A general forum for the discussion of hunting with beagles, guns, clothing and other equipment and just talking dawgs! (Tall tales on hunting allowed, but remember, first liar doesn't stand a chance)
The only exception I have with this story is this part:
"A crow cawing from down the hill led them to Blackey's remains. All that was there were his head and spine. Justin helped Scott bury what was left and pile large rocks on the grave. He told Scott that while attacks on hunting dogs are not uncommon, this was the first time he had ever seen wolves actually eat one. He theorized that the wolves had depleted the local game populations to the point where they were seeking alternative sources of food, meaning more dogs and even humans could follow."
In every case that I know of dogs getting killed by wolves here in MN and WI, the wolves quickly ate most of what they killed. NorWester can tell you this from first hand experience, he even has pictures of what was left of his dogs after the wolf digested the rest
42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
We see wolf tracks and have seen a couple of wolves cross a logging path while hare hunting in Northern Michigan (UP) .
A couple of things that seemed to helped is..... MAKE NOISE. We hike the dogs in before the jump and yell out to them as we go. Also, we run a pack of 5 or more dogs at a time. Never leave a dog out overnight. No plan is perfect but this has worked for us so far.
The sort of behavior in that Outdoor Life story is very typical of wolf behavior. No doubt it's both territorial and predatory in nature. They behave the same with each other as well, so a dog or other canine type is all the same to them. I have never seen any evidence to suggest they (the wolves) were starving.......this is just what they do. They are wolves after all.
T Lee, sometimes it doesn't matter what you do. I had one move on my pack of hounds (7 in total) within 100 yards of my house where we'd been running most of the morning. Although I was right in there with them I didn't see or hear anything other than an off sounding bark and then a break down in the rabbit run. My Lucy bitch and and a young male, Drum were taken. I tracked down what was left of Drum, his head and front legs, but never did find any sign of my bitch other than what I found about 2 weeks after the incident while doing "recon" in the back 80 around my place.....
NorWester1, Sorry to hear about what happened to your dogs.
"He theorized that the wolves had depleted the local game populations to the point where they were seeking alternative sources of food, meaning more dogs and even humans could follow."
The above statement sounds alot like hunger/necessity to me. Most wild animals try to advoid human contact when possible. When extream hunger is involved ,the out come can be disastrous.
We all take a chance each time we turn our hounds out. The alternative is not run them at all. I prefer to hear a race and realize we are all taking a risk.
When bleeding hearts and tree huggers get involved in "conservation" or 'restoration' efforts, they always, ALWAYS make a bigger mess than we as hunters who understand predator/prey relationships could ever make. The truth is that if wild animals aren't hunted so that they fear us, they have no reason to fear us. Everyone has seen videos of everything from bears to deer nosing around in peoples' yards because of local ordinances against hunting them. The fact of the matter that PETA is completely lost on is that I, capital I, am at the top of the food chain. If it bleeds I have every right given by God in Genesis to kill it and eat it or kill it to keep it from being a nuisance at the least or a threat to the safety of me or mine at the worst. These restocking efforts are garbage. Gators eat dogs in Florida, mountain lions are attacking Californians and coyotes threaten children at bus stops. PETA people are nothing but hypocritical whiners and would definitely change their minds if they didn't live such sheltered lives. I say that if it threatens, have a firearm handy and dispatch it promptly, the end.
"My past is coming up into my future and messin' with my good life"--Jesco White, 1991
"I enjoyed myself from within myself on behalf of myself"--Jesco White, 1991
I also know all to well what 2 wolves can do to a poor beagle while running Hare. One of my best breeding bitches got cought last winter. We were only a couple hundred yards away when it happened. the only way i found her was from her tracking collar. I dont know if i should post a picture on here it's pretty gory. I wish they would put a hunting season on them. My poor hound was still alive when i found her, I dont know how they just about pulled her apart. I picked her up and carried her out and she just looked at me with thoes dark eyes. It was a pretty emotional time for me, my little nephew of 7 years old was with me and to this day he's afraid to go to the woods.
This could or could not be hypoyhetical I hope I'm safe to say this on this site. (I herd that bear hunting guys were having trouble with wolf killing dogs while dogs were bayed up on treed bears,started recording it for preditor calling)Won't give location just saying.
T LEE wrote:NorWester1, Sorry to hear about what happened to your dogs.
"He theorized that the wolves had depleted the local game populations to the point where they were seeking alternative sources of food, meaning more dogs and even humans could follow."
The above statement sounds alot like hunger/necessity to me.
I think the key to this statement is "He theorized". It may be his take on the situation that the wolves involved we starving and seeking alternative food sources. But more likely wolves moving in on a pack of vocalizing running hounds know exactly what they are doing and it isn't about hunting up a meal. It is about territorial protection of their turf. After the kill the consumption of the intruder is just another show of dominance.
This is ugly stuff. No matter what your opinion of wolves is, they are very smart critters. Take them off endangered species status, and let them be hunted, and they will catch on very quickly and behaviors will change.
I agree with Walleye. Wolves won't tolerate other canine intruders, be it fox, coyote, dog or even other wolves venturing out of their territory. These animals are survivalists and the way that works is..... if they kill it, they'll eat it. A meal is a meal when you don't know where the next one is coming from.
No doubt we're next on the list. Folks are always wondering and looking for answers when a bear or a lion or a wolf attacks a human being, and they always ask the wrong question. They shouldn't be asking why they are attacking a human, they should ask why AREN'T they attacking humans. It'll put things into priority a little easier thinking of it like that.
Hunting has always been our only recourse to maintain our place at the top of the food chain. Without it we offer little resistance to predators as capable as wolves, bears, lions, tigers etc, etc and has hunting becomes less acceptable within our culture these so called isolated attacks will increase. Bet on it.
Former Pres Bush signed a bill last week that would drop Wolves off the endangered list. It was among many regulatory changes the Bush admin pushed through in his final days. President Obama ordered a review of these changes and rescinded the ruling.
This is ugly stuff. No matter what your opinion of wolves is, they are very smart critters. Take them off endangered species status, and let them be hunted, and they will catch on very quickly and behaviors will change.[/quote]
Until that time...Is this going to keep you from running your dogs in "Wolf country"???
Dogs get ran in areas with Wolves evey day AND only a very small percentage become a "Happy Meal" for a Wolf.
I look at it like driving on the road. People get killed every day. We still have to get to work and it doesn't stop us from driving.
You can kill the Wolves or stay inside cuddled up with your hounds.
I for one ,will roll the dice and run some hounds.
I don't think anyone is saying to stop running and hunting. I don't feel that's an option for me personally.
You're analogy is a little off in my opinion, there are a lot more folks driving and cluttering up the roads than there are hunters running hounds in wolf territory, but I understand what you're getting at and agree.
p.s. I think I read somewhere that there were over 70 confirmed incidents of wolves taking dogs in northwest Wisconsin last year or maybe the year prior. That seems to me to be getting a little bit on the excessive side
You guys out in the midwest and west ought ot hink about doing something. I just started getting the magazine fur-fish-game and the jan. issue had an article about the wolf wars. Delisting in Wyoming took place in2007 but antis shut it down real quick. I couldn't imagine what a wolf would do to a beagle. I send my condolences to anyone who has had this happen to them. the guys im michigan with the patch hounds chasung yotes must really work hard. Here in the east we hunt mostly with walkers and still then have seen bayups at 2 to 1 or 3to 1 and the yote does agood job in defense. Hope you guys get things straightened out. Idon't ever want to see themm in the adirondacks!
I am glad that we do not have such predators here. I run my hounds as often as life will let me but only when I can legally carry the 12ga with #4 buck. I believe that means 2 month's here in N.S. Canada that I can not run my hounds safely. Here in the Cape Breton Highlands I believe we have lost a total of 75 dogs in the last couple of years to the yotes, easy meals and they learn fast. I can only assume that Wolfs learn at the same rate. Carry your gun , hunt close to your hound and kill it before it kills your hound, a statement I live by, and who will ever know if you thin the population a little.
JRupert
If there is any record, or even a possibility, that they once were there you can bet they will want to restore them. Never mind that the entire habitat they once held has been irreversibly altered, and the potential for conflict is certain.
