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9.3x57
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Wolf Hunting in Europe???
      #91425 - 13/12/07 12:24 PM

We here in Idaho, USA are headed for a season of some sort, soon. Is there any legal hunting of wolves in Europe now? If so, how are they hunted, and does anyone have any pictures?

Here is a picture of a track. I took this picture today, just off the boundary of my place. We have seen two this fall.



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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?


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93mouse
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: 9.3x57]
      #91458 - 13/12/07 07:22 PM

Here in Slovenia we have a stable wolf population, however we are limited to a exceptional permission by Forrest ministry that is given here and there. Wolves are shot mainly at the bear feeders - moonlight nights, or occasionaly on their known passages or by chance if they are cought in driven hunt.

I know there are organised driven hunts in Lithuania (mainly for moose) where wolves are taken quite often - here is a pic from one of those Lithuanian hunts:



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Ripp
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: 93mouse]
      #91475 - 14/12/07 01:04 AM

There was just an article in the local paper yesterday---stating wolf season is coming and sooner than later--it stated that the wolf population since the reintroduction in 1995 is in excess of 20% per year..they felt with the large increase on an annual basis.. there would be about 130 available to harvest per year...

I have my pen ready to apply for that application once it is available...

As to wolf photos--attached is one I took in Alaska--a few years ago..not in Europe, but a wolf just the same..

Ripp




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Ripp
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: 93mouse]
      #91476 - 14/12/07 01:09 AM

Quote:

Here in Slovenia we have a stable wolf population, however we are limited to a exceptional permission by Forrest ministry that is given here and there. Wolves are shot mainly at the bear feeders - moonlight nights, or occasionaly on their known passages or by chance if they are cought in driven hunt.







Looks like you are using a 12 gauge on that???... what you using for ammo?

Ripp

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9.3x57
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: 93mouse]
      #91477 - 14/12/07 01:13 AM

Yes, Lithuania is one I'm familiar with. A friend of mine is Lithuanian, and travels back every year to hunt there with family. He has not shot a wolf, but tells me that in some parts of the country they are shot more-or-less on sight due to their deleterious effect on game numbers.

Our wolf population here is skyrocketing, with the game department now unsure of the total numbers but last I heard they guess 2000 or so. They told us originally the annual increase would be a very low percentage, but I've been told of a Canadian study that indicated in some circumstances annual wolf increase can approach 30% or greater. Even this number would not bring us to the levels we are told they are at now, so either the Feds are not being totally straight with us {ya don't suppose...} about how many they dumped in Idaho in the '90's, or other sources are contributing to the increase {release of wolfcross bitches in heat have already been reported} or the annual recruitment is in excess of 30%, or all of the above.

Any other countries in Europe have huntable wolves?

I know Sweden and Norway {Finland, too?} have wolves, but I do not believe they are legally hunted?

We had one of the bastards standing on the railroad tracks behind the ranch house here a few months ago, staring at my sheep and horses which were grazing about 100 yards away. My wife who is not a hunter saw it and has now agreed to commence rifle training this winter. We have had some very bad experiences with stray and wild dogs, and we have no desire to add wolves to the mix. Also had one on the hayfield during deer season and I have watched one chase a deer a few years ago. Most of us didn't want them and still don't want them but we are stuck with them.

What is the view of wolves in parts of Europe where they may be found? Are there natural controls on their populations {disease, etc}? Curious to know...

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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?


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93mouse
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: Ripp]
      #91478 - 14/12/07 01:28 AM

Ripp its not me - pic is from my friend's site: http://www.pasat.si/slomeni/litva.asp - I guess this guy used 12 ga with buck shot.

9,3x57 - wolves do have a big impact especially on red deer here, but are "tolerated" to some extent - with domestic animals (sheep etc) here, many times there are vagrant dogs that are cousers of molesting but wolves are convicted and pay the price...

BTW there are CITES permits (cost 200€) required for wolf in Lithuania.

Edited by 93mouse (14/12/07 01:29 AM)


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9.3x57
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: 93mouse]
      #91479 - 14/12/07 01:53 AM

Quote:

9,3x57 - wolves do have a big impact especially on red deer here,




Yes, the primary prey species for wolf are said to be elk, here. Similar animal, possibly similar habits.

Wolves do keep elk {and deer} moving and that has made me wonder if there is some support from the forestry industry {private and/or public} for their reintroduction/recovery. I cannot get a forester from any timber company to admit that their company has supported wolf recovery {obviously it would be suicide to do so...}, but they will of course admit to the fact of wolf behavior and the benefit to timber production.

RIPP: we will have a season here, too. It will be a joke, just like your season there. It will have zero effect on wolf population and that, naturally, is not the reason for the season. We are stuck with wolves unless alot of dogs get parvo and wander into the woods and spread the "good cheer" around. And even that is only a temporary "solution". The head of wolf recovery in Idaho has told me that yes, wolves may indeed {my interpretation: "will"} effect hunting opportunities in the state.

We already are here, in that elk are moving in totally unpredictable ways, and down in Weippe, and near Orofino I am told some drainages that have traditionally held elk are devoid of them during the season as elk move and are stressed due to wolf pressure.

The small price we will pay for the joy of knowing these wonderful, beautiful animals exist in "the wild"!

--------------------
What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?


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Ripp
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: 9.3x57]
      #91487 - 14/12/07 04:59 AM

Quote:

Quote:

9,3x57 - wolves do have a big impact especially on red deer here,




RIPP: we will have a season here, too. It will be a joke, just like your season there. It will have zero effect on wolf population and that, naturally, is not the reason for the season. We are stuck with wolves unless alot of dogs get parvo and wander into the woods and spread the "good cheer" around. And even that is only a temporary "solution". The head of wolf recovery in Idaho has told me that yes, wolves may indeed {my interpretation: "will"} effect hunting opportunities in the state.

We already are here, in that elk are moving in totally unpredictable ways, and down in Weippe, and near Orofino I am told some drainages that have traditionally held elk are devoid of them during the season as elk move and are stressed due to wolf pressure.

The small price we will pay for the joy of knowing these wonderful, beautiful animals exist in "the wild"!





Our northern herd has gone from 19,000 plus animals in 1996 to last springs count of 6000 plus---now it is being blamed on grizzlies, climate change, etc.. but amazingly enought the only real change is that wolves were reintroduced...in 1995..

Same thing when I drive to W Yellowstone every week. There is about a 28 mile stretch that goes through Yellowstone National Park--before the wolves I would literally see 6 to 800 head in that area wintering--now---the only thing you see is bulls as they can defend themselves with their antlers somewhat--all the cows and calves now winter on the other side of the divide--but a pack has followed them over there as well..

The wolves we were told were to help lower the number of bison in the park.. which as a bunch of crap--the wolves have had next to zero effect on them as they are too big to take down--the wolves are eating the young as soon as they are born however so sooner or later it might have some effect. there have been actual sightings of wolves eating the calves of bison and elk as they were being born...can you say aggressive??

Normaly recruitment on elk prior to wolves was 25 to 30%--after wolves it has been 2 to 6%..not enough to sustain the herd.



Ripp

Edited by Ripp (14/12/07 06:19 AM)


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Paatti
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: Ripp]
      #91497 - 14/12/07 07:06 AM

In Finnland it is legal to hunt wolves but in southern part only if you have a special permit.
Population is quite limited in here and hopely stays so. Traditional moose, hare and bird hunting with dogs is already endangered in some parts of our country because wolves. Wolf is listed in endangered species list ant therefore it is extremely difficult to get license even when some wolves came in to yards and take domestic animals. Finnish wolves are same population than russian wolves so Finnish wolf is definitely not endangered species.
I have seen couple of myself and my wife seen three once when she was riding. My grandfather's pet name was Sus' Yrkkä = Wolfie George because he shot one with his Mauser 9,3x57 rifle about 50 years ago. Then wolf was extremely rare animal in here because then man can hunt it freely.


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9.3x57
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: Paatti]
      #91529 - 14/12/07 12:52 PM

Quote:

I have seen couple of myself and my wife seen three once when she was riding. My grandfather's pet name was Sus' Yrkkä = Wolfie George because he shot one with his Mauser 9,3x57 rifle about 50 years ago. Then wolf was extremely rare animal in here because then man can hunt it freely.




Ripp: very good summation. They are indeed trouble.

Paati, very interesting. Still have that rifle? With a season possibly starting next year, I'd love to take one with mine!

--------------------
What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?


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Paul
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Reged: 28/08/07
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: 9.3x57]
      #91553 - 14/12/07 06:34 PM

Sorry to hear of the detrimental effects the wolves have had, 9threexFifty7, but I wonder if there is still time to think like a mountain, as Aldo Leopold put it? Could the wolves possibly improve the health of the deer herd and reduce erosion, as he believed? Could the number of people killed when cars hit deer be reduced when wolves are around?

I understand your concern about domestic stock. Farmers over here hate foxes and wild dogs very much - but I remember matching wits with the red varmints that ate our lambs as the high point of life on our farm. As a native animal, even if reintroduced, the wolf probably has more to be said for it than the imported pests that bother us.

Maybe there is a middle way where more wolves could be hunted, making a pastime when deer season is closed. The limited and somewhat humdrum native game of Australia makes me think a formidable predator might even add to the richness of experience. Our people have to invent them, hence the 'puma' seen in many country districts.

Leopold reckoned that the real kick and benefit of hunting and camping was atavistic - reliving the world of our forebears. Savage beasts were part of life for yours - and way back, mine.

Happy Christmas
- Paul

PS: I like your bit of scripture - I subscribe to that 'forum', too.


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Paatti
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: 9.3x57]
      #91556 - 14/12/07 08:08 PM

Quote:

Quote:

I have seen couple of myself and my wife seen three once when she was riding. My grandfather's pet name was Sus' Yrkkä = Wolfie George because he shot one with his Mauser 9,3x57 rifle about 50 years ago. Then wolf was extremely rare animal in here because then man can hunt it freely.




Paati, very interesting. Still have that rifle? With a season possibly starting next year, I'd love to take one with mine!




My uncle own that rifle nowdays. Have to take couple of pictures sometimes and put some here.


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9.3x57
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: Paul]
      #91574 - 15/12/07 12:38 AM

Quote:

Sorry to hear of the detrimental effects the wolves have had, 9threexFifty7, but I wonder if there is still time to think like a mountain, as Aldo Leopold put it? Could the wolves possibly improve the health of the deer herd and reduce erosion, as he believed? Could the number of people killed when cars hit deer be reduced when wolves are around?

I understand your concern about domestic stock. Farmers over here hate foxes and wild dogs very much - but I remember matching wits with the red varmints that ate our lambs as the high point of life on our farm. As a native animal, even if reintroduced, the wolf probably has more to be said for it than the imported pests that bother us.

Maybe there is a middle way where more wolves could be hunted, making a pastime when deer season is closed. The limited and somewhat humdrum native game of Australia makes me think a formidable predator might even add to the richness of experience. Our people have to invent them, hence the 'puma' seen in many country districts.

Leopold reckoned that the real kick and benefit of hunting and camping was atavistic - reliving the world of our forebears. Savage beasts were part of life for yours - and way back, mine.

Happy Christmas
- Paul

PS: I like your bit of scripture - I subscribe to that 'forum', too.




Paati: YES, please post pic's or PM me and I'll give you my email address.

Paul:

Thanks for your kind words and glad you bring up Leopold as your summation is well put and addresses the views of many.

All of the points you raise are addressed in the Idaho Draft Wolf Resolution and proposed management plan. They are legitimate points of politics on the wolf issue. Some view it like you do; "wolves have some intrinsic value of their own and they should be managed like other big game".

Two things I have to say about that view. First, that is essentially where the Idaho Fish and Game Department {"State"} is headed with the wolf recovery program. The State {who didn't want wolves in the first place...} sees the best option for them to be as an additional huntable big game animal. Add them to the list: lion, black bear {grizzly may not be hunted} and wolf. Remember though UNLIKE Australia, we HAVE many predators. Add to the list above coyote and bobcat, both of which kill more than there share of ungulates, primarily during spring calving season. From a hunting and management standpoint, we don't need them. They serve no essential purpose that cannot be better served in my opinion, and the opinion of many others, by hunters. Wolves are a different predator in degree. They are the top of the food chain and as such compete with hunters for the same game animals.

Simply put, My freezer is a better place for surplus ungulates than a wolf's gullet.

Secondly, from a purely biological view, we have always had wolves. They were never "extinct" in Idaho. The numbers were small, but they did exist.

Practically-speaking we are stuck with them. We will likely have a hunting season on them in the next couple years. I predict that the numbers taken will be so small as to have essentially no impact on the total numbers of wolves in the state. Hunting opportunities for people will be impacted, as they already are.

The State game management departments used to be for the purpose of managing game animals for best hunting opportunities. Increasingly they are being pressured to manage non-game animals and be "everything to everyone". They have a very tough job. I would say, impossible.

Like others, now that we have wolves at the numbers we do, I'd like to see them listed on equal terms with the coyote, which for Idaho means all-year hunting and trapping. A tag system could be established so the state would know how many were killed. "Shoot on sight" as it were, but let the State know you did.

That type of management would NOT eliminate wolves. It was wholesale poisoning and den-dynamiting and now-illegal methods of trapping that knocked the wolf down to what I think were sufficient numbers and such a program would have to be initiated to get the wolf down to such numbers again, something that, unfortunately, isn't going to happen probably in my lifetime.

--------------------
What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?


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Ripp
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: 9.3x57]
      #91577 - 15/12/07 01:00 AM

You are dead on in your thoughts on the wolf. There is NO way the average "hunting season" will reduce the numbers..first of all, the average hunter can not take that much time off work. In addition, the wolves are hanging around typically off the main beaten path.. hunters will have to work to get the wolves--again, the average hunter will use that time for hunting elk, deer or whatever to fill their freezers versus hunting these--if there are still elk, deer, etc left in that area..

There are too many wolves to control at this point and other methods will have to be implemented to have a noticable effect..

Ripp

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..


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DarylS
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: Paul]
      #91587 - 15/12/07 02:06 AM

Quote:

Sorry to hear of the detrimental effects the wolves have had, 9threexFifty7, but I wonder if there is still time to think like a mountain, as Aldo Leopold put it? Could the wolves possibly improve the health of the deer herd and reduce erosion, as he believed? Could the number of people killed when cars hit deer be reduced when wolves are around?

I understand your concern about domestic stock. Farmers over here hate foxes and wild dogs very much - but I remember matching wits with the red varmints that ate our lambs as the high point of life on our farm. As a native animal, even if reintroduced, the wolf probably has more to be said for it than the imported pests that bother us.

Maybe there is a middle way where more wolves could be hunted, making a pastime when deer season is closed. The limited and somewhat humdrum native game of Australia makes me think a formidable predator might even add to the richness of experience. Our people have to invent them, hence the 'puma' seen in many country districts.

Leopold reckoned that the real kick and benefit of hunting and camping was atavistic - reliving the world of our forebears. Savage beasts were part of life for yours - and way back, mine.

Happy Christmas
- Paul

PS: I like your bit of scripture - I subscribe to that 'forum', too.



;
: Wolves take the 'prominent' animal if possible as it is alone. With caribou, it is normally the herd bull, the best breeder in the herd as he'll stand firm to allow the herd to escape. He is the prominent animal of that herd - each time the best of the herd is killed, the gene pool of that herd diminishes - not getting better. It is the best that always does the breeding - not the poorest. Packs in this area are now running upwards of 20 to 30 animals. Guess how many 200 pound deer it takes to feed 25, 150 pound wolves in 1 month. 25 wolves do not feed on one deer or one moose. They have to pull down enough animals so there is room for them to feed. So - it's cow moose with calves - both down. Lone bulls, down - caribou herd bulls - down. I don't see a good aspect to wolves and never have. In the 70's the wolves almost annilated the caribou in Spatzizi. They have not recovered to their previous numbers to the best of my knowledge.
; Herds are not better off with wolves - only the bunny huggers would have you believe that.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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9.3x57
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: DarylS]
      #91598 - 15/12/07 04:28 AM

Daryl, there is some interesting data and research presented in the Idaho Draft Wolf Resolution that applies to your points there. There is some research that indicates wolves have a "purifying" effect on some herds. This may in fact be true, but it is a function that can also be accomplished by human hunters.

Value judgements guide all policy decisionmaking. To those who say wolves should have a protected place in the ecology of the West due to some inherent value due their status as a living organism, I say this: Some organisms should not exist at all or should exist in very small numbers under a very strictly protected program of management.

Wolves are in my opinion one of them. The organisms that cause small pox, malaria, HIV and dengue fever are others. Those are also living organisms. Maybe they should be given free reign? I find wolves boring, bothersome, ugly and quite frankly I would love to see them exist in zoos all around the world. Just not in the woods and mountains of Idaho.

--------------------
What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?


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DarylS
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: 9.3x57]
      #91622 - 15/12/07 10:03 AM

We think alike concerning wolves, that is for sure. Just ask the ranchers in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho how much they like those sweet Canadian Wolves. Who the bloody hell OK'd that purchase, anyway?
; After the great caribou kill-off by wolves in Spatsisi back in the mid 70's, they migrated South, down the Skeena river, Killing off the ungulates on the way, moose, caribou and goats as well as the few deer that were beginning to multiply along the corridor, until they hit the Bulkley Valley and the scattered civilization that lived there. Here, at Hazeltown, B.C. the packs split, some spreading West to Terrace and others spreading out East as far as Burns Lake.
; While destroying the deer and moose populations, along with the local carrion eaters, the coyotes, they sustained their numbers and continud to greatly increase in numbers by eating beef as the ungulates #'s were decimated. Beef ranches border the highway in both directions, but mostly in the East. By the end of the 70's, many hunters and ranchers had had enough, bought 10/80 poison (gopher poison) cooked it down to concentrate it and injected fat and meat balls. They then dropped them from planes and spread them by snowmobile in fields and on open lakes, trying to limit the #'s of innocent causalties, where-ever the wolves travelled. Within 4 years of the start of this 'private program', we started seeing moose and deer again in the Valley. The bounced back quite quickly after only a meagre poisoning program as the wolves learned to stay away from humans, again.
; Had they been taken care of in Spatsisi, they wouldn't have migrated South and hit the populated areas, threatening children on their way to school (happened several times) in the city of Terrace nor killing their pets- numerous occurances, bush areas of town. The bunny huggers in the big Southern Cities along with the socialistic friend's of animal bast---s hidden in the Game branch were the reason for this situation. It is unfortunate it had to be taken over and remedied by average citizens who'd had enough. They even ran one biologist out of Smithers.
: Similar things happened in Alaska when the wolves were at their worse - when offered their very own 'wolf' live-trapped and shipped to them, the do-gooders in Los Angles said "no, we just want to know they're roaming free in Alaska"..... eating moose. I added that.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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heavydane
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Re: Wolf Hunting in Europe??? [Re: DarylS]
      #91691 - 16/12/07 04:06 AM

And it is not any better in Sweden!
Locally moose is almost extinght and dog owners will not let their dogs hunt without a leach.
Treehuggers in fancy appartments in Stockholm thinks reintroduction of wolves is a great succes!
You are better of shooting Your neighbour than a Wolf, shoot one and all the country´s resources will be used to convict You, and I mean helicopters, special forces, the works! Funny thing is that no cityslicker have objected to the cost of wolves yet.


Regards
Heavydane


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