double header

[fireonethree]

Hey,

Here's a different double-header for you.

We set out for a deer hunt, and had just settled in behind some cover when this wolf started howling off in the distance. We listened to this for a while and thought that our search for deer was pretty much a write-off, so my buddy Geordie left to go for a short walk, and I stayed behind and started calling back to this wolf.

Well, it answered, so I answered back. This went back and forth for about 15 minutes, then a shot rang out and Geordie came back with news that he got a deer 250 yards away from our original spot. He left to go dress it and I continued to call back to this wolf to see if I could entice it to come out of the woods and show itself. It still continued howling even though a rifle shot had gone off.

Now, by calling, I really do mean howling. I didn't have a predator call, so all I could manage was to cup both my hands in front of my mouth, and howl as best I could.

We howled back and forth for nearly half an hour. I tried to think of something to change the situation because I didn't want to move, and he didn't want to budge either. Finally, in desperation to try something different, I let loose with four calls back-to-back as fast as I could.

He never replied... and I thought either he figured me out or he was coming at a run. Well, he broke through the treeline at a gallop, and then stopped to try and figure out where I was (about 130 yards away).

The rest is history, and we ended up with a day to remember.

[Blue Magic]

You Murderer...........

[Blue Magic]

Just kidding dude..........nice catch.....did you get them trolling or did you chum for them ?

[welder]

I can see the deer [ Meat ] but why the wolf ?

[Capt. Fred]

Is that unusual to be able to call a wolf in like that? I've heard of using predator calls to bring them in but I didn't know you could "howl" them in. How was it's pelt? When I lived in Maine, coyotes were a pretty much a shoot on sight pest. The state even allowed hunting for them over bait at night on the ice.

[fireonethree]

I never thought howling would work as a call, but I really didn't have any other choice. Wolves are far more suited to bush than we are, so trying a stalk would be tough. He had a nice winter coat, with typical brown/ black/ tan markings. Not a large or old wolf at all, and it was probably his inexperience that resulted in the way things turned out.

I know, I'm a murderer. I usually hunt for food, so this one is a bit out of the norm, even for me. That being said, we have a hard time locally with wolves in town.

The island that we live on has a no shooting bylaw, which has created a sanctuary for deer, and has also attracted the wolves (Where we were hunting was about a 15 minute drive off the island). The Ministry of the Environment and the Conservation Officer Service have identified a problem with wolves now coming into residential areas and picking off pets, even threatening people. In fact, my in-laws almost lost their dog this winter to three wolves in their front yard. He was ripped up pretty bad, but survived through the work of the vet. The officials have stated that the local wolf population is losing its natural fear of humans, and the consequences will be more human/ wolf conflicts.

So, this is the reason why I ended up shooting this animal. I have friends that have had their retreivers shredded just paces away from them, not being able to do anything to intervene. In fact,the one dog was still crying as the wolves were pulling its intestines out.

So, although I don't focus my hunting on wolves, I won't pass on shooting one. We have far too many around here right now, must be the peak of the cycle.

-fire13

[Blue Magic]

Apparently the wolf population is starting to get out of hand. A freind of mine that hunt's in Montana killed everyone that they ran across.
Mark Miller hunts Montana and I think he can throw his 2 cent's in.

[fireonethree]

I pitched a presentation to our City Council last year about allowing bow hunting on our Island, which would include deer and wolves. This was a follow-up to the Provincial gov't's recommendation that the wolf population had lost its natural fear of humans here, and the terrible incidents that we had experienced would get worse.

This week, we have had another rash of attacks on people/ pets while they are out for walks. Three more incidents of people losing dogs on the end of leashes to attacking wolves. These are not dogs tied to the side of a house for a day, these are people walking down the street enjoying the day.

Growing up, I used to love the romantic version of these animals that we see on the well funded TV documentaries, but the reality that I am learning through direct knowledge really paints a different picture of these animals. It gets scary when they look at you, and they don't act nervous. I don't want to see them eliminated, and they do have a place in the wild, but not in our backyards.