Wolf reintroduction in Colorado

[ColoradoTJ]

Plenty of pumas and cougars in LODO, just no wolves yet.



For the record, I'm not afraid of bears here in CO, but mountain lions scare me because they are smart stealthy hunters - as are wolves. The big difference between wolves and mountain lions is that mountain lions tend to maintain an average of 1 lion/100 square miles (10 mile x 10 mile) domain; they don't like other mt. lions intruding into their territory. Wolves on the other hand are social creatures; they live and hunt in packs. They use the pack to feed their courage. A single mt. lion can be scared off fairly easily (just keep watching your back), but packs of wolves are nearly impossible to scare off. Using the pack, one or two wolves will work to distract their prey while others come in for the attack. I'd much rather face a single mt. lion than a pack of wolves.

ETA (iPad battery was going to die so I had to save what I'd written or risk losing it):
Mountain lions will eat what they want/can of their prey then bury the rest under sticks, leaves and soil until they're ready to come back for more. They'll eat the entire kill. Wolves are different. First off, one mt. lion can't eat as much as a pack of wolves. Wolves are voracious eaters. They'll take their prey, eat what they want (not necessarily eating all of it) and go on the prowl looking for more. They're wasteful eaters and can/do lay devastation on other animals they come across - wiping out entire herds of big game animals. Mt. lions have a markedly less impact on animal populations in their domain.

Back in 2008, I went up hunting in Section 17 by Walden for Elk. The beetle kill was bad and the logging was in full effect. We had to walk in everywhere. The snow was up to my knees (so about 4"..lol, JK) and after the morning hunt, we backtracked. I had the weird feeling where your hair stands up on your neck on the way up that morning (3:30AM) We seen some marks in the snow like a snake was following us. We looked closer and seen some nice paw prints in our footsteps. Yep, one of those little kitty cats was following us and that was their tail in the snow.

I know that there has been plenty of cats that have seen me out in the hills, but this one made me look over my shoulder a lot more...LOL!

[davsel]

Wolves slaughter 19 elk in 'sport killing'
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/25/us/wyo...ter/index.html

(CNN)In what appears to be a case of "sport killing," a pack of wolves slaughtered a herd of elk in one night, Wyoming wildlife officials said Friday.

Nineteen elk, mostly calves, were found dead several days ago at a feeding ground near Bondurant, a town southeast of Jackson, said John Lund of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. A contractor delivering feed to the herd discovered the dead animals.

[TRnCO]

not possible, just ask many wolf lovers and they will tell you over and over that wolves ONLY prey on the weak and they eat what they kill.

[TheSparkens]

This wasn't sport hunting it is training ya that's it training for when you need to hunt to eat.

[Dave]

So a group of wild animals killed some other wild animals. No humans were hurt, so why is it even a story?

[theGinsue]

Because it shows that wolves kill for pleasure as much as to eat. This is just more proof that re-introducing them to CO would be a serious mistake. CO is currently rich in prey for these animals. Their prey are also a huge money maker for this state as well as providing sufficient game for hunters to help put food on the table for their families. If wolves are capable of decimating a herd like this, and for pleasure, the effects could be devastating to CO's game animal population. [This explanation doesn't even consider the effects to domestic livestock or pets.]

[Irving]

What it boils down to is money.

[newracer]

They were feeding that herd of elk which makes me think the area cannot sustain the numbers anyways.

[TRnCO]

I don't know the facts as to why the elk are being fed there, but it may be the lack of historical wintering grounds due to urban sprawl, or it could be that the winter is being exceptionally harsh up there this year? Not sure. If I remember correctly, Colo. CDOW dropped hay for deer and antelope after one of the big blizzards on the eastern plains. It was several years ago.

[Gman]

They were feeding that herd of elk...

...and the wolves say 'Thank you' for baiting them.