WMU With Highest Wolf Density

[Ram94]

After this last season, and running into more wolf track than years past (WMU 515), It has me wanting to put more effort into predator management. Wolf numbers seem to be increasing rapidly in alot of zones and it got me wondering which zones are being hit the hardest?

[Positrac]

This past season in 530 I saw wolves 5 times out and a total of 2 dozen animals give or take. Most of my time was spent hunting moose while in 530 but I keep my eyes out for Whitetails when out and about too. In 15 days hunting the zone I only saw a couple deer and very few tracks in general. Lots of dog tracks every corner of the zone I was in though.

[Ram94]

Not too far from 515. I found game to be more scarce than usual and Moose draws are getting tougher to come by. Did you get any shot opportunities at them Positrac?

[st99]

every units west of 22 and north of 16 have a lot of wolves

[MooseRiverTrapper]

Most wolf sign I’ve come across consistently is on the south side of the braz.

[hunterngather]

Why cant the GOA send a bunch of drones over the WMU's and get a count on how many and what animals are there?

So much can be done if we knew that information.

[Barry D]

I shot four my self in 511 over the last five years and I've seen many more. My son has shot two. I don't even bother to hunt moose in that zone anymore and have not seen a moose in that zone for 10 years or more. Next to no deer or hunters these last 6-8 years either. I Keep saying the wolf numbers have to eventually go down with the prey numbers so low. Well this winter is the first one in six years I have not seen a wolf yet, but then I haven't seen a moose or deer either. Maybe 511 has hit rock bottom for pray and the wolves have moved out too. Then it will still take many years for the numbers to rebuild for the few seed that are left. I think all of Northern Alberta is facing the same fate. I try hard for wolves, but they are hard to find and even harder to shoot.

[TrapperMike]

Even got wolves in 220. Seen 2 within 2 miles of my house.

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by Barry D

I shot four my self in 511 over the last five years and I've seen many more. My son has shot two. I don't even bother to hunt moose in that zone anymore and have not seen a moose in that zone for 10 years or more. Next to no deer or hunters these last 6-8 years either. I Keep saying the wolf numbers have to eventually go down with the prey numbers so low. Well this winter is the first one in six years I have not seen a wolf yet, but then I haven't seen a moose or deer either. Maybe 511 has hit rock bottom for pray and the wolves have moved out too. Then it will still take many years for the numbers to rebuild for the few seed that are left. I think all of Northern Alberta is facing the same fate. I try hard for wolves, but they are hard to find and even harder to shoot.

I remember when you could get undersubscribed bull moose tags in 511
Not anymore

[Prairiewolf]

I rarely fill my 402 elk tag so 402 must be full of them

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by MooseRiverTrapper

Most wolf sign I’ve come across consistently is on the south side of the braz.

I know some people around Valleyview, they claim there are lots around there and big.

Grizz

[Dubious]

lots of wolves in the porcupine

[7magtime]

Originally Posted by MooseRiverTrapper

Most wolf sign I’ve come across consistently is on the south side of the braz.

Saw a fair amount of wolf sign NW of the Brazeau Resevoir in 339 last month too. Mostly around deer, moose or elk tracks. Go figure.....

[Stinky Buffalo]

Swan Hills has a decent population too.

I had a spot all picked out for this winter, but then the loggers moved in this past fall. Gonna have to let it settle for a bit, but I can be patient.

[bezzola]

Lots in 346 also

[Positrac]

Originally Posted by Ram94

Not too far from 515. I found game to be more scarce than usual and Moose draws are getting tougher to come by. Did you get any shot opportunities at them Positrac?

I got this one in November and clipped a second one out of a pack of a dozen or so. I had a shot at one the beginning of September and a partner had a shot at one a week later. Both shots ended with nothing lying on the ground. For all the rest no shots fired because, well, we were just too slow...

[Big Grey Wolf]

I agree with St99 post. Every WMU west of highway 22 and North of 16 are over run with wolves. Take your pick.
Trappers at recent meeting said almost every 500 Wmu north of Slave lake and west of Manning were over run with wolves.

[Dariouskater]

Makes me wish I had the ability to get a few wolf pelts myself. The missus would love it.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[Ram94]

That's awesome, Nice work!

[hunterngather]

Ok, would AO people believe an aggressive push to get a real count on animals in WMU'S be beneficial?

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by hunterngather

Ok, would AO people believe an aggressive push to get a real count on animals in WMU'S be beneficial?

Yup and also a complete harvest report from all user groups

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by hunterngather

Ok, would AO people believe an aggressive push to get a real count on animals in WMU'S be beneficial?

I would think the nature of the beasts and the fact they move long distances would make an accurate count difficult.

Grizz

[Drewski Canuck]

Originally Posted by hunterngather

Ok, would AO people believe an aggressive push to get a real count on animals in WMU'S be beneficial?

What do you need a "real count" for, other than to say what we already know, that there are lots of wolves?

If there are caribou in the WMU, Bios are already working at control of wolves to stop the decline of the caribou.

The use of poison bait sites has been used around Grande Cache to try and save the remaining herd there. Arial shooting has been applied for a number of years in 542 / 516 to try and increase those caribou herds. The poison bait sites had some PR blowback, but was working very well at removing whole packs of wolves.

The Province does have motivation to do something about the wolf problem. If the woodland caribou is declared as a threatened species in Alberta, the Feds will take jurisdiction and stop all commercial use of the caribou zone. That means forestry, oil and gas.

So lets encourage the poison bait sites as it is the most effective means to deal with the excess wolf problem. It does mean that there will be some co morbidity, but at least we have the chance to save the caribou.

Drewski

[Huk]

Originally Posted by Prairiewolf

I rarely fill my 402 elk tag so 402 must be full of them

It is.

Have run into them in multiple places in that unit and nearby. A few years ago we ran into a group of dudes who had shot 9 in the same spot the year before.

The following year a buddy of mine was up that same drainage when he hears multiple shots go off. A guy shot 3 of them in one go.

Later that season about 8 or 9 kms away we had tracks everywhere and howling around our camp each night. Even ran into a group on the road driving in at night.

[waldedw]

I know there are lot's in 356 and the game and deer population in particular is starting to show it, used to see 15 - 20 deer a day while moose hunting, now your lucky to see 3 or 4 a day.

[hunterngather]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

What do you need a "real count" for, other than to say what we already know, that there are lots of wolves?

If there are caribou in the WMU, Bios are already working at control of wolves to stop the decline of the caribou.

The use of poison bait sites has been used around Grande Cache to try and save the remaining herd there. Arial shooting has been applied for a number of years in 542 / 516 to try and increase those caribou herds. The poison bait sites had some PR blowback, but was working very well at removing whole packs of wolves.

The Province does have motivation to do something about the wolf problem. If the woodland caribou is declared as a threatened species in Alberta, the Feds will take jurisdiction and stop all commercial use of the caribou zone. That means forestry, oil and gas.

So lets encourage the poison bait sites as it is the most effective means to deal with the excess wolf problem. It does mean that there will be some co morbidity, but at least we have the chance to save the caribou.

Drewski

Data and information is king when thinking policies.

If we could accurately say X WMU's has an over population of wolves or bears thats impacts population of game animals.

Could that information not be used to cull those predatory animals in the name of conservation?

We all talk about this as a problem for our game, why not use data to inform changes?

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by hunterngather

Data and information is king when thinking policies.

If we could accurately say X WMU's has an over population of wolves or bears thats impacts population of game animals.

Could that not information not be used to cull those predatory animals in the name or conservation?

We all talk about this as a problem for our game, why not use data to inform changes?

Unfortunately when it comes to predator control it’s more political/social then science based. There has been many studies done in a number of locations showing predators to be the top reason for ungulate decline. Bio’s experience major backlash from the public when suggesting aggressive predator control

It would be nice to know the population of all species, the impact predators are having, along with the harvest of both regulated and unregulated hunting. But it would be even better if political correctness and politics let bio’s make the choices needed to properly manage game numbers

This is the problem with wildlife management in Canada in general not just Alberta

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

What do you need a "real count" for, other than to say what we already know, that there are lots of wolves?

If there are caribou in the WMU, Bios are already working at control of wolves to stop the decline of the caribou.

The use of poison bait sites has been used around Grande Cache to try and save the remaining herd there. Arial shooting has been applied for a number of years in 542 / 516 to try and increase those caribou herds. The poison bait sites had some PR blowback, but was working very well at removing whole packs of wolves.

The Province does have motivation to do something about the wolf problem. If the woodland caribou is declared as a threatened species in Alberta, the Feds will take jurisdiction and stop all commercial use of the caribou zone. That means forestry, oil and gas.

So lets encourage the poison bait sites as it is the most effective means to deal with the excess wolf problem. It does mean that there will be some co morbidity, but at least we have the chance to save the caribou.

Drewski

Next, they need to remove the mountain lion quotas and put a bounty on them

[Positrac]

Originally Posted by hunterngather

Data and information is king when thinking policies.

If we could accurately say X WMU's has an over population of wolves or bears thats impacts population of game animals.

Could that information not be used to cull those predatory animals in the name of conservation?

We all talk about this as a problem for our game, why not use data to inform changes?

Bears area whole other thing in 530. I went for a quad ride late last summer in the area I moose hunt and saw 18 different black bears in one afternoon. Again, not 1 deer spotted in that area despite it looking like decent deer habitat. I did end up spending some time in the area come November when my moose tag was open and it was void of deer tracks in the snow.

[hunterngather]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Unfortunately when it comes to predator control it’s more political/social then science based. There has been many studies done in a number of locations showing predators to be the top reason for ungulate decline. Bio’s experience major backlash from the public when suggesting aggressive predator control

It would be nice to know the population of all species, the impact predators are having, along with the harvest of both regulated and unregulated hunting. But it would be even better if political correctness and politics let bio’s make the choices needed to properly manage game numbers

This is the problem with wildlife management in Canada in general not just Alberta

I agree that the bio's need a bigger voice.

We need a person in control to have the balls to take this huge issue on.

We need to know where and how many animals we have left in our province.