Colorado Wolf Introduction is getting REAL political

[Gman12]

It’s stoopid easy in CO. The threshold for verified signatures is low. We get to vote on NONSENSE regularly. Just looked it up. 5% of total votes cast for sec of state. 124k and change for statewide initiatives 2023-2026. I’ll take a couple days off to ring doorbells to get signatures for grizzlies on the front range! Who’s with me!?!?

I guess every state is different. This would have been just about impossible in my state. Thankfully, our game & fish would not allow the general public to make decisions that most are not qualified to make. I love CO but this is a jacked up situation and should have never been allowed to happen by the ballot. I hope someone or some group will challenge this in court and tie them up for years.

 

[BarCO]

I guess every state is different. This would have been just about impossible in my state. Thankfully, our game & fish would not allow the general public to make decisions that most are not qualified to make. I love CO but this is a jacked up situation and should have never been allowed to happen by the ballot. I hope someone or some group will challenge this in court and tie them up for years.

It is interesting, we want less government control and more power tot he people unless it is not inline with our interests.

 

[5MilesBack]

A ballot measure is how we lost spring bear hunting in CO years ago. I'm surprised we haven't seen any measures to try to completely ban all hunting in recent years. I guess they'll wait until we get overrun with wolves and then pounce with that one......declaring that we don't need hunting anymore because the wolves are controlling the populations.

 

[Rob5589]

It is interesting, we want less government control and more power tot he people unless it is not inline with our interests.

To try and clarify; we (hunters) want wildlife issues decided by biologists and what is good for the wildlife vs emotionally influenced voters deciding. Those biologists just happen to be govt employees.

 

[Roguer53]

1. Why would anyone vote reintroduce wolves when they’ve already migrated to CO naturally? It’s a waste.

2. Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins carried the votes (look it up). So much for farmers and ranchers interests.

Absolutely peeves me off as well.

 

[BarCO]

To try and clarify; we (hunters) want wildlife issues decided by biologists and what is good for the wildlife vs emotionally influenced voters deciding. Those biologists just happen to be govt employees.

We want what creates the best opportunities for us.

 

[5MilesBack]

To try and clarify; we (hunters) want wildlife issues decided by biologists and what is good for the wildlife vs emotionally influenced voters deciding. Those biologists just happen to be govt employees.

Ya, and when the government exerts pressure on all the "experts" to do and say what benefits the government's agenda, we run into even bigger problems. Just like covid, elections, crime, etc, etc........and everything else that's wrong with this country these days.

 

[SoloWilderness]

A ballot measure is how we lost spring bear hunting in CO years ago. I'm surprised we haven't seen any measures to try to completely ban all hunting in recent years. I guess they'll wait until we get overrun with wolves and then pounce with that one......declaring that we don't need hunting anymore because the wolves are controlling the populations.

Apparently a lion and bobcat hunting ban is going to be on the ballot next year. A friend of mine who runs dogs for the county said if I wanted to lion hunt I better do it this year. I've seen more lions in the last 3 years than I have in my life, so that should help expedite the elimination of ungulates, and or pet dogs. So we really need to get the front range grizzly initiative moving quickly...

 

[cuttingedge]

It is my opinion wolves are a terrible idea. There is a reason they were nearly irradiated. They are devastating to ungulates, pets, livestock... you think is tough to get an elk with a bow now at a whopping 10% success rate, give it a few years. This will absolutely have a very negative effect on hunters. It's funny how the people that think these things are such good ideas won't be the ones affected by their idiocracy.

I may have to move back to Texas. Mountain lions are considered Varmints there. Super predators and livestock aren't a good mix.

 

[sneaky]

I’d take grizz in Co over wolves all day would definitely keep people on their toes more… plus they only have 1 or 2 cubs a year… not litters

Actually, they don't even have cubs every year so that's even better. Wolves are reproductive machines.

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[sneaky]

It’s stoopid easy in CO. The threshold for verified signatures is low. We get to vote on NONSENSE regularly. Just looked it up. 5% of total votes cast for sec of state. 124k and change for statewide initiatives 2023-2026. I’ll take a couple days off to ring doorbells to get signatures for grizzlies on the front range! Who’s with me!?!?

Do that door to door on the west slope and you'll have your signatures in no time. Tell them "they're dumping wolves on us, we're going to give them grizzlies. Sign here"

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[ndbuck09]

Actually, they don't even have cubs every year so that's even better. Wolves are reproductive machines.

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In the draft Idaho Wolf Management document they've drafted to cover the next 5 years here, they even state that human caused mortality rates of up to 40% likely won't really have a lasting downward impact on the wolf population. Goes to show how good the suckers are at multiplying.

Anyone in Colorado that has an interest in hunting, the outdoors, wild animals and wild places is absolutely crazy to say they would want wolves in the state. Idaho is among the most conservative, republican states and we can't even get the population to the 500 animal target after all these years of hunting them. Colorado will be 10 times worse with the politics involved. Hunting really does nothing to wolf populations, you need more than that to keep them in check....and you won't ever even get hunting in colorado.

 

[WCB]

Idaho is among the most conservative, republican states and we can't even get the population to the 500 animal target after all these years of hunting them. Colorado will be 10 times worse with the politics involved. Hunting really does nothing to wolf populations, you need more than that to keep them in check....and you won't ever even get hunting in colorado.

Problem is how many guys do you see out hunting them? Guys bitch and moan about wolves but won't put effort into killing them. May not get down to the 500 target but I bet ID would be a lot closer if guys actually cared about it. I could care less how many wolf licenses are sold. What number of guys go out to pursue wolves? how many days on average did they spend doing it?

Truth is the vast majority of guys are lazy. The season structure and bag limits make it pretty open to kill some animals. No doubt they are hard to kill but if the amount of guys I hear complain about wolves would make it any sort of a priority to pursue them...no doubt there would be A LOT more dead wolves.

 

[dirtytough]

Why are you guys distracted with all this wolf typing? You need to be worried about public lands. Ridiculous.

 

[sneaky]

Problem is how many guys do you see out hunting them? Guys bitch and moan about wolves but won't put effort into killing them. May not get down to the 500 target but I bet ID would be a lot closer if guys actually cared about it. I could care less how many wolf licenses are sold. What number of guys go out to pursue wolves? how many days on average did they spend doing it?

Truth is the vast majority of guys are lazy. The season structure and bag limits make it pretty open to kill some animals. No doubt they are hard to kill but if the amount of guys I hear complain about wolves would make it any sort of a priority to pursue them...no doubt there would be A LOT more dead wolves.

Ahhh, if only it were that easy. I know guys who are trapping that have over 120 days on sets out before connecting. Hunting is far less effective than trapping. Lot easier said than done. I don't even want to add up my fuel and gear expenses on my line for this year.

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[sneaky]

I know it’s kind of dark and fatalistic, but in a handful of years if not kept in check we will see how wolves and humans interact on the land scape… I don’t think a lot of people fully comprehend how packed the mountains are 24/7, will be interesting to watch

There are going to be some off leash pets getting shredded in the next few years in Colorado. Be interesting to see if they'll set up a reimbursement program for illegal off leash pets. Im sure the front range types will have a GoFundMe set up for all the goldendoodles that'll get killed.

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[Customweld]

Problem is how many guys do you see out hunting them? Guys bitch and moan about wolves but won't put effort into killing them. May not get down to the 500 target but I bet ID would be a lot closer if guys actually cared about it. I could care less how many wolf licenses are sold. What number of guys go out to pursue wolves? how many days on average did they spend doing it?

Truth is the vast majority of guys are lazy. The season structure and bag limits make it pretty open to kill some animals. No doubt they are hard to kill but if the amount of guys I hear complain about wolves would make it any sort of a priority to pursue them...no doubt there would be A LOT more dead wolves.

You are right, few get after them here. As @sneaky posted, they are damn hard and expensive to chase down. There really aren't that many folks that have the means to actually get out to where they are in the winter. Sleds or a track machine is almost a necessity. They are a formidable opponent for sure and nothing short of a disease breakout will put a dent in the population

 

[LoggerDan]

I’m not hip on how things get done, but I’ve been told that these groups somehow end up getting the campaigns and attorneys fees being paid for by the Federal government in a roundabout way. If so, what stops conservation groups from doing the same?

 

[Customweld]

I’m not hip on how things get done, but I’ve been told that these groups somehow end up getting the campaigns and attorneys fees being paid for by the Federal government in a roundabout way. If so, what stops conservation groups from doing the same?

Mainly we can't agree on something long enough to ever put something together!

 

[ndbuck09]

Problem is how many guys do you see out hunting them? Guys bitch and moan about wolves but won't put effort into killing them. May not get down to the 500 target but I bet ID would be a lot closer if guys actually cared about it. I could care less how many wolf licenses are sold. What number of guys go out to pursue wolves? how many days on average did they spend doing it?

Truth is the vast majority of guys are lazy. The season structure and bag limits make it pretty open to kill some animals. No doubt they are hard to kill but if the amount of guys I hear complain about wolves would make it any sort of a priority to pursue them...no doubt there would be A LOT more dead wolves.

Don't know your background, experience, location or anything but as a hunter, to sit on that fence that hunters don't go hunt them so its the hunter's own fault the wolves are out of control is just bad because it divides us. And it's an argument used all the time when people complain about wolves.

Wolves got dropped in the west with clear criteria as we all know. Now we're where we are and an additional state, Colorado, is trying to get in on the action. Bottom line is again, Hunting doesn't do it when it comes to managing the population to the targets outlined.

The crux of the situation is that when you note an opinion that hunters are lazy, don't go out and hunt them, don't put effort in to get them etc., you're actually highlighting the point that hunting doesn't get the job done on controlling them...because the average hunter who hunts elk and deer, sees wolves crushing the populations in specific drainages is not able to kill a wolf or four. Its the reality and the reality equates to hunters not being able to put a dent in the populations.