wolves in utah?

[bad moon]

went out hunting thursday trying to catch a last minute bear and found some interesting sign. while coming back from a tree we noticed we were following dog sign coming down the hill side in the fresh snow. we did not think nothing of it and just let the hounds stomp the tracks them i seen were they crossed under the perfectly frozen in the snow and larger than any of my hounds the main pad was over three inches. now these were not melted out tracks mind you. it had snowed the afternoon before and then turned cold making the snow a powder the tracks must of been made right after the storm while the snow was wet and packable. we continued to follow the tracks backword up the hill where we came to a fresh doe kill. looks like she got kill in her bed you could see where one of the "animals" jumped over a three foot bush and landed twenty feet down the hill right by the doe. now the kill was another interesting sight only the throat and the back of the next were eaten, there was also a big bite/tear mark on the back leg like it was being stretched. 90% of the meat was untouched which i though was unusual as most animals kill to eat. sheep are ran not to many miles away in the summer months and i thought about the possibliy of two sheep dogs going wild and getting left behind or maybe someone turning loose dogs they could not keep? i know i was the only one in the area since it snowed so it could not of been other hounds. hard to say but with out a doubt the tracks were slightly larger than my biggest hound. be curious as to any ideas out there. i have a bunch of video i will see about posting.

[houndnem]

What part of utah? I don't need gps coordinates, just general area. the dwr agnowlages that they are here on their website I think. Whatever the case, as houndsman we need to make sure these animals never establish in our home range!

[bad moon]

on the manti not to far off skyline drive.

[houndnem]

wow, that's a scary thought if they have made it down that far already.

[Bearkiller]

I was told by someone with DWR on saturday that they had 2 confirmed cases of wolf sign in the currant creek area. He wasn't sure if they were tracks or sightings, or he didn't want to tell me. But they for sure acknowedge their existence in Utah. They have them on trail cams in the uintahs and have seen them in the dutch john area. They, too my knowledge, have always stated that they are not resident packs. Just wolves wandering through.

[twowalkers]

bs they are not passing through. coming down that far.

[bad moon]

hard to say what it was for sure i thought about calling the dwr asap but the idea of how easy it could be blamed on my hounds who had been treed not to far away made me second guess it.

[Steve White]

LOL, your denial will soon turn to hatred. Join the crowd!!!!

[Bplott]

Not dening there could be wolfs on the manti....i heard one was killed several years ago in indian canyon on the hiway...nun the less i also heard there is several wild white sheeps dogs loose on the mantti also... but wolfs will be on us more all the time...

[BigGameHunter]

my hounds who had been treed not to far away

So you caught a bear? Congrats.

You sure these tracks weren't coyotes? I have run across a lot of yotes who make a kill, leave, and come back.

No doubt wolves are in or have been in Utah but I am doubting they have moved down this far.

[bad moon]

bgh. those tracks were pretty dang big for a coyote tracks never seen a yote that quite compared to a larger hounds foot and these were with out a doubt a little larger reminded me of the track my old bloodhound hutch would make other then it seemed to be a little more pointed or crow footed as you might say. but who is to say with out seeing what actually did it. id sure hate to be the boy who cried wolf

[ferjr]

there is no comparision between a coyote and a wolf track, the difference is obvious. if you see a wolf track there is no mistaken it for a coyote. i have seen some wolf tracks up here that were bigger than a great dane track.

[kordog]

could you set up a game camera on the kill? just a thought .

[blackpaws]

just assume they are wolves a make sure you guys take care of the problem.

[shoot4fur]

I would not doubt it, and if i was a guy from a western state I would encourage my state reps to get on board with the western states fighting this wolf mess before you have to many to know what to do with. They spread fast, and are not good on hounds as you all know. I cant hunt anywhere i used to with out the chance of wolfs being in the area. It is now normal to cut trax where i used to never see them. This thing is a mess, and it sucks to see the elk, moose, and other big game numbers falling like they are due to theese uncontroled wolves. Not to mention it sucks to wonder if you will get to see your dogs, or your buddies dogs again when you turn them out on a track.