best way to hunt wolves

[rhromm]

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That statement never has nore will it ever apply to wolves when their number have reached what they are at now....
When you see where a pack has killed 7 deer and never fed on a single one..I call that waste.
Shoot at every wolf you see, your within the law to do so where there is a season and you have a tag.


Just double checking. In NC we have a wanton waste law of some sorts.

Rhromm
I believe the wanton waste law was put there to be directed at wildlife that is considered FIT for human consumption.
How many wolves are there in NC ?..non I assume
How many hounds have been killed by wolves in NC?
Wolves are responsiable for the largest reduction in wildlife and wildlife species in North America since the slaughter of the Americian Bison...they are a reintroduced species that were NOT indiginious to the US...these are CANADIAN GREY WOLVES... kill, shoot at and do what ever is Legal WITHIN the law and forget about wanton waste on a predator that has cost millions of dollars to the tax payers ranchers outfitters and people of the US and Canada that DID NOT WANT THEM..
Our grand fathers killed them off for a reason, history is repeating it's self..

Good Hunting
Brent

We do have red wolves that were introduced to the price tag of 6 million dollars. The fines for killing one of these rascals is outrageous.

I am not arguing against killing wolves I am just stating to be careful about shooting more than the tags you have. I do game laws out west, but I would not recommend doing that to critters around here. In NC we can kill all the coyotes we want at any time of the year, same thing with hogs.

[mondomuttruner]

Amen Brent!!
Here in Wis. I think the problem just started. We don't have the long distance spotting ability as in the west. I believe there will be so many traps in the woods for wolves that the wolf problem would be better than getting hounds caught in traps everyday. I hope I'm wrong!!!

[Brent Sinclair]

rhromm
I understand and respect your view but your not on track with the issue at hand...
The red wolf is a small little critter not much bigger than our northern coyote, so I would not see much of a problem with them..
We are talking 90 - 110 lb killers that travel in packs as high as 26 ...which I believe is the number that was documented in Clearwater National Forest in Idaho.
Stay within the law for sure ...WE as hunters need to show we are here for conservation, but to the best of my knowlage there has NEVER been a law that states you HAVE to find the animal you shot at ...so one is legal to shoot all the wolves he wants if he's a bad shot there is no law written to enforce it.
We have to fight to protect what is right, the wolf issue is NOT... and has never been in favor of the majority of the public or those individuals who are left to foot the loss and bill of having something few now realize was a good move in the first place.

On another note
I run a fairly large number of snares as well as leg hold traps for wolves right where I do alot of my lion hunting....I try to let every lion hunter I know that hunts the area that I have snares and traps out and where they are so if they find a lion they know it is best to walk the track until they feel they are out of the area where a hound may get caught..knock on wood I have never had it happen and hope I never do, but I feel it is better I try to kill as many wolves as I can and that is one risk I will live with if it means removing a pack that are far more of a threat to hounds than a trap or snare could be...
I went out this afternoon to check sets and there are 3 less hound killers running the hills than there was at this time yesterday..
The 3 sets I caught them in were all pee post sets and my hounds were the ones I used to keep the sets fresh!!!!
If you can't smoke a pack a day ...half a pack will do .

[gunsrock38]

Hell ya Brent! Half a pack will do just fine!

[albertaguy]

I live in Alberta just like Brent, we have a very good wolf population here, I run guided hunts for bears and for whitetails and of course wolves. We get a few wolves each year, but they are, in my opinion, about the toughest animal to get on this continent.
They are crafty thinkers and can reason out situations, meaning they can figure you out faster than you can figure them out. Brent gave some great advice on how to hunt them and I couldn't agree more.
The problem I have with a predator call is that you have to be close in order to attract them. Coyotes will come a long ways for a dying rabbit, but a wolf doesn't seem to want to. I have killed wolves by seeing them and then getting around on the wind and then calling them. But they have to be close. Baits are good when it is cold, I sometimes freeze bait down on an ice over flow and then wait it out, checking on the bait daily. It might lay dormant for a week or so, then wolves find it, hit it, and can clean it up pretty fast. You got to keep checking the area for tracks. By the way, a bear carcass is terrific wolf bait, especially frozen down on an over flow, icing it in and making it tough to chew on. A dead horse works wonders too, but check local laws. I use old nags for bait at my ranch, they suck in every predator around, but you can't use them on public land here.
Howling them in is a great tactic especially late winter during the breeding season, they come to this pretty good, but don't give up early, it can be a long wait. And when you kill one, stay put, I've had deer hunters in stands kill multiple wolves by killing one and then keeping on guard. More wolves will come to check out the dead one, especially if you kill the Alpha member of the pack.
Great sport, wolf hunting. But it takes a large amount of patience and a larger amount of luck.

[Liz ODell]

With the snares couldn't it be possible to work out a regulation that requires a stop at 6 or 8 inches or so? Wolves have pretty big heads and should keep themselves tight but hopefully it wouldn't kill a dog before you could get to them? (Don't they use snares to live capture the wolves for collaring anyway? Why not require those set ups?)
I would guess as far as leg holds most states now do require padded jaws and chain springs? As long as you will go to your dogs when they are not moving (especially those of you lucky enought to be able to use GPS and walk right to them) you should be able to trap and snare wolves and still hound hunt.
Just my thoughts but of course you'll still have to deal with traps/snares not set right...just hope nobody starts making a conibear big enough for a wolf!
Also in the states that will now have a season are there any restrictions on driving wolves into areas to shoot? Just thinking of how they wolf hunt (doing drives) in eastern Europe with the rope fences but maybe won't work on the gray wolves?

[Mackdog]

Liz,

If I'm not mistaken, in Idaho there is a stop restriction on snares. That would also help with non target catches which are mainly whitetail. My computer wouldn't open the IDFG wolf trapping regulations PDF but here is the link.

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/hunt/?getPage=120

[bearcat]

Yes in Idaho there is a requirement for either a stop or breakaway on wolf snares (a breakaway that will hold a wolf will definitly hold a dog) many stops on wolf snares are placed out far enough they will not choke out a dog, there is no distance requirement on the stops however. Most chain broke dogs will not fight a snare, and our hunting dogs with 2 or 3 collars on them will almost always have a collar under the cable anyways.
I have both snares and footholds out for wolves and hunt my dogs around them, to be honest the footholds almost bother me more than the snares, even with the 3/8" offset jaws wolf traps are just plain BIG, and I feel if a dog sticks it foot in one it may be laid up for a while.
I have had dogs caught in smaller footholds many times with no damage, but have never had one in a wolf trap. As long as they aren't left out over night in the cold so their foot freezes there will seldom be any damage done by the smaller footholds. I have only ever had one dog caught in a snare and it didn't even have the snare pulled tight, it was just sitting there waiting for me (I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't come to me calling when it was pegging the needle on the beeper with just the coax)

[bearcat]

And Liz, please don't suggest padded jaws, the rubber jawed traps do much more foot damage due to blood restriction to the foot than a plain offset steel jaw.