HOOK AND FUR By Bob Brown Last month, the Diamond M Ranch in Ferry County reported a cow and calf were killed by wolves at a cattle grazing site. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officials confirmed wolves from the newly discovered Profanity Peak pack were responsible for the killing. Department wildlife conflict specialists are currently monitoring the situation. The question now is what can be done to curtail wolf predation on area livestock? The public will have an opportunity to discuss wolf management activities in the northeast portion of the state with WDFW leaders during a meeting to Oct. 7 in Colville. Meeting participants will be able to share their views on wolf management and recovery and ask questions of WDFW director Phil Anderson and other department officials, who will provide information on recent attacks on region livestock and on packs involved in those incidents. Wolf management is a controversial subject. There are some individuals who are enthralled by the howling of wolves, but to those whose living is made by raising and marketing livestock, the howling is bad news. On the issue of wolf management, WDFW is caught between the rock and the hard place. Gray wolf re-introduction was jammed down the department's throat by the feds and directed to take care of it. Easier said than done. In 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed gray wolves from the federal list of endangered species in the eastern third of the state, but the species is still protected under Washington State law. The state Wolf Conservation and Management Plan and state laws set the parameters for responding to wolf predation on livestock. There are individuals who favor gunning wolves on sight with no questions asked, while animal-rights groups and some naturalists believe in a "live and let liveGÇ¥ policy and have been all over the department like a blanket, criticizing its wolf management program and especially since Anderson authorized the lethal removal of three members of the Huckleberry wolf pack last August in an effort to deter further loss of sheep. During Aug. 11-12, 14 sheep were confirmed killed by members of the Huckleberry pack. Amaroq Weiss, west coast wolf organizer with the Center for Biological Diversity, said, "The department's secretive weekend assault on this endangered wolf pack goes beyond the pale. It's unconscionable that a public agency would take action to kill an endangered species without notifying the public. These wolves belong to the public and decisions about whether they live or die ought to be made in the clear light of day.GÇ¥ It seems the department is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't. One has to wonder what Weiss would do if those same wolves were suddenly in his back yard killing his dog or cat? Would he use non-lethal methods to remove the wolves or would he call for a public form or turn to the WDFW for help? No one in the department is advocating eradication of gray wolves, but they need to be controlled. At their present reproduction rate, it will not be long before gray wolves will establish packs in western Washington. Then what? Idaho had its same problems when wolves were re-introduced into the state, but eventually their wildlife department came up with controlled hunting seasons to manage wolf numbers and it seems to be working. Of course there are individuals who are not pleased with it. What's new there? All great lake states and Rocky Mountain States with wolf recovery programs have initiated hunting seasons that have not been detrimental to their wolf populations. It would only be logical and reasonable for the WDFW to embrace a similar program once wolf populations reached projected levels. We are fortunate to have some very knowledgeable and dedicated biologists in our wildlife department. Why not let them do what they are paid to do and leave politics and criticism on the side of the road? It would be beneficial for everyone concerned and especially the wolves if that were to happen.
Female hunters
According to a study by the National Sporting Goods Association, female hunters have increased 75 percent in the last five years. Women are now the fastest-growing hunting population. Educating women about the joys of outdoor sportsmanship has paid off for the organizations and the economy. It has also made hunting more interesting.
Bob Brown is an outdoors writer who lives in Roy. He can be contacted at robertb1285@fairpoint.net
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