don't care about side affects from the reintroduction.The ultimate goal is to stop hunting and hunters.It will take years but eventually there will be few enough hunters and game that the past time will be banned. Whats left is left to the wolves
In reading on the Anatolian shepherd they have been known to kill many wolves. Legend has it they have even killed lions. Their bite is more than twice as strong as a pit bull & have a hide that is almost impenetrable and loose so that it can't be grabbed and held tight. My bet is the wolves stay away and go elsewhere 95% of the time.
The only animal that's going to stop a pack of wolves is a pack of dogs (the right breed/mix of breeds) or a guy with a rifle who's in the right place at the right time. Numbers matter. And wolves have the advantage of attacking domestic animals while the watchful eye of a human is not around. A large pack of dogs is 1. Expensive to build, train, and feed, and 2. presents its own liabilities and work-load. 120 lb dogs eat a lot.
And those Mongolian guys hunt foxes with those eagles, not wolves. And that guy is wearing fox furs, not wolf furs.
And it's probably 30-50 degrees outside in that pic and he's sweating his ass off while he poses for the pic.
They also crap a whole lot and it’s huge.
Maybe those foxes identified as wolves, Ike…..
Cons of Livestock Guardian Donkeys Not all donkeys will confront canines, choosing to flee instead. Some donkeys will ignore threats to the other animals in their pasture and only react if they themselves are threatened. It is difficult to test a potential donkey for his guardian tendencies. Some users will place a prospective guard donkey in a small corral and introduce a strange dog, taking great care that the dog is safe from harm. Donkeys may not alert to familiar dogs at all.
Donkeys cannot deal with multiple canine attackers or against wolves, bears, feral hogs, or mountain lions. Donkeys also don’t typically protect against small predators, such as raccoons, or against large birds.
Donkeys may not alert you to threats, so you may be unaware of situations in your pastures. On the other hand, some donkeys bray a great deal, which may irritate your neighbors. Donkeys will bray if they are lonely or if you have conditioned them to receive attention or a treat when they see you. Expect some braying when you first bring a donkey home.
Donkeys will have difficulty guarding widely scattered sheep or goats and very large pastures with rough terrain or heavy brush or trees.
Guard donkeys may not accept herding or livestock guard dogs and may pose a threat against family pets, as well.
Some donkeys will harass other livestock and they may cause injuries. They may also interfere in the breeding or birthing process. Exercise caution placing a donkey together with ewes and their lambs, unless you are certain of his behavior. It may be necessary to remove a guard donkey from his flock at this time.
