True, unfortunately some humans refuse to live with nature, and fail to see the implications of not doing so. Hence communities are told things like "don't drink the water, or call their local DNR and scream about all those damn deer.

OK, how do you do that? Do you realize how many times we've decided to manage nature and it back fired?

The problem is, "nature" developed over millions of years (10,000 for fundamentalists), it's an intricatesystem of checks and balances that I personally don't believe man will ever fully understand.

And as I stated before, I can cite example of example of how we screwed things up more going down that road.

Mankind is arrogant by nature, those who do not depend on the wild for survival as we once did have no appreciation for it.

 

I meant my original statement only to show how I felt about killing an animal that is not normally tablefare...I've hunted and I fish so I am not claiming I have not killed an animal of any sorts, nor do I disrespect anyone that does.

Once upon a time when I lived in Oregon, I took a trip down to Reno Nv. to visit a friend that I had not seen in years. On my return trip I was driving somewhere in the mountains around Fort McCloud just at dusk and the snow was gently falling and everything was beautiful. I happened to look across the road and there running across an opening in the tree line was a pack of wolves. I was stunned as they were only about 25-30 yards off of the road and I damn near ran off the road trying to get stopped to get a better look at them.
They all just sort of slowed to a walk and seemed to be looking right into my eyes for what seemed an eternnity With the sun setting in the West giving me that last bit of daylight, the snow softly falling, and nobody but me and those wolves within sight, it was like a Norman Rockwell painting...I could not believe how beautiful they were. Then without a sound they all seemed to look into the trees in front of them and like ghosts they were gone.... Growing up in Ohio and seeing something that most people will never see in their lifetime, was like a gift to me from nature..
I think they are one of the most beautiful and mysterious animals in the world and I just couldn't invision taking ones life just for the sake of doing so.

I could go on about the time I went fishing in the Molalla Mountains in Oregon and looked down a small enbankment and saw a Cougar drinking from the stream I was there to fish in, but thats an even longer story...talk about double

 

amen to that. Man doesn't really realize how arrogant he really is. I don't depend solely upon nature to survive, but since I was born, I have lived off the land, be it vegetables from our own garden, milk from our own goats, eggs and yard bird from our own chickens, domestic and wild rabbits, salmon, moose, caribou, bear, elk, deer, halibut, etc. etc. I respect nature for all it's worth, and don't like the fact that it has been influenced so much by man, but the fact of the matter is that it has been. Not so much in Alaska as the lower 48, but to maintain stable game populations to allow sufficient resources for not only man, but the health and size of the animals population, plus the necessity of those animals for predators, there is a need to help manage it when that need arises.

I worked with the legislative committee for one of the hunting and archery organizations in Alaska for a few years. We worked directly with the board of game on issues pertaining to hunting, wildlife management and predator control. We spent time to help determine what seasons, bag limits, and other laws needed to be in place to help manage wildlife for all users. In several cases, we asked for bag limits to be reduced, or special drawing permits to be implemented to reduce the number of hunters for game populations that were on the decline, or were being overcrowded by hunters.

When I talked about wolves taking young from the mothers while they were still attached, I'm talking half out of the womb. Wolves can really put the hurt on caribou in their calving grounds and the sheep on the tree lines because the have their young in herds and the wolves will take as many as they can. I'd be leary about the documentaries you see on Discovery and Animal Planet. A lot of their "amazing" footage comes from wildlife parks such as those in Haines and south of Anchorage. I got a chance to speak with one of the videographers from ol' Marty Stauffer's "Wild America", and the vast majority of the footage for elusive animals is from enclosures.

 

I can't believe you shot a wolf...I can see deer and what so, but not a wolf, thats just wrong.

That looks like a Husky, no way could I ever shoot that thing, no way.

Bad kill, very bad kill, be ashamed of yourself

 

Nice!

 

But didn't the native people migrate from Asia thus changing around the divine bloodless paradise that mother nature created for all except humans to bask in?



If the wolf was poached, he's a scumbag. Quite obviously from the fact that he is proudly displaying his wolf (as well he should be), this was not a poached animal. He drew a tag and was, in effect, asked by his state to do his damnedest to manage a population. These tags are given out by people who STUDY animal populations and their interactions with human populations. They know animal behavior, local carrying capacities, human/animal interactions, etc. They are swayed by logical evidence...not by a cuteness factor.

These wolves are no less animal than deer. Furthermore, they do (albeit rarely in Alaska) endanger humans and livestock. I'd say that is a much better reason to shoot than because Bambi is sampling your Arborvitaes and tulips (yes, I hunt deer).

Finally, while I do eat what I shoot, I'm not going to judge others if they don't...especially when killing what is widely considered to be a predatory/varmint animal. If someone does something legally that they enjoy...so be it. I think its stupid to wear any jersey other than your own, doesn't mean I'm going to berate or put down someone for wearing a JP Losman jersey (OK, bad example).



PS, red eared tortoises are not native to tanks in basements

 

Just for the record I did not want to kill that tortoise.
There were several of them and they stampeded.
I panicked and only got off one shot when my AK-47 jammed.

I climbed a tree to avoid being trampled.

I was in that tree for over an hour, it took that long for the crazed herd to pass.
Must have been ten, twelve of them, I dunno.

 

Congradulations on the kill.

I didn't think I'd ever get those 4 pages read. Laughed at most. Let's stir up some more...Here is a cat I got a couple of years ago. It wieghed almost 28lbs and was nearly 4 feet long. This was my first and only cat. I probably won't shoot another. I mostly hunt deer. I do hunt for meat though it's nice to take a nice buck when I get the chance.

 

 

I guess I should stop shooting the 5 gazillion Armadillos on our ranch cause I dont eat them too

 

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I hunt in southern AL...Did a few in myself. Them stupid things can ruin a good hunt. They always seem to find you in your stand and stay there.

 

I'd still have to read it all.....Thanks. Stay after those turtles

 

Congrats on the wolf. I plan on hunting some myself soon.

 

I disagree. Mankind thinks on a higher level. Animals don't ever even consider trying to change what is programmed into them, nature has given them no choice. Mankind has that choice, obviously we don't always make wise decisions.

Humans are the only species that have the capability of conciously driving other species into extinction.

When we drive ourselves into extinction, it will be a concious act.

We're not part of nature in the classic sense because unlike animals, we can ignore it, we don't see our part in it and the effect it has.