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techcrunchappcom · 4 years

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/after-wolves-rebound-across-us-west-future-up-to-voters-national-news/

After wolves rebound across US West, future up to voters | National News

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — The saucer-sized footprints in the mud around the bloody, disemboweled bison carcass were unmistakable: wolves.

A pack of 35 named after a nearby promontory, Junction Butte, now were snoozing on a snow-dusted hillside above the carcass. Tourists dressed against the weather watched the pack through spotting scopes from about a mile away.

“Wolves are my main thing. There’s something about their eyes — it’s mystifying,” said Ann Moore, who came from Ohio to fulfill a life-long wish to glimpse the animals.

Such encounters have become daily occurrences in Yellowstone after gray wolves rebounded in parts of the American West with remarkable speed following their reintroduction 25 years ago.

It started with a few dozen wolves brought in crates from Canada to Yellowstone and central Idaho. Others wandered down into northwest Montana. Thriving on big game herds, the population boomed to more than 300 packs comprising some 2,000 wolves, occupying territory that touches six states and stretches from the edge of the Great Plains to the forests of the Pacific Northwest.

Now the 2020 election offers an opportunity to jumpstart the wolf’s expansion southward into the heart of the Rocky Mountains. A Colorado ballot initiative would reintroduce wolves on the state’s Western Slope. It comes after the Trump administration on Thursday lifted protections for wolves across most of the U.S., including Colorado, putting their future in the hands of state wildlife agencies.

The Colorado effort, if successful, could fill a significant gap in the species’ historical range, creating a bridge between the Northern Rockies gray wolves and a small Mexican gray wolf population in Arizona and New Mexico.

“Colorado is the mother lode, the final piece,” said Mike Phillips, who led the Yellowstone reintroduction project and now serves in the Montana Senate.

WOLF FEARS IN COLORADO

Yet the prospect of wolves is riling Colorado livestock producers, who see the predators as a threat their forbears vanquished once from the high elevation forests where cattle graze public lands. Hunters worry they’ll decimate herds of elk and deer.

It’s a replay of animosity that broke out a quarter-century ago when federal wildlife officials released the first wolves into Yellowstone. The species had been annihilated across most of the contiguous U.S. in the early 1900s by government-sponsored poisoning, trapping and bounty hunting.

Initiative opponents have seized on sightings of a handful of wolves in recent years in northwestern Colorado as evidence the predator already has arrived and reintroduction isn’t necessary.

“We can live with a few wolves. It’s the massive amount that scares me,” said Janie VanWinkle, a rancher in Mesa County near Grand Junction, Colorado.

VanWinkle’s great grandparents shot wolves up until the early 1940s, she said, when the last wolves in Colorado were killed. The family runs cattle on two promontories with names from that era — Wolf Hill and Dead Horse Point, where VanWinkle said her great grandfather’s horse was killed by wolves while he was fixing a fence.

“I try to relate that to millennials: That would be like someone stealing your car,” she said. “He had to walk home 10, 15 miles in the dark, carrying his saddle, knowing there’s wolves out there. So of course they killed wolves on sight.”

Mesa County’s population has increased more than five-fold since wolves last roamed there, to more than 150,000, and VanWinkle sees little room for the animals among farms in the Colorado River valley and the growing crowds of backcountry recreationists on the Uncompahgre Plateau.

Colorado’s population is approaching 6 million — almost twice as much as Idaho, Montana and Wyoming combined — and is expected to surpass 8 million by 2040.

“Things have changed,” VanWinkle said.

The pack that showed up in northwest Colorado last year is believed to have come from the Northern Rockies through Wyoming, where wolves can be killed at will outside the Yellowstone region.

Even with protections under the Endangered Species Act, thousands of wolves were shot over the past two decades for preying on livestock and, more recently, by hunters.

YELLOWSTONE RECOVERY

But rancor that long defined wolf restoration in the region has faded somewhat since protections were lifted in recent years. Opponents were given the chance to legally hunt wolves, while advocates learned state wildlife officials weren’t bent on eliminating the animals from the landscape as some had feared.

“I’ve got a simple message: It’s not that bad,” said Yellowstone wolf biologist Doug Smith, who with Phillips brought the first wolves into the park in 1995 and has followed their impacts on the landscape perhaps as closely as anyone.

“I got yelled at, at public meetings,” he said. “I got phone calls: ‘They are going to kill all the elk and deer!’ Where are we 25 years in? We still have elk and deer.”

On a cold October morning, after examining remains of the bison eaten by the Junction Butte pack near a park road, Smith asked a co-worker to have the carcass dragged deeper into brush so it wouldn’t attract wolves and other scavengers that could be hit by a vehicle.

Later, as the sun struggled to break through cloud banks, he hiked up a trail in the park’s Lamar River valley to where the first wolves from Canada were released.

The animals initially were kept in a large outdoor pen to adjust to their new surroundings. The pen’s now in disrepair, sections of chain-link fence crushed by fallen trees. But Smith was able to show where wolf pups had once tried to dig their way out , and another spot outside the enclosure where some freed adult wolves had tried to dig back in.

All around were young stands of aspen trees. The area had been overgrazed by elk during the years when wolves and most grizzly bears and cougars were absent — direct evidence, Smith said, of the profound ecological impact from the predators’ return.

EUROPE DEBATES WOLF RETURN

Yellowstone’s experience with wolves has spurred debate among European scientists over whether a gradual comeback of wolves on the continent could also revitalize landscapes there, and be welcomed or at least tolerated by local people, said Frans Schepers, with Rewilding Europe, which works to restore ecosystems in multiple countries. There have been no European wolf reintroductions to date, but land-use changes coupled with fewer hunting and poisoning campaigns have allowed populations to begin rebounding naturally in several countries.

Since 2015, wolf packs that traveled over the Baltics have established three or four packs in the Netherlands and packs in neighboring Germany and Belgium. Government programs provide money for Dutch farmers to erect fences to deter wolves.

In the British Isles, where the last wolves were exterminated in the 1700s, a wilderness reserve in Scotland is seeking permission to bring wolves to about 78 square miles (200 square kilometers) of fenced enclosure to help control a runway deer population and draw tourists.

Alladale Wilderness Reserve owner Paul Lister views Yellowstone, where wolves controlled elk numbers, as a model.

“All the native predators are gone,” Lister said of the Scottish reserve.

THE BALLOT BATTLE

In Colorado, hunting outfitter Dean Billington foresees economic disaster if the 2020 wolf initiative passes. His Kremmling-based Bull Basin Guides & Outfitters is ideally situated for one of the state’s largest trophy elk herds, the White River elk herd. He estimates his firm alone spends more than $250,000 a year for hunting leases on ranches.

“They’re land wealthy and day-to-day poor,” Billington said of ranch owners. “This income keeps the western ranching guys afloat.”

The initiative calls for initially introducing 10 wolves annually by Dec. 31, 2023, with a goal of 250 wolves within a decade.

“You’re putting wolves in my backyard,” Billington said of supporters of the reintroduction initiative. “They say they’ll compensate for lost cattle and sheep, but how would it feel for these people in Denver if their dog in the back yard was mauled to death by the wolf and someone throws a few bucks at you to make you feel better?”

Rob Edward with the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund, the group behind the initiative, sees reintroduction as a national rather than state issue since it involves public lands that account for 70% of western Colorado.

“Colorado’s public lands are diminished without wolves,” he said.

The Yellowstone experience is key to his group’s arguments: Reintroduction restores balance to the ecosystem, improves wildlife habitat and will benefit hunters by thinning out weaker prey.

Standing in the decaying pen where Yellowstone’s wolves got their start, Smith said that if the Colorado reintroduction initiative passes, success ultimately rests more on human tolerance than the animals’ proven biological resiliency.

“Don’t recover wolves unless there’s areas where you can leave them alone,” he said.

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Anderson reported from Denver and Larson from Washington, D.C..

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On Twitter follow Brown: @MatthewBrownAP; Anderson: @jandersonAP, and Larson: @larsonchristina

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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#across #after #future #rebound #voters #wolves #National

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dil-howlters-mirror · 4 years

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Hunting The Mescalero

One of my nightly routines is to sit in my recliner, and go through my mail that hopefully has outdoor magazines and catalogs with the potential for new adventures.

On one of those evenings, I received a Return To The Outdoors catalog. I wasn’t sure what to expect inside but much to my delight, the catalog had hunts in several states. I thumbed through the pages thinking that maybe I could find my next adventure. This is where I found the hunts on the Mescalero, during the rut with a rifle, a perfect hunt for a 67 year old man that loves elk hunting.

The biggest problem with elk hunting today is that you have to draw a tag in most states, and in order to be successful you had better have lots of points for areas that have Boone & Crocket bulls.

My theory is, if you are 67 years old, do not plan on drawing unless you started applying 15 years ago. What I am saying, is that at 67, don’t wait to be drawn, you may not be alive in two years. Buy your tag thru outfitters or from the Indian Reservations like the Mescelero.

Doing my research on the Mescalero shows that they have the potential for B&C bulls, and 500,000 acres to hunt. My only doubt about the hunt at this point is the elk camp. I have hunted an Indian Reservation before and did not like sleeping in a dorm with 12 other guys. Much to my delight, the elk camp on the Mescalero is their very own Casino, Inn of the Mountain Gods. Two queen sized beds and a bathroom all to myself, with a maid that came in and made the bed every day. This will spoil me on other elk camps forever.

I called in to the Return To The Outdoors staff and asked if I could have a tag for first season, and a tag for second season on the Mescalero Indian Reservation. I was sent a contract, which I promptly signed and sent back with my check. Now came the hard part. I had to wait until September 9th, 2011 to hunt.

Finally September 6th arrived, which meant it was time to start driving solo from the Oregon Coast, to Ruidosa, New Mexico. The first day’s drive was 14 hours, the second 13 hours. I was very impressed with the country, lots of trees and mountains. Perfect elk country.

I found the Big Game Management Building, and inside was the manager Herman along with the person that keeps everybody going in the right direction, Marilyn.

At the introduction meeting and dinner, I was introduced to my guide, Patrick Hiles. I’m not sure what Patrick thought when he saw me for the first time, but it probably went something like, “Why do I always get the old guys?”

Opening morning, breakfast is served at 4:00 am. On our way to the truck, after breakfast, we grab our box lunches (each lunch is enough for 4 people). Patrick picked me up and it was not exactly the time he told me. When he arrived, he said, it was “Indian Time”. Not sure what he meant by that, but I was not about to upset the guide on our first morning by questioning him.

We started driving, East I think, it’s very dark still. We get about 3 miles from the Casino, I mean elk camp, when Patrick stops the truck and rolls down the window. What do we hear? No less than 12 bulls are bugling. The hair on the back of my neck is standing straight up, and I am drooling. I think to myself, this has to be heaven. To my surprise, Patrick says “Get in the truck, we are leaving”. WHAT, but there are bulls here! We drove, change that, Patrick drove away from the bulls, while I pouted.

We drove another 15 minutes and parked. When daylight came, I got my first look at Mescalero elk country. WOW. Everyplace we glassed there were bulls, and I mean every hillside we saw bulls.

That first day, we saw no less than 40 bulls. No 1st day shooters. Maybe tomorrow.

The second day we went to another portion of the Reservation, with more timber and brush. Lot’s of bugles and close calls. The elk were not quite hot enough to stay and fight, it was bugle and run.

The third day brought more timber and brush and more long hikes. That evening, I heard a bugle, and it was close. One call on the cow call, and here he comes. I am ready, laying on the ground at the edge of a 100 yard meadow, with my bipod down in the ready position. This six point bull steps out of the brush, he is wide, heavy and tall. My crosshairs are on this bull, waiting for him to turn broadside so we can make a quick decision. “Patrick, I am ready” I say. Patrick says, “wait”. The bull turns and starts walking closer when he stops at 50 yards. The bulls turns. Patrick tells me not to shoot, that he is short on his G-4 and G-5. That was fun! I didn’t stop smiling for three days.

Day four was very much like the others, lots of bulls, but they just weren’t ready to dance yet.

The last morning of my first hunt on the Mescelero was a little slower than the other days. We came back to camp at about 1:00 pm. Patrick said he would pick me up at about 3:30 for the evening hunt. I took a nap in my beautiful room at the Inn, rough camp right? At 4:00 we are on the hill and find two herds, but neither has a shooter. We move on to another ridge, where after about 30 minutes of glassing Patrick finds a nice six point by himself raking the hell out of a tree.

Now, I have to make a decision. This is not a B&C bull, but we think he will score between 320 and 330. The bull is 375 yards down a steep hill, and it’s getting dark. I made my decision. It was time to lay down with my 300 WBY Christensen Arms, and pull the trigger. I find a comfortable spot, put one in the tube, and change the power on my best scope under 100$ to 18 power. I put the crosshairs high on the shoulder, push the safety off, take a deep breath, exhale half and squeeze. The bull drops to the surprise of my guide, and does not move. The Black Mamba strikes again.

Now we have to get to the bull before dark, and get the hard part done. I leave from my shooting place and work my way down thru the steep ridge. Patrick says he will meet me at the bull with the truck. We loaded the bull into the back of the truck in a full on thunder storm with lightening directly overhead.

We got back to the Big Game Management Building at about 9:00pm, soaking wet, very cold and hungry. While Patrick and I ate, three great guys did their thing unloading the bull with an electric hoist. They skinned, washed, and quartered the meat which then went into the cooler. They then caped my bull. Did I say that I love this elk camp?

Now with first season over, I have nothing to do until second season starts on Saturday. Did I mention that the Reservation has a championship 18 hole golf course and that I brought my clubs? What a beautiful course, 7200 foot elevation, perfect greens, water and lots of trees.

Patrick calls me Friday night and tells me that I am going to like what he found on his day off. He had done some glassing just before dark, and found a B&C bull with about 15 cows. He said we would have to leave early as it was a long drive and walk and that we needed to be there before daylight. The only thing I have to do is try to sleep, while trying not to think about what the morning will bring.

Patrick shows up on time, I take this as a sign that this is going to be a good morning. We talk about what the plan is. We wait at the bottom of the hill until 15 minutes before shooting time. Patrick turns off the truck, rolls down the windows and listens. It sounds like one hell of a party out there! I am not sure how many bulls are bugling, a wild guess is a bunch.

With packs on our backs, we start walking up the mountain. Patrick thinks our bull will be on the East side of this mountain and says we need to be ready because they are on the move. We creep to the top, a deep canyon on the South and a ridge down the West side. There are two herds, with satellite bulls all over the ridge. There are too many things to look at all at once, it is overwhelming.

Patrick point over to the East and says “There’s your bull and he is leaving. You’d better hurry.” At this point, I got very lucky. Two things happened, I found a tree with the perfect rest with me sitting on my butt, the rifle came down on the only limb on that side of the tree and with a little adjusting, I was on my bull. Second, the bull stopped at 325 yards to look back and left me with a hole in the brush to shoot thru.

Patrick asks “Are you going to take him?” I answer with a boom. Patrick tells me he is down. I can’t see the bull. He is in the brush so I am not ready to celebrate until I have my hands on his rack. It takes about 30 minutes to reach where the bull was standing. We get close to the spot and Patrick gets a call on his cell phone. One of his buddy’s is watching from another ridge and tells us that the bull is standing up and looking around. He is 100 yards below us and we still can’t see him, there’s too much brush. I move down 50 yards and a little West. The top half of his antlers are in sight. I move a little more West, now I can see his neck. This is going to be a an offhand shot downhill. When I find his neck, he looks up the hill just as I pulled the trigger. The bullet made a perfect 30 caliber hole in his main beam just above his G2 and then into his neck. Now he is mine, and the main beam is still in one piece. Did I say I love this elk camp?

We work our way down to the bull, still not knowing just how big he is.

We finally make it down to the bull and all I can say is, “Wow, what a bull”, he’s a perfect 6 point. I’m guessing that the G3’s are over 20”, and the main beams over 50, we will score it later. How do we get this bull out of here?” I say. Patrick gets on his cell phone and calls for three horses. Now, it’s time to get our knives out and prepare this bull for the horses to pack out. One and a half hours later, the horses have worked their way to us. We load up and start the pack out to the truck, then it’s on to the Big Game Management Building for the stories and celebration.

As soon as the animal was caped out, Norman and Herman started to score the bull. The G3’s were 24”, and the main beam was 55”, for a total B&C score of 389. Did I say I love this elk camp?

My Christensen Arms 300 WBY, which I call the “Black Mamba”, performed without fail. The shot I made on this bull was one of the most difficult I have ever made, and could not have make it with a lesser rifle. Thank you Christensen Arms.

As for the Mescalero Indian Reservation and its people, thank you for sharing your piece of heaven with me. I tried very hard not to piss anyone off, so maybe you will let me return for the 2012 season.

Did I mention I love this elk camp?

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destinyguarded · 4 years

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Five Fool Proof Ways to Kill Big Bulls

I love elk, elk hunting and anything there is to do with elk. I am an elk junkie through and through. There is nothing quite like hunting these four-legged, massively racked creatures. When the taste, smell, and sounds of autumn hit the high mountains, I know it is elk season. Mud flying, nostrils flaring, bugles roaring, horns racking, cows chirping, and antlers locking mean only one thing…get your gun.

Over the term of my guiding career, my hunters and I have been very fortunate to be a part of some giant bulls hitting the dirt. Team Mossback has put close to 100 – over 400” bulls on the wall. One of those is the world record “Spider Bull” taken by Denny Austed in central Utah in 2008. The bull scored an inch shy of 500”, which still is mind-boggling to me. With my obsession of the wapiti over the years I have learned a few things that help me and my team be successful.

Hunt Where They Are

Before the hunt even begins you need to know where the elk are. What I mean by that is you need to do your research. If you want a 400” bull, do not apply for units or buy tags for units where this realistically is not possible. In Utah, for example, there are several units where a 400” bull is not genetically realistic. On the other hand, there are several units in Utah that consistently produce 400” bulls. The elk units in Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico are similar to Utah in good, better, best-type quality. If you want a 400” bull, the “better” and “best” units are the units that you should pursue. If you have the money or the points, focus on the “best.”

There are several companies out there that do the research for you and will handle your hunt application process, as well as help you determine the “better” and “best” units. One of those companies is Hunting Illustrated’s own hunt application and research guru, Jon Crump of Hunter’s Trail Head. Part of their business is doing the research, state-by-state, to help their customers know where to find the elk. This will get you going in the right direction. Also, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call outfitters for advice on the good areas. Today’s blog sites, Facebook, and the worldwide web are phenomenal sources to help you with your research. With the limited number of tags available nowadays, you will be surprised how many hunters will tell you about their honey holes, because the fact is they may never get to hunt there.

Scout

Once that special day has come and you have been awarded a coveted, limited-entry tag, it is time to get to work. Looking at maps is a great way to learn the area without even being present. Technology has made our lives easier in this arena. Google Maps is a great place to check out your area, or even better yet, download area-specific information into your handheld GPS unit. I prefer the Garmin Rhino GPS for this. I pop in an area-specific chip that has details on everything. It tells you who owns the land that you are on and even gives you the unit boundaries. This can be crucial information when hunting units where boundaries are chopped up from several different landowners. Trust me, these little GPS units can save you a lot of trouble resulting from not knowing where you are; and they also will help you find your vehicle again when in a new area.

Once you have a good GPS handheld unit, and you are ready to go to your area, get yourself familiar with roads, 4-wheeler trails and hiking trails. The last thing you want to do is spot a trophy animal during your hunt and not know if you can get to him because you are not familiar with the area.

Now that you have scouted out the area electronically and know the road and trail system, it is time to get out your field glasses and your best scope. Late summer scouting is a great time to find big, velvet-horned muleys, as well as bachelor groups of big bulls. It’s also a great time to get the family out camping; why not camp in the area you will be hunting?

A key time to scout is right before your hunt. Take the time to scout your area a minimum of two days before the hunt starts. If you are on a guided-hunt, it would be well worth your money to pay the guides to pre-scout before you get there. Remember you’re not the only one looking for a monster animal; most likely the first hour of opening morning is going to be your best opportunity to get him. Make sure you know where he is through your scouting efforts.

Hunt the Rut

A big bull is more elusive than you think. Big, mature bulls love to stay in the cool shade of the deep forest; here you will usually find them bedded in thick patches of pine trees. Not only can the shade keep their motor cool, but the pine needles make for some pretty soft beds for the 500+ lb animals. During pre- and post-rut, bulls will lie most of the day, only getting up to eat and drink. This usually occurs at first and last light and usually once during the day, briefly.

When the mating call comes from a cow in heat, that all changes. Something clicks in the big ol’ bull’s skull and he goes absolutely crazy. They seem to go from 0 to full rut in no time; and at that time their breeding engine is wound tight. They have one thing on their mind and it is not eating or sleeping. That is why bulls can lose up to 30% of their body weight during the rut. They spend all their energy in pursuit of hot cows and many times simply forget to eat as much as they need to rebuild all the calories they are burning.

This craze makes bulls very susceptible to hunters. Not only are they giving away their location with a screaming bugle, but also they don’t seem to pay attention to anything around them besides cows. As long as you stay downwind of them, they are fairly easy to sneak up on. During this rutting frenzy even the cows, who are normally “on point” with even the slightest sound, seem to be so distracted by grunts and all the theatrics of the bulls, they seem to let their guard down much more than usual at this time of year.

What does this mean for you? Increased odds. Not only do you see more mature bulls at this time of year, you often see bulls you had no idea were around. Calling is very effective. Chirping in a big bull within mere yards is what makes elk hunting more personal and exciting than hunting any other species.

Plain and simple…hunting the rut can nearly triple your success rate. Whether you are archery, muzzleloader, or rifle hunting, you have the odds in your favor.

Use the Right Equipment

Using the right equipment can cover a variety of things from your boots, to your optics, your weapon of choice, your bullets, or broadheads. If you are hunting the rut, success could boil down to how well you blow your cow call, or how effective your elk bugle is. There have been many hunts where my hunters have wanted to call themselves. Some hunters can call much better than I; whereas others sound more like a duck, and with the squeak of their attempted call, off goes the trophy of a lifetime…never to be seen again. Some hunters buy new equipment that has never been used before until they break it out of the package opening morning; this usually ends in disaster. From breaking in new boots, to driving your family crazy from you practicing a cow chirp, it is all part of necessary preparation for the hunt.

The weapon a hunter uses, and how proficient he or she is with that weapon, ultimately seems to play the biggest factor in the outcome of a hunt. If it is an archery hunt, choose a bow that can shoot farther and faster to increase your range. The same goes for a rifle set-up. Having an accurate rifle that is packable, so you can keep up with your guide, is vital; it can mean the difference of watching a bull run over the ridge while you catch your breath, or being in position to take a 600-yard shot. If you are going to show up at hunting camp with a 10-12 long-range rig, you better be able to pack it; otherwise, you are handicapped before you leave camp. The bows seem to get better and better every year, as do the rifles. Do your research to find out what the best optics, rifle, pack, pair of boots, calls, and clothing are for the area you are hunting, within your price range.

Choose the Right Guide

This goes hand-in-hand with choosing the right gear. The reason you hunt with a guide is for their knowledge and skills. Their product knowledge is what you are paying for. Choose a guide that is experienced in the area you are hunting. An experienced outfitter will have a history of killing bulls in certain areas every year. They will have plenty of honey holes to take you to, as well.

Make sure you check previous-hunter references for the guide and outfitter. Don’t just call one; and if possible, check forums and blogs to find more information about your top candidates before you choose. You should be able to glean the good information that you receive from the misinformation that most likely will be available as well. The last thing you want is to spend your hard-earned money on a guide, only to find out that it just happens to be his first time in the area. You just paid him and are training him at the same time? Shouldn’t you be receiving a discount?

At Team Mossback, I start my guides out as spotters. After they have learned the area and have proven to me that they know it very, very well, then they are given the opportunity to guide our clients in that particular area. Like with most things in life, experience leads to success. Choose a guide/outfitter with plenty of it.

Not all can afford to pay a guide for their hunt. If this is the case, make sure you have plenty of time to scout the area so you can still be successful. If you don’t have the time or vacation days from work to scout, make sure that you are putting in for areas where you have a friend or family member who can scout for you. If you show up blind to a hunt, it will take you the first four to five days just to get your bearings straight, which can cost valuable, premium hunting time.

If you make use of these five steps for killing big bulls, you inevitably will be on your way to a trophy-of-a-lifetime.

Last thing to remember is hunt hard. I’ll see you on the mountain.

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