Hunting season in Minnesota...

[killdeer43]

Suuuuuey!
Feral hogs have definitely become a problem.
Go get 'em Jim! :wink:

Be careful out there,
Joe

 

[West R Lee]

Suuuuuey!
Feral hogs have definitely become a problem.
Go get 'em Jim! :wink:

Be careful out there,
Joe

Well you know Joe, I can certainly understand bringing in game animals like quail or deer for instance to hunt, but I am at a loss on trying to establish a predator population and then hunting them. Am I missing a point? When an animal becomes extinct in an area, don't you reintroduce them to try and establish them? Maybe the grey wolf population in Minnesota has exploded, but I seriously doubt it. Why not transplant them somewhere where they'll be left alone?

West

Nevermind, I sit corrected. It appears Rampside clearly stated earlier that the grey wolves have indeed spread beyond their intended habitat..........hmmm.

 

[killdeer43]

It appears Rampside clearly stated earlier that the grey wolves have indeed spread beyond their intended habitat..........hmmm.

Well, in that context, might we consider that humans have also spread beyond their intended habitat? :?

So much to ponder,
Joe

 

[Scratch]

It appears Rampside clearly stated earlier that the grey wolves have indeed spread beyond their intended habitat..........hmmm.

Well, in that context, might we consider that humans have also spread beyond their intended habitat? :?

So much to ponder,
Joe

I'm pondering. So what do you do Joe?

1. Move out of the cities in which people now live because they were once inhabited by only animals?.. Then, move where?
2. Shoot the humans who have spread beyond their intended habitat?
3. Get the animals and humans together for a 'Can't we all just get along seminar'?

Neighbor behind us lost two dogs in their back yard to a rogue cougar two years ago. I'd never seek out a big cat, but I'm armed as a cougar attacks my dog; down he goes...

Lastly: I love me some pulled pork...

 

[rampside]

West R Lee wrote:
It appears Rampside clearly stated earlier that the grey wolves have indeed spread beyond their intended habitat..........hmmm.

Well, in that context, might we consider that humans have also spread beyond their intended habitat?

So much to ponder,
Joe

Yep so much to ponder. That's why this is such a controversial subject.

I'm just dumbfounded by the number of people that just plain hate the wolf without any justifiable reason :?.

The deer hunters hate 'em because they think they lessen their chances of shooting a deer. If that was true, as someone who has to dodge deer every day on the roads, I wish there were more wolves.

Last winter the lady across the road called my wife to warn her that, there were 3 wolves on her property. My wife asked if she was feeding deer and she said she was. My wife told her to quit feeding them. She got mad. Go figure :roll:

 

[Scratch]

West R Lee wrote:
It appears Rampside clearly stated earlier that the grey wolves have indeed spread beyond their intended habitat..........hmmm.

Well, in that context, might we consider that humans have also spread beyond their intended habitat?

So much to ponder,
Joe

Yep so much to ponder. That's why this is such a controversial subject.

I'm just dumbfounded by the number of people that just plain hate the wolf without any justifiable reason :?.

The deer hunters hate 'em because they think they lessens their chances of shooting a deer. If that was true, as someone who has to dodge deer every day on the roads, I wish there were more wolves.

Last winter the lady across the road called my wife to warn her that, there were 3 wolves on her property. My wife asked if she was feeding deer and she said she was. My wife told her to quit feeding them. She got mad. Go figure :roll:

Same problem here with the deer. I've had two cars totaled in the past six years due to deer choosing the highway rather than their natural habitat. Daughter spent a day in the hospital in 2006 after wrecking her mom's car trying to avoid one. I was driving through a small community in 2007 when a big buck wiped out the side of the car as he blindly and passionately chased a doe during the rut season.

We dodge them every morning taking the granddaughter to school, driving by a neighbor's house where the lady loves to feed them. Even has a deer feeder in the yard. Must have been thirty on her front lawn this morning...

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

I'm pretty sure you're making a distinction between sport hunting and subsistence hunting?

I am at a loss on trying to establish a predator population and then hunting them.

ditto

 

[rampside]

The Gray Wolf was initially wiped out in Minnesota because the government had placed a bounty on them. Hence the Federal protection. The feds have now given control back to the state because the wolf population is thriving once again. As always humans feel this need to try and control nature. I just hope they don't screw it up this time around.

 

[drc]

I enjoy hunting, its one of the perks of living in Minnesota. However I don't think I will be applying for any tags or permits to hunt Wolf, but everything else is open game.

I wan't going to post anything on this since hunting is such a "hot" topic with some people.

 

[adorshki]

I've been an avid hunter all of my life, but get a bit confused when I see something like this. I guess my burning question is why reintroduce them if you're going to hunt them?

It's all about balance, as you noted later on. ("transplant them to somewhere they'll be left alone"). Wolves and predators in general play a valuable role in regulating the populations of their prey, which in turn actually helps keep those poulations healthy, as the wolves will tend to go for the easiest prey: the weak (genetically sub-par) and the aged. It's one of the reasons they were reintroduced to Yellowstone, trying to re-establish a healthy whole ecosystem.
Speaking of Yellowstone, curious side-note: now the buffalo have to be rounded up periodically as there's enough of them to be a nuisance to local cattlemen, when they leave the park, as they're able to do. (No fences.)
Feral hogs? MAJOR growing problem all over the country. Insufficent predators to keep 'em in check. ME? I wouldn't shoot an animal if I didn't intend to eat it or prevent it from eating something I didn't want it to eat. 8)
Back to wolves: read an absolutely fascinating book buy a guy who spent 3 seasons with a pack in Alaska. They became so accustomed to him that he was actually able to enter a den and observe newborn pups. They accepted him like part of the pack. Mot of you probably know they have complex social relationships including long-term mating. Pretty easy to see how some dog breeds very well might have been domesticated from wolves, or at least crossbred.
Most interesting fact to me? A MAJOR part of those Alaskan wolves' diet was actually field mice. :shock: Field mice?
And they had a whole technique passed down from parents to pups to get the mice to jump up out of the tundra grass so they could catch 'em in mid-air, just like when you toss your dog a snack. :lol:

 

[killdeer43]

I was in the field early this morning and put two of these guys on the run. This was a long shot at a moving target, but you get the idea.

Coyote, also known as God's Dog

These were two of the healthiest specimens I've seen. :wink:

Joe

 

[Scratch]

Speaking of Big Cats. Just got this flash email from our Property Owners Association. Per the below advisory, the cat was sighted at sunset this evening on a ridge about 1/2 mile from our house . Keeping KC and the kitty inside tonight.

Mystic Shores
Property Owners Association
Mountain Lion Alert
A tan-colored full grown mountain lion has been spotted on Star Ridge in Unit 11 (and was previously observed in Cypress Cove). One was also spotted a few years ago in Unit 11 before all the coyotes disappeared. It is thought that the return of the coyotes and the heavy deer population has resulted in the return of the mountain lion. Please be aware of the danger this mountain lion may pose. See http://www.mountainlion.org/portalprotect.asp for information how best to protect yourself and your pets.

 

[adorshki]

Speaking of Big Cats..... One was also spotted a few years ago in Unit 11 before all the coyotes disappeared.

Hmmmm.... read between those lines..... :lol:

 

[killdeer43]

It's raining cats and dogs! :wink:

Joe

 

[FNG]

It's raining cats and dogs! :wink:

Joe

If it starts raining mountain lions, we're in trouble. :shock: :shock: :lol:

 

[CA-35]

It's raining cats and dogs! :wink:
Joe

If it starts raining mountain lions, we're in trouble. :shock: :shock: :lol:

As long as it doesn't start "raining men" :lol: :wink:

 

[Scratch]

Received from our neighbors this evening. Dang thing just hung around in his fenced back yard, then casually strolled away in the dark:

Most likely will be gone in a day or two. The males usually maintain a 100 square mile (or so) territory and patrol the perimeters through the year. Two females allowed; no other males. When the dominant male passes on another takes its place...

 

[Dr Izza Plumber]

Great images of the big cat, Ken!
I see them now and then, in My area of SWFL. We see many more bobcats and feral pigs down here.
First time I ever saw a big cat in the wild was up in NY State, during winter in 1984.
The huge cat crossed the road in front of Us, and My wife saw it, My then 5 year old son saw it, plus my brother saw it from the back seat of Our Buick.
Nobody believed Me until a fellow truck driver spoke with friends of his, ie, the local game wardens, and they admitted a healthy population of those big cats resided in rural, Western NY.

Now for My views regarding the Wolf hunting.......everything must be done in moderation.
Too many deer causing road hazards, crop damage, & not enough being taken by hunters.......lyme disease spreads to other species, as well as rabies.
The Timber Wolf really can help contain that deer population, unfortunately, the Wolf population does continues to grow rapidly and if not kept in balance, MANY livestock and house pets are killed by the wolves.

Good luck on Your Wild Pig hunt West....I know the Texas Farmers surely will appreciate Your efforts! 8)
When successful, please do send an image via email, or PM, if possible.

~Izza

 

[rampside]

If it starts raining mountain lions, we're in trouble. :shock: :shock: :lol:

One has to be careful of those big kittys. Far more dangerous than the big bad wolf.

 

[killdeer43]

If it starts raining mountain lions, we're in trouble. :shock: :shock: :lol:

One has to be careful of those big kittys. Far more dangerous than the big bad wolf.

No contest in a one-on-one! :shock:

Joe