Let's talk about Wolverines

“I love wolverines, the problem is, I have never seen one in the wild. Every now and then I will find tracks when I am traipsing in the Chequamegon. Has anyone actually seen a wolverine on the trail? You Sierra hikers might be in luck. Here's the link...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/03/10/sierra.wolverine.ap/index.html#cnnSTCText”

“Nope. They aren't native to Michigan.”

“I much prefer Spartans to Wolverines.”

“I haven't seen any wolverine, but I've seen a few Fishers. Right now I'm watching a gobbler and 3 fat hens cross my yard and slowly amble down to the stream. Thoughts are being entertained of an early spring harvest:)”

“I had a run-in with a badger once.”

“I speared a Badger”

“I almost stepped on a badger once on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Surprised the hell outta me. He just looked at me, didn't growl or nothing. Thats what I get for peeing in the tall grass I guess!”

“"Thoughts are being entertained of an early spring harvest:)"

Why don't you just shoot the mother#&%!$er?”

“I hear ya Nimblefoot. My thought is that if you eat it, and it is on your land, you should be able to take it. Just shoot a hen and leave the gobbler. Take out the breast, wrap it in bacon and grill it.

I have seen quite a few more fishers lately. My best sighting was when I was sitting in my deer stand and one came down the trail with a full lung lobe from a deer in its mouth. The lobe hung limply on either side of his mouth for about 8 inches or so. It was pretty fresh so it was flopping up and down with every bound. I watched him climb a tree to where it had broken off flat, moved a rock aside and spit the lung out in the hole. All I could think of was how did it get the rock up there, 10 feet off the ground, to cover his hidey hole. Pretty slick if you ask me.”

“Which state is the wolverine state ?? :) I wonder how that name came to be??”

“Oh, I thought this was about Red Dawn.”

“There was a wolverine sighted in Michigan a year or so ago but I personally have not seen one here. It wouldn't surprise me if they are around and are rarely if ever seen. (Kinda like the cougars.)”

“Thats kinda like me, rarely sighted. :)”

“I've seen two cougars since I moved back. One crossed through my back yard and the other loped across an old ski trail as I was hiking. I had a good look at both.”

“I have heard of people seeing cougars in Wisconsin but never talked to one. I know they are here even though the DNR says they aren't.”

“We have Wolverines in the Trinity Alps. There are also supposed to be some in Lassen Volcanic National Park. They have set "fur" traps to confirm (in Lassen) but I haven't heard what they have found.

Just might give them a call today and see whats up.”

“Lions in Michigan ... YESSS!”

“Those are #&%!$cats, Geo.


I have heard of people seeing cougars in Wisconsin but never talked to one.
squirrelbait
11:12:30 AM
3/10/08


I don't think they can talk.”

“Squirrel, why would you want to talk to a cougar?

The DNR doesn't officially acknowledge that there are cougars in northern Wisconsin. However, one of our local DNR guys told me that they were aware of their presence, but wouldn't officially say so because of the fear of public reaction (tourists).”

“Just think what a cougar could tell you if you could talk to it. It could tell you of the hikes it has been on, the hunting stories would be awesome. Learning the psychopathy of a cougar would be amazing. Maybe if I could talk to the animals, I wouldn't hunt them. It would suck to wound a rabbit and just before I administered the coup de grace it looks up at me and says "I have a wife and kids you ahole"”

“Cougars could tell you about how they like to eat the tasty parts first.”

“It's a nice sentiment, SB, but remember if your housecat weighed 50 pounds, it would eat you without being slightly curious about your family:)”

“Downtree:

Some people believe that Ohioans gave Michigan the nickname “The Wolverine State” around 1835 during a dispute over the Toledo strip, a piece of land along the border between Ohio and Michigan. Rumors in Ohio at the time described Michiganians as being as vicious and bloodthirsty as wolverines. This dispute became known as the Toledo War.

Another reason given for the nickname is a story that has Native Americans, during the 1830s, comparing Michigan settlers to wolverines. Some native people, according to this story, disliked the way settlers were taking the land because it made them think of how the gluttonous wolverine went after its food.”

“It tells you something of the retardedness of both states, that each would covet Toledo:)”

“LMAO @ NF”

“I can't believe that Nimblefoot. Animals are people just in different bodies. We are all the same on the inside. I can't understand why a cougar or a kitty of any kind would eat my family, I wouldn't eat his.”

“hows about them badgers
last edited: 3/10/08 5:01:41 PM”

“In the part of Wisconsin I am in Badgers are rarely seen. Up north there are more, but in the far west central part, not so much.”

“So are badgers and wolverines related”

“badgers are cooler

but otters are badass
last edited: 3/10/08 5:37:23 PM”

“wolverines and weasels are related.”

“Yes, both are members of the metilidae family, just like skunks, ferrets, weasels, fishers and other stinky four legged carnivores.”

“We have lots of otters up here as well. I could watch them play in the river all day:)”

“me too NF.

OTTERS RULE!!!!”

“Thank you Sassafras, I did not know that about the wolverine, being from there, that is nice to know.”

“Yeah otters are cool.

One day while out hunting small game with my brother and nephew we came upon a pond with a skim of ice on it and 7 otters playing. They would bounce up and down on their front feet on the ice till they broke through and then they would go under and come shooting up out of the ice, flip out their arms and climb out to do it all over again. We sat and watched them for at least a half hour and I was calling one closer and closer. He got within 15 feet and wouldn't budge.

Then my pocket exploded.

I had been carrying a battery pack in my pocket for my two way radio and the handful of .22 shells in my pocket were causing a short on the poles. After being in one position for around 45 minutes one of the shells exploded, blowing a ragged hole through my pocket and out my pants.

I looked down at the smoking hole in my pants, looked up at my brother and nephew staring at the smoking hole, looked out at the 7 otters who were staring at the smoking hole in my pants and waited for the blood to come shooting out. It didn't. I was fine. I dumped the rest of the shells into the snow and watched them melt through to the ground. Then I started laughing and everything was ok. Luckily for me, all the force of the explosion blew up through my pants rather than into my leg. I like to think it is because I have rock hard hiker, rugby player thighs, but I know it was luck and physics.
last edited: 3/10/08 6:45:28 PM”

“Here's the link to that wolverine story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4374309/”

“Yeah, well I saw a winter weasel while skiing once on Vermont.”

“When I was younger, my folks had a weasel that found it's way into their house one winter. My dad refused to get rid of it because it killed all the mice!


As for otters....my favorites too. I've been lucky enough to see a few of them: one playing alone on the ice of a frozen river; one time a group of SIX swimming along in front of me. They were funny. They swam up close to me and everytime they broke the surface I heard loud gasp/whistling sounds as they gulped more air.”

“I had a similar unexpected explosion in my pants when I was 12 or 13. Life hasn't been the same since:)”

“No problem downtree. I live here too. I googled for the answer and learned something myself. I'd never heard the bit about the white settlers before.”

“Damn! I do a fair amount of work for school right next to Ubly.

Gonna have to make sure I keeps me eyes peeled.”

“Yeah but Nimblefoot that was a scientificaly proven occurrence. That is called Diurnal Emissions.”