Intact ecosystem my @$#%)&

[HARPERC]

I was just at the NTO shooting class, the subject of wolves came up, and another fellow came via Yellowstone, He reported spending 3 days in the "park" without seeing an elk.

My last visit was pre-wolf, and I decided I should see it for myself-first hand.

I drove from Cody to Gardiner, as I have more history along that route.

Elk count 0, deer count 0, sheep 0, bears 0, wolves 0, antelope 0, moose 0, rabbits 0, rodents 0, road kill 0. Buffalo about 300, one herd of maybe 200 +/-, 2 smaller ones of 15-30, and a few singles.

Positives: I was able to drive the speed limit almost the entire way. The turnouts were with a couple of exceptions were empty, or minimally occupied. Not a single buffalo chip on the road to spoil the last car wash. The grass and bushes seem to be doing well, although I consider some of it noxious weeds. I did see a UTV side by side spraying the roadside-it looked like to move the grass back so drivers could better define the edge.

The only thing that looked like an elk, was a sign warning not to get to close. Easily done-I think you have to work pretty hard to get buffalo stomped these days.

Leaving the "park" was a sign informing it's illegal to transport invasive species into Montana. I finally saw a herd of elk, about 50, north of Gardiner, appeared to be using the proximity of human protection, in the gaps between the houses and ranches. Pretty small habitat.

 

[rooster740]

I wish I knew you were driving by my house, for the truthful report in itself I would have bought you lunch at a local dive in Emigrant! Maybe next time!

Is that sad what a desolate, bleek, void of wildlife Yellowstone is? No wonder the Bears are eating people!

 

[HARPERC]

I would have enjoyed that, and I'll keep it in mind, thank you! Kind of a spontaneous decision, I had not planned going that way.

Just bearing witness to what you've said many times.

I overheard a young couple at Subway in Gardiner having a moment of "that was a waste of $30". I was too angry for an educational moment. They'll be importing bison to the park before it's over, there are more on ranches these days.

Bears gotta eat, to bad they travel so far, and you locals will pay the price.

 

[ODAVID]

Last year 2014, I visited the park in early spring. We spent 2 weeks camping, hiking and revisiting all the attractions in the park. The only ELK we saw were in the town of Mammoth Springs (IF YOU WANT TO CALL IT A TOWN) obviously staying close to human protection. So I infer from your post; the wolves slipped in at night and killed the last remaining Cow elk while they slept near humans...... Those Bastards.

We all know the US Dept of interior and Park service and Fish and wildlife bumblecrats were wrong saying the wolves will not leave the park. Today I came across a news article saying there is a pack of wolves that are in Northern California called Shasta Pack.... The Adults move in from OREGON.

OF COURSE THESE WOLVES WILL NOT SPREAD AND WILL ONLY KILL THE WEAK ANIMALS........ MORE LIES THIS HAS TO END.

 

[JJMoody]

You mean to tell me that the wolves don't know and observe the legal boundaries of Yellowstone and are in blatant violation of the Federal trespassing laws put in place by politicians and Eco-Tweekers alike???!!! I thought this was supposed to be good for the herds.... North Idaho has been affected severely by the "reintroduction" of (Canadian) Grey wolves and I find it hard to blieve this was not a concerted effort to eliminate our food source in the mtns before we all run for the hills... I think it's much larger than a group of Special Eddies in elected positions. lightbulbgun)

 

[HarryN]

The only thing I can think of is to limit the fish and game budget to some ratio of employees to elk or deer population.

I was in MT (near Big Sky) two weeks ago. While it is a beautiful area, I saw zero wildlife. There are more deer in peoples back yards in this town.

I was at a conference, so animal watching was not a priority, good thing or it would be a wasted trip.

 

[HARPERC]

The only thing I can think of is to limit the fish and game budget to some ratio of employees to elk or deer population.

I like it!

 

[drbill]

"They" want to make all trophy/endangered animals illegal to shoot. Wolves and bears eat elk and deer etc to point of endangered. Now you can't shoot elk deer etc. You can't hunt now so why do you need guns?

 

[LoneTraveler]

If some of these smart people went to visit Teddy Roosevelt's grave he would probably split the ground open, Grab them by the neck and hit them with a big stick. He was the one who had government hunters and trapper remove the wolf and a lot of the lions so Deer, Elk. Moose would flourish and not have ranchers cows and horses killed in many areas. Now it has all went back to the old way. On a hunt in Alberta last week our outfitter said they got some of the wolf from near where we was hunting. I seen tracks of one pack of wolves hunting the area we was hunting. One of the wolves tracks in the mud measured over 4 inches across. One big dam killing machine. A friend of mine was in the Yellow Stone River headwaters where he once guided. He said game sign was down right scarce. The camps Elk kill has went way down over the last few years. A little Bio contamination with Distemper or Parvo introduced into the wolves would be a quick cure.

 

[threejones]

If some of these smart people went to visit Teddy Roosevelt's grave he would probably split the ground open, Grab them by the neck and hit them with a big stick. He was the one who had government hunters and trapper remove the wolf and a lot of the lions so Deer, Elk. Moose would flourish and not have ranchers cows and horses killed in many areas. Now it has all went back to the old way. On a hunt in Alberta last week our outfitter said they got some of the wolf from near where we was hunting. I seen tracks of one pack of wolves hunting the area we was hunting. One of the wolves tracks in the mud measured over 4 inches across. One big dam killing machine. A friend of mine was in the Yellow Stone River headwaters where he once guided. He said game sign was down right scarce. The camps Elk kill has went way down over the last few years. A little Bio contamination with Distemper or Parvo introduced into the wolves would be a quick cure.

That'd work on a few, but many so called "park wolves" (and don't think that "park wolves" doesn't actually mean "any alpha pair FWP can find in the entire state") have been vaccinated. It might keep pack numbers down for awhile, but that's about it.

 

[mtmuley]

They are vaccinating wolves? mtmuley

 

[Dick Snell]

"They" want to make all trophy/endangered animals illegal to shoot. Wolves and bears eat elk and deer etc to point of endangered. Now you can't shoot elk deer etc. You can't hunt now so why do you need guns?

Now you'v hit on the plans made back in the mid 70' to eliminate hunting and firearms. I was told by an officer in Defenders of wildlife that plans have been made and hunters will never know it's coming. They used Pitman Robertson act money to destroy huntable wildlife by transplanting an invasive animal.
Grey wolves which are a larger wolf than the Timber wolf which were already in the northwest states. I live in Idaho.

 

[HARPERC]

....They used Pitman Robertson act money to destroy huntable wildlife by transplanting an invasive animal.....

With all the P-R money generated by panic buying under Obama, everyone should be flush. Why are the state wildlife agencies broke?

 

[livetohunt]

That's why you see guys posing with wolves in north idaho that they bear hug and the wolf hind end is still on the ground. 100 mile range in a single day, one pack will hunt the entire coeurdalene mountain range.

I remember when elk used to bugle. Now after 1/3 the elk population was decimated they wised up and don't like screaming "here I am wolves"

Being young it's frustrating that I never even got to hunt before the wolf situation got bad. The only areas that won't be affected are the sage brush southern areas that can't sustain a wolf pack.

We will see what the greenies say when the wolves finally kill off the last woodland caribou in the lower 48. Theres 11 left.