Trent Saxon
Canis lupus occidentalis which also goes by the Mackenzie Valley wolf, the Alaskan timber wolf, the Canadian timber wolf, or the rocky mountain wolf, was classified as a gray wolf subspecies in 1829 by Sir John Richardson, M.D. It is one of the largest wolf subspecies in North America.
There was a dispute which occurred prior to wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone Park, and now as you have heard, Plumas County. Trust me, despite what you have been told, there were breeding pairs of wolves in Yellowstone before the 1995 reintroduction. The new species of wolf introduced into the Yellowstone is NOT the same species of wolf found there 150 years ago.
There was a battle to determine which wolf to introduce into the Yellowstone Valley. The new wolf is larger and eats more elk, not necessarily deer. Environmentalists determined that the original Yellowstone wolves were similar to Canis lupus nubilus, a subspecies already present in Minnesota, and that the Canadian animals proposed by Brewster and Fritz were of the subspecies Canis lupus, occidentalis, a “significantly” larger animal. The rationale behind Brewster and Fritz’s favor was that wolves show little genetic diversity, and that the original population was extinct anyway. This was contradicted by Nowak, who contested that Minnesotan wolves were much more similar in size and shape to the original population than the proposed Canadian wolves. He conceded that Canis lupus, occidentalis was probably already migrating southward (into the U.S.) even before human intervention.
The final use of Canadian wolves for the reintroduction was not without criticism: from the American Society of Mammalogists pointing out that the wolves used for the introduction were 30 percent larger than the original park wolves, and were adapted to much colder climates.
Finally, the society questioned the legality under the Endangered Species Act of “recovering” a taxon (family) of wolves, by expanding their historic range. This would be a less similar type, when more closely related founder stock still remained available. The larger wolf was transferred to Montana, and now Plumas County. The Mackenzie Valley wolf weighs from 100 to 145 pounds. They can reach speeds of 40 mph, and travel 70 miles per day. They’ll have 4-6 pups, they mate in February.
They certainly have created a dilemma for local hunters and we appreciate being able to kill predators. Ranchers are losing sheep and cattle because environmentalists can’t keep a good wolf confined to Yellowstone Park. On your own, research the ranchers’ livestock losses in Idaho and Montana this past year. Research the size and eating habits of these wolves. Suggestion … Don’t walk unarmed in the woods of this County. They do not scare off like a mountain lion or a bear. A single adult wolf will attack you and a pair will make it that much easier.
There are more than 3,500 wolves spread over five Western States and we are hunting them down like the vermin they are. Government Fish and wildlife, have played with Mother Nature and you know what happens when you do that … unintended consequences. Well, we can lay those consequences on the environmentalist’s uneducated doorstep, as we predator hunters clean up your mess.
You think a wolf kills for food? It also kills for sport, only one out of four kills is ever eaten, the other three ELK or animals are for training their offspring; how to kill. On March 24, 2016, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) confirmed that 19 elk were killed by wolves at a feed ground near Bondurant. According to Mike Jimenez, the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, surplus killings are rare. He doesn’t leave his office very much. Environmentalists conveniently want you to ignore that “surplus sport” killings occur all the time, they just aren’t witnessed by their lackeys. They haven’t a clue or knowledge about this predator; they want to play Mother Nature. Wolves do make great rugs and winter coats though.
When the first adult is taken down by one of these creatures; you will know how a rancher feels to lose his sheep, cows and pets to wolves. The northwestern wolf has been responsible for a few, but notable attacks on humans, with at least two fatal attacks in the 21st century in which both victims were partially eaten: in 2005, a man was killed in Saskatchewan, Canada; in 2010, a woman was killed while jogging near Chignik Lake in Alaska.
After several court challenges wolves were successfully delisted from Endangered Species protections in Idaho and Montana (2011). Hunters and trappers killed 206 wolves in Montana during a winter harvest that ended in May 2015. In Idaho’s wolf kill season, 170 wolves were taken as of January 2016. Great job hunters and trappers, you may be saving just one life! The Elk herds and cattle ranchers appreciate your efforts.