Aerial hunting of Alaskan Wolves! Barbar ic!!

“I had heard about this barbaric and cruel hunting practice before on wolves. How a human could even kill a wolf is beyond me understanding!! And trophy hunting has to be the very worst of all hunting. Killing an animal for it's fur or to stuff and hang on ones wall is horrible. Killing an animal for it's food, and only if you need that food is a totally different thing.
Wolves are beautiful & majestic creatures & we should feel honored to share this earth with them..and with all the other wildlife. They are a predator animal and keep the natural ecosystem in balance...without them there would be an over population of other creatures.
Why some humans can't understand that is beyond me.
http://defenders.spacely.com/alerts/alertsmain.cfm?alertID=23&orgid=05CSAWA”

“There's another thread or two on this in the archives. It's still reprehensible.”

“Is it some sort of culling, or done for sport, there wouldn't seem to be much of a challenge involved for the hunter?”

“And sounds really fun! Come on as a environmental biologist no matter how ugly or beautiful these creatures are there can also be an over abundance of predators also. Something Alaskan Game and Fish and other closely related organizations keep a close eye on.”

“y2 - no challenge? Obviously you've never hung half-way out of a helicopter, drunk, while trying to shoot what may be one or two identical blurs.

I live for the challenge and only fell once.”

“Define "overabundance"? Too many getting hit by snowmobiles?”

“Freedom. Love it or leave it.”

“He he he, Nigal thinks he's free ;o)”

“sometimes you have to thin the herd out. Looks like the wolf population in Alaska is thriving or maybe getting to large. Better to kill them off than starve them to death.

In Tn there is way to many deer. So they have changed it to where you can get 3 a day. Also there is the problem of mad cow disease in deer. They call it something else but it is the samething.”

““He he he, Nigal thinks he's free ;o)”

Now there ya go with your police state fear mongering again. :P”

“Why should I define it for this particular situation (I think that's what you’re expecting)? I obviously have not studied as in depth as Alaska's Game and Fish. Obviously, they have done the research and documentation to prove that there would be no species derogation by this activity. Ask them or tell me, I’m sure you know much more than I do about this particular situation and species.”

“Yes, God forbid we let nature take it's course where nature still has a chance, eh?

Pleas don't anyone take this personally but it really pisses me off when we defend "thinning the herd" because we don't want them to suffer. maybe we should put them all in #&%!$ing zoos where they'll be safe from the environment?

Too many wolves then let nature take it's course and not use it as an excuse to bag a rug.

And please, lets kill the biggest trophies so in a few years we'll have to kill more prey species b/c, somehow, the herd grew exponentially.

I'm sure a balance in prey & predator is viable in Alaska if we would give it a god damn chance for once.

Rant off.
last edited: 1/04/05 12:14:50 PM”

“http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2004/12/11/news/oregon/satore02.txt

In Alaska, meantime, state officials have begun issuing permits for aerial hunters to kill wolves in parts of Alaska in an effort to boost moose and caribou populations.

Officials want to cull about 500 wolves in various parts of the state to control their numbers this winter. Alaska's wolf population is estimated at 8,000 to 11,000, and hunters and trappers kill an average of 1,500 a year, officials said
----------------|---------------

500 not the 900 cited by the first post.
Yep this is a cull, not sport.

I guess some people would prefer the natural boom and bust cycle where wolf populations increase until there are no more moose and caribou. Then the wolves all starve leaving a depopulated area to be gradually re-populated from surrounding areas.
Wildlife management consists of keeping a population in balance, just like on a farm.

Culling any species is not fun, but the alternative is starvation for the wolves when the food runs out.
Also where is your compassion for the moose and caribou ?? With a large population of wolves they have no chance at all.”

“The category you choose for your thread is very important on how it will be displayed on Trail Talk. Please make a valiant effort. General topics about the outdoors and other friendly topics that everyone enjoys should be put under the General Backpacking/Outdoors/Fun category. All political and religion threads should be placed under Fuego. thebackpacker.com reserves the right to edit, delete and re-categorize any thread.”

“Somehow these species survived long before we took over their survival needs.

All of a sudden a predator will get the upper hand and destroy it's prey? Bull#&%!$.

Maybe the hunters want more prey species to themselves?”

“SS, official TT policeman strikes again ;-)
last edited: 1/04/05 12:21:31 PM”

“I don’t know but when I compare the 500 wolf permits to the number of unborn babies killed every year I just can’t get my panties in a bunch over it.”

“BM, if there isn't enough food for the wolves to eat what do you propose they do. Should they start tracking down people who live in the tundra of Alaska.

yes it may be wrong to do it that way but it is sure better than letting them starve to death. I am sure you have seen an animal starve to death before!”

“SOMEONE has to be the adult and slap these stupid newbies into shape.”

“SS, your right..this should be under chatter instead of general”

“I purpose we let nature take it's course and not use it as a lame ass excuse to bag a rug.

A species that overpopulates learns it's lesson if we would give it a chance. The pack/herd/etc will struggle to survive as it's supposed to and only the strongest will win.

The strongest do not win from a "cull".

Species have starved from overpopulation before we ever decided we needed to step in and #&%!$ things up more.”

“Actually history is liberally sprinkled with species that became extinct.

Extinction has greatly accelerated with humans taking all available land to build condos on, and dumping the toxic byproduct of billions of humans on a planet wide basis.

We are a global plague of locusts who have turned large parcels of the planet into deserts with deforestation followed by overgrazing.

Instead of protesting the culling of wolves, protest against artificially feeding humans who are starving. To quote you "let nature take it's course".

Before you attack me as cruel and insensitive look at the inconsistency of your own position. Why should we help human populations but not moose or caribou ?

What is the difference between wolves attacking weakened caribou and Dafur attacking Sudanese ? why intervene in one but not the other ?”

“"What is the difference between wolves attacking weakened caribou and Dafur attacking Sudanese ? why intervene in one but not the other ?”

I know it's only the first week of Janurary but I do believe I found the Burn of the Year. Kudos!”

“Nigal - that comparison leaves yourself as the only one burned.”

“I didn't day it. I just pointed at it. But are we not a part of nature itself? Why is survival of the fittest only for the animals? If we're going to use the balance of nature argument why not at least concead to human tribal fittness too?”

“SS - I don't think discussions about wildlife and wilderness should be Fuego at all - they're intricately tied to backpacking.”

“Yeah, the hunting backpacking thread wasn't feugo.”

“i agree with y2.

i thought fuego was for politics and religion.

just cause a topic may be controversial doesn't automatically make it fuego does it?

it could make the categories pretty blurry if you had to check fuego everytime you created a thread that might cause a disagreement.”

“Perhaps all new posts automatically flagged as fuego ~ after 30 posts the screening soft ware scans for any possible derogatory terms and, if none found, re-categorizes the thread.

BTW y2, I was advocating intervention both for animals and humans.”

“'A species that overpopulates learns it's lesson if we would give it a chance' ,,,, since when did wolves develope a 3rd layer on the cortex.”

“Moose & caribou and what not take care of themselves and we should take care of ourselves.

We are one species and have our own survival skills and methods.

You cannot compare the two.

We are pretty much the only species that likes to really wipe each other out. Another big difference.

It's sad that some seem to (unitentionally?) treat different countries/ethnicities as different species.”

“species that continuously overpopulate evolve to produce less offspring.

God forbid we let them evolve, eh? How did these species survive before humans "took control"?

Another point: when does it end? When Alaska has no more room for wolves?
last edited: 1/04/05 1:19:11 PM”

“and yes, extinction happens. But you'll find that species of prey and predator that still exist have co-evolved together for eons. Each helping the other.

One doesn't all of a sudden get the "upper hand"”

“I think all discussions about Y2 are Fuego, even if they're intricately tied to backpacking. ;-)

Dang Limey!!!! ;-)

When we gonna hike together, Y2?”

“I would 1st like to apologize to Stovestomper for posting this thread in the incorrect place.
I would like to ask Stovestomper why is it that other posters can post a thread here that has nothing at all to do with backpacking, hiking or gear? Yet my post is not right.
Why then did you post a thread about Sandra Bullock's donation..what does that have to do with backpacking?

I see a lot of threads that have nothing at all to do with backpacking, or outdoors.

I am not a stupid person..and I take great offense in you calling me or other so called newbies to this board stupid!!!!! To let you know I am extremely hurt over your statement. I only posted this because I am a very caring and compassionate person both to humans and to all animals of this earth..I thought with all the traffic this board gets it would be a good place to post it..my intentions were only good!
My morning starts off with a cup of coffee & drinking it while I visit this board..I look forward to it each morning when I get up. But after this post...my feelings have totally changed on how I look at this board now.

To trailhound 57...your statement..sounds really fun...are you serious? How could running a pack of wolves to exhaustion be fun? I do realize that there may be a certain predator species that is over populated in some areas..and I would not want hear about any wildlife starving to death....and if a culling needs to be done, then it needs to be done in a non-cruel & humane way to the animal..not by chasing them in an airplane.
What about it one of those wolves killed is pregnant.

It comes down to money...the more wolves killed the more deer, elk, moose, caribou there are for hunters to kill. It is a very sad situation to me.
I think humans interfere to much in the natural world & that is why planet earth is in trouble.
I at times feel very ashamed to be a human & think being an animal may be better.

So again I do apologize for posting this on the wrong place. But I am not a STUPID person.”

“This issue came up while we lived in Fairbanks. PETA tried to organized a tourist boycott. Somebody ran a full page ad in the Fairbanks paper.

Picture a man in a ski mask holding a gun to a wolf's head.
Caption:
"Tourists, visit Alaska or the wolf get's it!"”

“Tell it to the guy that got eaten by wolves, in Mammoth Mountain after he got lost skiing. They only found his feet in his ski boots.”

“To trailhound 57...your statement..sounds really fun...are you serious? How could running a pack of wolves to exhaustion be fun? I do realize that there may be a certain predator species that is over populated in some areas..and I would not want hear about any wildlife starving to death....and if a culling needs to be done, then it needs to be done in a non-cruel & humane way to the animal..not by chasing them in an airplane.
madeintahoe

Exhaustion? Most certainly not an expert at this and most certainly never have I hunted from an aircraft but I doubt the animals are shot from a fixed wing aircraft nor can I imagine anyone getting a decent shot at something as quicker than a dog as it cuts through the brush. I may be wrong though. All hunting from aircraft involving fixed wing is spot, land, search, and shoot. And with a copter it involves being at a distance that allow a stationary target. Again, maybe I'm wrong?

What about it one of those wolves killed is pregnant.
madeintahoe

That what species gender hunts and limited hunting seasons are for.”

“I have never heard of a wolf hunting and killing a human in North America.”

“madeintahoe, don't take SS too seriously he's normally a nice guy. He seems to be grouchy on a lot of threads today, but isn't usually.

SS - take it easy, nobody was being stupid.”

“Sometimes I'm stupid”

“well said madein. maybe he was already dead stan”

“Bearmagnet, I got the story (Part of it) from the lastest issue of Stuff...the one with Tara Reid on the cover.

Story is about Eric Lamanque snowboarding and getting lost. And how he used the edge of his board to make a two ended spear...to fight off the wolves if they attacked. They were tracking him.

Anyways, the story mentioned another guy (skier) who got eaten by wolves, the previous year.

Out there.....we're just part of the food chain.”

“techntrek, the liberals are starting to drive SS crazy...lol”

“i would love a decent link to these stories. North American wolves evolved with Humans as a hunter and is therefore naturally fearful of humans. However, environmental stress might cause attacks, eh?

European/Asian wolves hunted humans long before humans evolved to predator and that's probably why it isn't so rare to find a human kill from a wolf.”

“'stupid newbie' is an generic term that applies to all newbies. ;-)

I'm sorry if you took it to mean you personally, I did not intend for it to be taken that way. Sorry.

Yea, I'm on a tear today.
Controversial threads are FUEGO, IMHO.
Anything that gets Left/Right pissing on each other and calling each other names like 'stupid newbie' is FUEGO. ;-)”

“SS - take it easy, nobody was being stupid.”
techntrek
2:25:56 PM
1/04/05

DANG IT TECHNTREK!!!!!! AAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
AAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
AAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

Man, I feel so much better! ;-)

Now y'all don't do any stupid!!!!! ;-)”

“hey BM, I just got through reading a book about Norma Cobb. She was the last person to file for land under Alaska's homestead act back in the 70's. The book is called Arctic Homestead. She talks about the wolves trying to get her kids and how they stalked the cabin they lived in. Interesting book.”

“more people die every year from head injuries caused by falling coconuts - then die from shark attacks (or wolves)”

“Controversial threads are FUEGO, IMHO.
Anything that gets Left/Right pissing on each other
StoveStomper
2:42:09 PM
1/04/05

so does that mean ultralight backpacking vs non-ultralight backpacking is feugo ;-)”