Wolves & the Ranch.

The first picture (top left) is one of what Alan and I thought to be a wolf track. We found it in a remote area of the ranch. We compared it to my Alaskan Malamute's paw print and found this print to be much larger.

To give you an idea, she weighs right around 100 lbs. Alan's hand is in the picture to give you another idea of the size of this track. Wolves have been spotted around the ranch before and they frequent that area so it wouldn't be out of the question.

The second picture (below the pawprint) is of the "Marlboro" barn on the property and the shed beside it. The next is another view of the barn & the shed. And the final photo (bottom) is a unique picture of an inversion occurring (which causes the low clouds to remain in the valley) in front of the Tetons.

Wolves have become a huge topic here in the west. It seems either you love them or hate them. I personally find them to be beautiful and intriguing creatures, however, I understand the frustrations of some people. Since wolves were reintroduced back into this area between '95-'96, our ecosystem has changed (as the park service and others had assumed). The number of ungulates (hoofed animals such as deer, elk, moose and bison) have dramatically gone down. This makes perfect sense considering, this is a wolf's main diet. However, there lacks a balance in the amount of wolves. Because wolves are still listed on the Endangered Species Act, there is no protocol in which to keep these animals in check with the balance of nature. In other words, the hunting or killing of these animals is highly illegal and the act of doing such a thing would have very large consequences. Hunting is allowed for most all other animals in the region. This allows Fish and Wildlife to keep healthy numbers of each one of these animals. The hunting quota for different species vary each year depending on how the population of that species is doing. I heard one person tell me that there is a chance that Fish and Wildlife might not be issuing any moose hunting permits next year due to the dramatic decline of this species based on them being thinned out by wolves. In my opinion, every species needs to be in check because if not, it can effect the whole ecosystem. you might be thinking, why should we mess with our ecosystem at all? I wish we could just leave our world to run the way it was meant to, however, with the impact that we have made meddling with it by living our own lives, we are now responsible to correct the wrongs we have made. Or at least try to keep things in check. I often wonder if wolf advocates ever think about the effects that these animals have on other creatures? I for one am very happy to have wolves back in this region! I just think their numbers have gotten out of hand.

Some people in this region have very harsh views toward wolves. I often see the stickers, "Save 100 elk, kill a wolf, " or "Smoke a pack a day, " with a picture of a wolf next to it. Another common sticker is, "I break for wolves, then I back up and run 'em over again." It is frustrating to me to see these stickers around my hometown. And I find it frustrating because I feel our government is doing a poor job of regulating and handling this issue. The states that these wolf packs call home are also the home of many ranchers who ranch cattle and other expensive animals. The ranchers become frustrated at the fact that the wolves are costing them thousands of dollars annually because their cattle fall prey to them. I have heard some make the argument that the species of wolf that were reintroduced to this area were a much larger and faster breed than the packs that inhabited this area originally. I am not certain the facts on this myself. Those same people claim that the larger and faster wolves should have never been introduced to this area to begin with. I personally believe that it is pertinent to remove the wolves from the Endangered Species List and try to get a better hold on their population so that we can hopefully balance out our complicated ecosystem a little better than what it is right now. This is much easier said than done for several reasons though. For one, if wolves were taken off the Endangered Species List, it would be difficult to regulate the killing of them by people who hate these animals and want to see them gone. Once an animal is removed from the list, the penalties for killing them goes down. Second, wolf packs are very complicated networks. It is my understanding through research that, the killing of one wolf can result in the death of the whole pack. This is dependent on which member of the pack is killed. Wolves have a hierarchy and work together like a family or a team. Often, when one of those teammates or family members dies, the pack can fall apart and result in the death of the remaining members. Basically, it would be difficult to just open a hunting season on these animals because the death of one could potentially result in the death of others. I guess the best way to solve this issue would be to start with a small amount of wolf hunting permits.

I am hoping that one day, we can find a balance with the wolf population. I love the excitement of knowing that they are out there. And though I don't particularly want to have a close encounter with these animals (especially with my dogs with me since the wolves would see them as a threat and kill them), I like knowing that they are out there. I enjoy learning about them and their lives. And seeing the amazing pictures and footage that photographers and such from this area collect. I also know that if I ever saw a wolf threatening the life of any animal I might own (dog, horse, etc.), that I could defend my animals from the wolves without having to risk getting in serious trouble (i.e.- jail, high money penalty, etc.). I would never want to hurt one of these amazing creatures. If anything they look just like my malamute. However, if it came down to something I loved or a wolf, you can bet I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. It is exciting to know they are visiting our ranch though!