Stinkin' Wolves

[FullCryHounds]

I checked on Foxpros web site and they DO have a recording of baying hounds (CO3) listed in the general section of their sound recordings. They also have a new sound of barking dogs. So why in the world aren't you guys out there hammering these wolves by using these sounds? It wouldn't take too long before these wolves got educated that the sounds of hounds baying isn't a dinner bell and they'd start running the other way instead of running in and killing every hound they can get. How many times would it take for a pack to learn that several of his buddies just got killed when they ran into a group of hounds. I can't believe we aren't reading about someone using this up there to start educating these things.

[Buddyw]

Phil, Very sorry to hear this.

[B/T]

I checked on Foxpros web site and they DO have a recording of baying hounds (CO3) listed in the general section of their sound recordings. They also have a new sound of barking dogs. So why in the world aren't you guys out there hammering these wolves by using these sounds? It wouldn't take too long before these wolves got educated that the sounds of hounds baying isn't a dinner bell and they'd start running the other way instead of running in and killing every hound they can get. How many times would it take for a pack to learn that several of his buddies just got killed when they ran into a group of hounds. I can't believe we aren't reading about someone using this up there to start educating these things.

Could also work in the wrong way of what your hoping and cause more problems.Sorry for the loss of your dogs.

[FullCryHounds]

B/T, if thats what you think, you haven't called in many animals with a call, it doesn't take them long to get educated and turn tail the other way and clear out of the country.

[liontracker]

What Dean said. We have the most call shy coyotes in the West right around here from the same kind of education. Elk too for that matter.

[dhostetler]

I was hound hunting when wolves first moved into NW Montana about 10 years ago.

Most of the guys with all these ideas about how to take care of wolves haven't hunted in wolf country. The idea of running other wolf killing dogs with your pack, is just not feasible for cat hunting, as a lot of time you are cold trailing with only a couple of cold nosed dogs. Try to get other (non hound)dogs to stick with a couple of dogs that are moving a cold track about a 1/2 mile an hour. It might work on a very hot race that can handle a lot of dogs, but would not work on 90% of the races.

Using the sound of treeing dogs to call in wolves I don't believe is a viable method as I don't believe wolves necessarily come into trees. There are a lot of people that think they do, but if you research how dogs get killed by wolves it is rarely at a tree but most of the time while they are trailing. I have treed a lot a cats in wolf country and have never had my dogs hunted down by wolves or had wolves come into a tree. I believe what happens most of the time the dogs trail a track through an area where wolves are and bump into them.

I myself bought a Plott about 5 years ago for $1500.00 and had her killed by wolves in less than a year plus I have had numerous close calls since then with my dogs and wolves in close proximity though I have been lucky but I also know it is just a matter of time till I will lose more dogs to wolves. It is just the cost of running dogs in wolf country.

There are a lot of hound guys hunting in wolf country and it is rare that dogs get killed but it does happen and if you hunt long enough in wolf country and no matter how careful you are, you will probably eventually lose dogs to them.

[liontracker]

The real question is "why should we have wolves outside of Yellowstone National Park"?

[Big Horn Posse]

I was hound hunting when wolves first moved into NW Montana about 10 years ago.

Most of the guys with all these ideas about how to take care of wolves haven't hunted in wolf country. The idea of running other wolf killing dogs with your pack, is just not feasible for cat hunting, as a lot of time you are cold trailing with only a couple of cold nosed dogs. Try to get other (non hound)dogs to stick with a couple of dogs that are moving a cold track about a 1/2 mile an hour. It might work on a very hot race that can handle a lot of dogs, but would not work on 90% of the races.

Using the sound of treeing dogs to call in wolves I don't believe is a viable method as I don't believe wolves necessarily come into trees. There are a lot of people that think they do, but if you research how dogs get killed by wolves it is rarely at a tree but most of the time while they are trailing. I have treed a lot a cats in wolf country and have never had my dogs hunted down by wolves or had wolves come into a tree. I believe what happens most of the time the dogs trail a track through an area where wolves are and bump into them.

I myself bought a Plott about 5 years ago for $1500.00 and had her killed by wolves in less than a year plus I have had numerous close calls since then with my dogs and wolves in close proximity though I have been lucky but I also know it is just a matter of time till I will lose more dogs to wolves. It is just the cost of running dogs in wolf country.

There are a lot of hound guys hunting in wolf country and it is rare that dogs get killed but it does happen and if you hunt long enough in wolf country and no matter how careful you are, you will probably eventually lose dogs to them.

Good post. I am just curious if there are ways to help at least deture the wolves from coming in if you live in the middle of wolf country? Like I said I live in a cabin on the forset service and lately the wolves have been hanging out close. I lived 8 miles outside of the Park all summer and never had a problem or saw one, only old sign. The dogs were in a 10X10 chain link kennel and would occassionaly bark, but I never had wolves come in. I spent all summer out in the backcountry with my hounds and never had an issue with a wolf. I have moved a few miles away and never had an issue with them until now. I have let the dogs have free run outside the last month or so during the day and no issues. I noticed last week the wolves have been way more active and coming in close to the cabin and finding tracks in nearly every drainage on the North Fork. I was told this is because they are pairing up for breeding season. I believe that the majority of the year if you stay away from the larger packs and find out where they have been seen recently that will help keep your dogs alive. This time of year when the females are due to come into heat and they are moving around pairing up I think we are going to have way more issues with our hounds out. Makes it hard to lion hunt and if I even see a single wolf track I will not go in that area. No use playing with fire. I have been running bells on my dogs since I moved here last year and I am hoping that is why I have been lucky. A friend in Canada said to put perfume on the dogs? Has anyone ever tried this? I was also wonder if those kevlar vests they use on hog dogs would help? I love where I live and do not want to move just cause of wolves, but want to keep my dogs alive.

[Phil Soucy]

It does happen at trees, but most often after dark. I heard of five more dogs killed in the Bitterroot this past weekend, anyone know about this?
Here is another lion Roy and company treed some years back for a young fellow from town. It croosed the river on my neighbors bridge and there were some ruffled feathers over private ground and so fouth, but we got it ironed out.

[hvfd21walker]

Phil, Im from Hamilton and havent heard of anyone losing any dogs down here. Would like to know cause im running from tomrw thru Sunday. Thanks

[newby]

Fullcryhounds, MT Fwp regs state that its illegal to use E-calls to call in any big game species which is what they have slated these vermin as. Pretty messed up any way ya look at it...takes the fun out of hunting when you never know if your dogs are gonna be ambushed. Sad to say, but with all these incidents I'm thinking about getting out of dogs or even moving to another state where this isn't as big an issue.

[B/T]

B/T, if thats what you think, you haven't called in many animals with a call, it doesn't take them long to get educated and turn tail the other way and clear out of the country.

Called lots of animals in and a fair number of wolves as well, also know lots dont have the patience to wait around long enough when calling.

[FullCryHounds]

Doesn't anyone have any imagination any more? You've all got hounds that can howl and bark don't you? If that's what's attracting them in, to the tree or when they are trailing, then the next time you're out looking for a cat track and you find fresh wolf tracks, I'd be willing to bet those wolves would probably be able to hear them hounds if you got them barking treed. If I lived up there, I sure as hell would find a way to take care of a few wolves AND teach them to stay the hell away from my dogs! I feel for anyone that has lost a dog to wolves, but at some time, you guys had better start trying to fix the problem. Lets hear some ideas, I'm sure someone else has thought about this too.

[dhostetler]

Dean,

You are in Colorado and the wolves are steadily advancing southward my guess within 10 to 20 years Colorado will be infested with wolves then let us know what your solutions are once that happens. There are ways to care of wolves if you are willing to violate numerous laws which would be stupid to post online. Wolves travel immense territories and are very fluid if you eliminate a pack within months a new pack can move into the same territory. Widespread wolf poaching already happens in MT & ID, my guess is only half of wolves currently being killed are tagged. Wolf poaching is very rarely prosecuted as they aren't edible and the fur is of limited value, so wolves that are killed and left laying even if found by fwp are hard to proof who killed them and you will find very few hunters of any kind that will turn somebody in.

The only way to take care of the problem is for states to band together and ignore the feds endangered species act authority and institute a poisoning program. We all know that will not happen.

[MTbluetick]

Well said and very true!!

Dean,

You are in Colorado and the wolves are steadily advancing southward my guess within 10 to 20 years Colorado will be infested with wolves then let us know what your solutions are once that happens. There are ways to care of wolves if you are willing to violate numerous laws which would be stupid to post online. Wolves travel immense territories and are very fluid if you eliminate a pack within months a new pack can move into the same territory. Widespread wolf poaching already happens in MT & ID, my guess is only half of wolves currently being killed are tagged. Wolf poaching is very rarely prosecuted as they aren't edible and the fur is of limited value, so wolves that are killed and left laying even if found by fwp are hard to proof who killed them and you will find very few hunters of any kind that will turn somebody in.

The only way to take care of the problem is for states to band together and ignore the feds endangered species act authority and institute a poisoning program. We all know that will not happen.