30 May 2004, 12:21
Randm'Man(correct me if I'm wrong) Wolf hunting?
Theres probably a good chance that I'm wrong, but I heard from several sources that in certain parts, wolf hunting has been legalized. Now its not like I don't support hunting, but aren't wolves endangered?
30 May 2004, 13:34
John/AlaskaThey are not endangered in Alaska. Far from it. Hunting them is legal in most places from mid aug through may or june. The limits vary depending on unit #. One unit (13) the limit is 10 per day! Most have 10 per season. No limit in the trapping season under a trapping license.
Funny thing is when the AK F&G wanted to catch and give them away to the lower 48 none of the states wanted them. They did buy some canadian wolf. Still a bit puzzled by that.
They are a fun to watch but very very hard to find for that. And tough to hunt or trap as they are very weary.
12 June 2004, 00:42
BoghossianAre they targets of opportunity, or are they hunted specifically?
Is bait or calling more effective?
12 June 2004, 16:06
John/AlaskaHuntsternorth - Ah!! Thank you!! Now I know!! I can sleep better at night knowing that the lower 48 "trust" wolf from Canada because they are registered instead of from that foreign country "Alaska"! Damn but I'm slow!!
Yeah the biologist was very frustrated to say the least!! Had 40 wolves to give away! No one wanted them!! He was hoping for the return of machine gun kellyhouse!
12 June 2004, 18:35
SevensThey introduced some wolves into some of the lower 48 states like Montana. None of the locals seem to like them. (I don't blame them either.) They may not be legal to hunt, but I bet there are many people who shoot them anyway.
Sevens
13 June 2004, 08:03
Oscar MakonkaHere in Alberta we got lots of wolves. You can shoot them in big game season and you don't need a permit as long as you have a regular hunting licence. We'll also give them away to any takers. I think they took the Alberta wolves to the US because they were more closely related and came from similar habitat types to where they were putting them in the US. Anyway we are happy to have got rid of a few.
This past year they authorized airborne shooting of wolves in certain areas where the moose population is low. I am certain thay shot quite a few this year from planes. It upset alot of folks that live in town. The folks in McGrath were happy though. I see wolves from planes in the early spring/late winter over near Iliamna pretty regularly.
18 June 2004, 17:16
Ray, AlaskaI see them often while moose hunting in the interior, but too far to shoot. There was a large black wolf going though my campsite last year, maybe 50' away from me, but by the time I had reacted it was gone. I was standing by the fire, and my rifle was leaning on a chair behind me when I saw it's outline through the trees. I thought it was a small black bear, until I realized it had a long tail. That's the last thing I saw as I scanned for it across my field of view, through my revolver's sight.
I did not make it out this March for caribou, but last spring we were looking at a massive herd of caribou covering an area about 10 miles on a side, in the fork between the Mulchanta and Stuyahok rivers, and deep inside the herd was a pack of about 20 wolves...they did not like the plane. They had at least one young adult caribou down but it was still alive..its head was still up. These were huge animals..they looked as big as the caribou. Black, white and everything in between. It was illegal to spot and land for wolves there, and it would have been a tough thing to do anyway. These guys wanted nothing to do with the plane. Most ice was too thin at the time and there was not enough snow so we couldn't land anyway. Lots of wolves though and they looked healthy.
