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Old 12-27-2014, 11:45 PM
MooseRiverTrapper MooseRiverTrapper is online now
 
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Default Push for a province wide wolf bounty?

Right now the spotlight seems to be on predators in Alberta.

APOS is against the possible full curl changes affecting sheep hunting and are blaming predators as a main problem.

ESRD is culling moose out of helicopters to poison wolves. A extremely expensive venture.

Moose tags in some 300 zones have been radically increased. In hopes the lack of moose will force the wolves out and the caribou will be left alone.

Other rumoured culling of ungulates to poison wolves in Alberta have went around.

Wild Sheep Foundation has created an incentive program for removing Cougars in sheep country.

Cougar Management Areas where sheep are present will see a increased quota for male and female Cougars next year. In hopes of killing some of the sheep killers.

How come there is not a province wide bounty or incentive for trappers catching wolves?

I am using traps that are $200-300 each with chain (Brauns and Lay #7). They are hard to maintain with a 48hr trap check. Snaring a bait pile requires a large amount of work with a trapline 10km off the nearest road. I am catching $150 wolves with a $300 trap. The math doesn't add up.

There is resident caribou on my line and no incentive for me to catch wolves.

Wouldn't it seem reasonable for ESRD to fund a wolf incentive?
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Old 12-28-2014, 05:33 AM
Ultimate Predator Ultimate Predator is offline
 
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Yes bountys work put a high enough price on anyone's head and the job will get done!
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Old 12-28-2014, 07:08 AM
braggadoe braggadoe is offline
 
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i believe the WSF does have an incentive program. our local matched it. what your looking for, may already be happening. just not from the government.

it would be good to have an longer trap check time. both resident and RFMA, and i think they're working on it.

if your only getting 150$/wolf. i'ld look for another way to market them. the claws alone, are worth 150$ to the right people.
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Old 12-28-2014, 07:22 AM
martinnordegg martinnordegg is offline
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Originally Posted by braggadoe View Post
i believe the WSF does have an incentive program. our local matched it. what your looking for, may already be happening. just not from the government.

it would be good to have an longer trap check time. both resident and RFMA, and i think they're working on it.

if your only getting 150$/wolf. i'ld look for another way to market them. the claws alone, are worth 150$ to the right people.


With the incentive, how many wolves did your Local account for?
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Old 12-28-2014, 08:14 AM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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How many out of province Wolves are you willing to pay a bounty on? Coyote bounties are horribly abused for only 25 dollars.
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Old 12-28-2014, 08:57 AM
Marty S Marty S is offline
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A wolf program would be much different than a coyote program. I have been involved with coyote programs and see the holes, quite easy to patch and have a decent program with few abuses. Coyote bounties are much more prone to abuse than wolf due to numbers and availability, and especially availability to people who are willing to do it large scale that have the ability to do so.

But if we the trappers want a wolf program, then we must pursue it and not leave it up to others. We pursue the funding and the administration. I think this way it is doable, effective and would eliminate abuse. Leaving it to the government is not likely to happen and even if it did, most likely would not be run well and would be open to abuse. We could run our program our way and show the world that harvest incentive programs can be an effective tool.
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Old 12-28-2014, 01:08 PM
Big Grey Wolf Big Grey Wolf is offline
 
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Marty, I agree with your suggestions, Mooses " $300 trap for $150 wolf" spells it out in real economics. We need a very low level incentive program that will stay below radar of the un-informed greens that have the ear of present government. However a bounty/incentive below $1000/wolf would not do much with $1.30/liter diesel just to get to the line.
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Old 12-28-2014, 03:39 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf View Post
Marty, I agree with your suggestions, Mooses " $300 trap for $150 wolf" spells it out in real economics. We need a very low level incentive program that will stay below radar of the un-informed greens that have the ear of present government. However a bounty/incentive below $1000/wolf would not do much with $1.30/liter diesel just to get to the line.
I'm going to preface this post with saying that this is not meant to be taken personally. I'm interested in debating the topic not the man. I really hesitated and even put my phone down for a couple hours hoping someone else would chime in. Big grey wolf I don't mean to step on your toes as I feel I may have done in another thread. More experienced guys than myself have graciously helped me out many times and it would be foolish to burn that bridge.

So here comes the rant! First I'd like to know which dumpster you guys are throwing those three hundred dollar traps in after a catch? They must be good for only one use? There's not much in life that pays for itself the first time you use it.

If 1.30 diesel to get to the line is a big concern perhaps you live too far away to manage it effectively?

Is there no other fur on your line? Please tell me you are not burning diesel and checking only wolf traps. I realize there is a 48 hour check on footholds and would support longer check times. If I had a line I would use snares-more work but less fuel burned checking. From the wolf trappers I know it doesn't take much bait and you shouldn't have to haul any in if you are managing the beaver on your line. My uncle snared many wolves with a bait consisting of only one beaver.

To my understanding when you took your line on you agreed to manage all furbearers on it. Not just the easy to catch valuable ones. This leads into the many lines not being trapped at all. There needs to be enforcement, doesn't help when a pack wanders into an adjacent line not being trapped.

Ontario uses a beaver quota. Perhaps a wolf quota is in order? I do realize beaver are easier to do population surveys.

I would never as a taxpayer support a province wide $1000 bounty on wolves. I would let them eat every beaver, deer, caribou, moose, sheep until the population crashed due to lack of food. I would support a bounty with a more realistic figure of $250, you sell the fur. These things took care of themselves long before we were here. Yes we've changed the landscape, regardless though. No food=no wolves. The caribou are done in Alberta anyway. The only way I would support a thousand dollar bounty paid to trappers is if that's all they did. I'm not footing the bill to check marten traps.

So there's my thoughts. Please keep it civil!

Last edited by Tfng; 12-28-2014 at 04:00 PM.
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Old 12-28-2014, 03:59 PM
MooseRiverTrapper MooseRiverTrapper is online now
 
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Some good thoughts TFNG I agree with some of them. What I tried to state in my first post is that as a taxpayer you are paying $1000 per wolf bounty already (approximate guess, maybe more) But its for a chopper at $800 and hour plus wages of goverment employees. I think right now APOS would chip in a wolf bounty to avoid the full curl restrictions. Possibly WSF could do something to support it as well. The moose in WMU 353,355 and others are getting culled through tags being increased. Is there a wolf bounty in these WMUs and surrounding ones?

I enjoy trapping and have yet to break even. Initial cost of line, new cabin built, 14k sled, traps, fuel. That is reality for me and I accept that and enjoy what I do. With the spotlight on predators right now I think we may be able to push for an incentive.
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  #10  
Old 12-28-2014, 04:08 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Yes we are paying a ridiculous sum of money to kill a few wolves in part of Alberta. I'm not saying I agree with that either. It's not province wide though.

I don't know how long you've had your line but it may have been more affordable if people were forced to actively trap not just hunt or fish.

I have zero issue with trappers cabins being used for hunting or other recreation so long as they are actively trapped.

Edited to add. Good for you on buying a line. I'd like to do the same one day. I'd rather have it be profitable but we all know the sad truth on that situation.

Last edited by Tfng; 12-28-2014 at 04:32 PM.
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Old 12-28-2014, 04:30 PM
braggadoe braggadoe is offline
 
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Originally Posted by martinnordegg View Post
With the incentive, how many wolves did your Local account for?

the way wolf threads seem to go south on this forum. i'm not going to say, how many, or the amount. the info is available, if you contact them.
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Old 12-28-2014, 11:24 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Mooserivertrapper- I'm not sure if braggadoe was talking about me? It truly wasn't my intention to cause your thread to go south. I thought I could offer an outsiders point of view and it could be debated.


Good luck on the line this winter.

Last edited by Tfng; 12-28-2014 at 11:50 PM. Reason: Clarification
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Old 12-29-2014, 06:53 AM
martinnordegg martinnordegg is offline
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Originally Posted by braggadoe View Post
the way wolf threads seem to go south on this forum. i'm not going to say, how many, or the amount. the info is available, if you contact them.

Yep, I understand your reluctance to give information. With the incentive our Local accounted for 65 wolves and the adjacent Local did Ibelieve around 50. The incentive does work and it doesn't have to be 1000 bucks.
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Old 12-29-2014, 07:10 AM
braggadoe braggadoe is offline
 
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Originally Posted by martinnordegg View Post
Yep, I understand your reluctance to give information. With the incentive our Local accounted for 65 wolves and the adjacent Local did Ibelieve around 50. The incentive does work and it doesn't have to be 1000 bucks.

thats great!! yet another reason to get involved, take part, and support the local organizations. alot of these things that people are asking for. are already taking place. but if you don't get involved, a person misses out.
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Old 12-29-2014, 09:03 AM
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Lots of finger pointing but I doubt wolves are the scourge in every problem in every part of the province. This has been going on for hundreds of years. Does anyone on the AO forum actually read AO magazine???? Check out Bob Stewart's article in the most recent issue.
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Old 12-29-2014, 09:13 AM
CritterCommander CritterCommander is offline
 
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I would bet a tidy sum that gunning a wolf out of a chopper costs way more than $1000 per wolf, I recently wrote my MLA to see if he could answer that question, we will see what I get back if anything. My hunch is it's going to be closer to $10,000.
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Old 12-29-2014, 09:30 AM
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I'm going to preface this post with saying that this is not meant to be taken personally. I'm interested in debating the topic not the man. I really hesitated and even put my phone down for a couple hours hoping someone else would chime in. Big grey wolf I don't mean to step on your toes as I feel I may have done in another thread. More experienced guys than myself have graciously helped me out many times and it would be foolish to burn that bridge.

So here comes the rant! First I'd like to know which dumpster you guys are throwing those three hundred dollar traps in after a catch? They must be good for only one use? There's not much in life that pays for itself the first time you use it.

If 1.30 diesel to get to the line is a big concern perhaps you live too far away to manage it effectively?

Is there no other fur on your line? Please tell me you are not burning diesel and checking only wolf traps. I realize there is a 48 hour check on footholds and would support longer check times. If I had a line I would use snares-more work but less fuel burned checking. From the wolf trappers I know it doesn't take much bait and you shouldn't have to haul any in if you are managing the beaver on your line. My uncle snared many wolves with a bait consisting of only one beaver.

To my understanding when you took your line on you agreed to manage all furbearers on it. Not just the easy to catch valuable ones. This leads into the many lines not being trapped at all. There needs to be enforcement, doesn't help when a pack wanders into an adjacent line not being trapped.

Ontario uses a beaver quota. Perhaps a wolf quota is in order? I do realize beaver are easier to do population surveys.

I would never as a taxpayer support a province wide $1000 bounty on wolves. I would let them eat every beaver, deer, caribou, moose, sheep until the population crashed due to lack of food. I would support a bounty with a more realistic figure of $250, you sell the fur. These things took care of themselves long before we were here. Yes we've changed the landscape, regardless though. No food=no wolves. The caribou are done in Alberta anyway. The only way I would support a thousand dollar bounty paid to trappers is if that's all they did. I'm not footing the bill to check marten traps.

So there's my thoughts. Please keep it civil!
I don't what to get into a peeing match but I do have some real world experience and a wolf problem this winter on my line.

But you speak from a complete lack of experience on so many levels. I am not being rude or mean here - just real. I travel 3 hours each way to my line and feel I'm lucky to have got one so close. None of us gets to pick the perfect line. But the ridiculous 48 hour check laws of the Alberta government insure very few wolves get trapped. They've rigged the game in their favor no question.

Run a wolf bait for a whole winter and tell me how that works out for you. Better yet set up and supply 4 baits hoping one gets hit in the season. All the while keeping up the checks and baits. 1 beaver won't even have a coyote come back, wolves eat a deer or moose carcass at one sitting. Until you do you have no way to relate to the work and the expense.

As far as the bounty SRD spends $3000.00 per aerial shot wolf, poisoning isn't much cheaper, never mind the absolute horrific by kill. Why not put a 2K bounty per wolf and save some money? No law says it has to be only for registered trappers. Yes only the line owner can trap on the RFMA but residents can trap on private land or can set baits on public land and shoot wolves.

As far as my line goes the wolves have a free pass, there is nothing I can do under the current trap check laws and trying to haul enough bait just isn't possible. For one thing you have can only use road kill or federally inspected domestic animals for bait. (yes pay to have that pile of guts and hide inspected!) You need a license to pick up roadkill and it can only be used in the same WMU.

Setting up on pee poles is the only cost effective system but by the time the cooling off period is up on a new set I have to pull the traps because I can't be there every 2 days.

Trappers are not lazy we are just handicapped by the system.

Last edited by 209x50; 12-29-2014 at 09:42 AM.
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Old 12-29-2014, 10:21 AM
Dr Death Dr Death is offline
 
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I know leg holds are very effective at catching wolves, but so is a snare. They have an open check. No excuse there. 48 hour check on leg holds on registered lines are nice compared to the 24hr check on private! Why is that? Has our government determined that animals 'suffer' less on a registered line?! Seems there is a bias. Stupid. Would be nice if leg hold checks were longer for all.
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Old 12-29-2014, 10:24 AM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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I don't what to get into a peeing match but I do have some real world experience and a wolf problem this winter on my line.

But you speak from a complete lack of experience on so many levels. I am not being rude or mean here - just real. I travel 3 hours each way to my line and feel I'm lucky to have got one so close. None of us gets to pick the perfect line. But the ridiculous 48 hour check laws of the Alberta government insure very few wolves get trapped. They've rigged the game in their favor no question.

Run a wolf bait for a whole winter and tell me how that works out for you. Better yet set up and supply 4 baits hoping one gets hit in the season. All the while keeping up the checks and baits. 1 beaver won't even have a coyote come back, wolves eat a deer or moose carcass at one sitting. Until you do you have no way to relate to the work and the expense.


As far as the bounty SRD spends $3000.00 per aerial shot wolf, poisoning isn't much cheaper, never mind the absolute horrific by kill. Why not put a 2K bounty per wolf and save some money? No law says it has to be only for registered trappers. Yes only the line owner can trap on the RFMA but residents can trap on private land or can set baits on public land and shoot wolves.

As far as my line goes the wolves have a free pass, there is nothing I can do under the current trap check laws and trying to haul enough bait just isn't possible. For one thing you have can only use road kill or federally inspected domestic animals for bait. (yes pay to have that pile of guts and hide inspected!) You need a license to pick up roadkill and it can only be used in the same WMU.

Setting up on pee poles is the only cost effective system but by the time the cooling off period is up on a new set I have to pull the traps because I can't be there every 2 days.

Trappers are not lazy we are just handicapped by the system.
Fair enough. I did not claim to be an expert (I'm hardly a beginner). My feelings are not hurt whatsoever. I wanted to talk about how it seems to the guy you are asking for a thousand dollars a wolf. I can certainly appreciate being real. If you want to give wolves a pass on your line that's your choice.

Yes a beaver would be gone in minutes if a pack of wolves could reach it. The way it was explained to me was to be sure they couldn't reach it so they spent plenty of time milling around. He preferred to set up on an island in the river. The bait was sealed and snares set then left to cool off. The sealed bait lessened the chance of the pack coming in prematurely and figuring out something was wrong. The bait was unsealed from a distance with a rifle when he thought it was ready. The man I speak of spent over fifty years trapping full time every winter until he couldn't do it anymore at the age of 74. One of my regrets is not learning everything I could from him while I had the chance in my younger years.

I did say I support longer check times.

Trapping is tough and expensive I will agree. How many businesses make full time money with only part time work?

Perhaps trappers should also get the benefit of dyed fuel farmers enjoy?

I missed the part about bait having to be inspected. Perhaps you were editing while I was responding or I just missed it. I did not realize that, sounds like a pain in the butt for sure. You can use bait harvested on your line no problem though right?

I appreciate this not turning into a peeing match. I enjoy hanging out here and learning from you guys. I live my dream of a line of my own vicariously through you guys. Maybe one day I will be able to throw my money out the window as well lol.

Last edited by Tfng; 12-29-2014 at 10:43 AM.
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Old 12-29-2014, 04:14 PM
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Fair enough. I did not claim to be an expert (I'm hardly a beginner). My feelings are not hurt whatsoever. I wanted to talk about how it seems to the guy you are asking for a thousand dollars a wolf. I can certainly appreciate being real. If you want to give wolves a pass on your line that's your choice.

Yes a beaver would be gone in minutes if a pack of wolves could reach it. The way it was explained to me was to be sure they couldn't reach it so they spent plenty of time milling around. He preferred to set up on an island in the river. The bait was sealed and snares set then left to cool off. The sealed bait lessened the chance of the pack coming in prematurely and figuring out something was wrong. The bait was unsealed from a distance with a rifle when he thought it was ready. The man I speak of spent over fifty years trapping full time every winter until he couldn't do it anymore at the age of 74. One of my regrets is not learning everything I could from him while I had the chance in my younger years.

I did say I support longer check times.

Trapping is tough and expensive I will agree. How many businesses make full time money with only part time work?

Perhaps trappers should also get the benefit of dyed fuel farmers enjoy?

I missed the part about bait having to be inspected. Perhaps you were editing while I was responding or I just missed it. I did not realize that, sounds like a pain in the butt for sure. You can use bait harvested on your line no problem though right?

I appreciate this not turning into a peeing match. I enjoy hanging out here and learning from you guys. I live my dream of a line of my own vicariously through you guys. Maybe one day I will be able to throw my money out the window as well lol.
I am as far as you can get from being an expert - but - I have tried.

I have 2 packs, one is 3-4 the other 8-9 so 12-14 on 144 square miles of my line. When ever they are on my line. Foot holding pee poles is the only option. They seem to come through to mark territory every month or two or three. Last year in the big snow they left my line all together. This year with little snow they go everywhere just no where twice.

Snares don't work if you don't have a big meal for them, not for me anyway. A big meal and spread out 40 snares (that adds up in a hurry too!). The single beaver scenario gets ignored every time, I know I have them spread through my line set for lynx and wolverine. I've never had a wolf look at them yet.

For snaring to work on a bait pile you need advertisement - ravens - and they eat a beaver a piece a day LOL. I have a lot of beaver on my line but still I would need a hundred beaver a bait pile for the winter. I could support that for one winter and be out of beaver.

Trapping is like any of my other businesses, I don't waste time nor money where I can't succeed.

I'm all ears and willing to try anything once but I can tell you right now I've done the single beaver trick and it has been a bust.

Why not pay a bounty of 2k and save a 1k for the taxpayers over the standard today?
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Old 12-29-2014, 07:58 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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I am as far as you can get from being an expert - but - I have tried.

I have 2 packs, one is 3-4 the other 8-9 so 12-14 on 144 square miles of my line. When ever they are on my line. Foot holding pee poles is the only option. They seem to come through to mark territory every month or two or three. Last year in the big snow they left my line all together. This year with little snow they go everywhere just no where twice.

Snares don't work if you don't have a big meal for them, not for me anyway. A big meal and spread out 40 snares (that adds up in a hurry too!). The single beaver scenario gets ignored every time, I know I have them spread through my line set for lynx and wolverine. I've never had a wolf look at them yet.

For snaring to work on a bait pile you need advertisement - ravens - and they eat a beaver a piece a day LOL. I have a lot of beaver on my line but still I would need a hundred beaver a bait pile for the winter. I could support that for one winter and be out of beaver.

Trapping is like any of my other businesses, I don't waste time nor money where I can't succeed.

I'm all ears and willing to try anything once but I can tell you right now I've done the single beaver trick and it has been a bust.

Why not pay a bounty of 2k and save a 1k for the taxpayers over the standard today?
The key point that keeps getting brushed over is "province wide". To my knowledge they are not killing wolves on this kind of scale.

If I had only two choices, either one thousand or three thousand per wolf I would certainly choose one thousand with the added benefit of not having incidental poisoning of non targets. I'm good enough at math to see that.

If I could answer any way I choose I would say not a dime. I'm a hunter also but people need to hunt, perhaps a lower deer population will teach them to hone their skills.

My initial post was pretty inflammatory for such a controversial subject. I meant it to be somewhat so that a debate could be started. Perhaps I went a little overboard, nevertheless a debate has happened. I wanted to present the side of the argument where it's costing me money not improving my bottom line as an RFMA owner. You must realize it sounds bad when you say I won't trap wolves unless you pay me extra but you are the only one allowed to trap there.

If you choose not to pursue wolves on your lines I'm fine with that. My original post is not clear on that. It's clearly not a good business decision and trapping is a business.

I'm not a biologist but fourteen wolves coming through six times a year doesn't seem excessive to me? Is a bounty justified on your line?

I remember as a kid checking traps with my uncle and having him curse the wolves for chewing up marten caught in traps. It's seems weird they don't touch your beaver baits. I do believe you though.

I may be a new member here but I should have known better than to wade into this topic. I joined here to make friends not enemies. I feel I'm probably hurting that cause more than I'm helping right now. I'd like to bow out of this thread if you guys will let me. I'd say we did ok tho, it hasn't resorted to name calling yet lol.
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  #22  
Old 12-30-2014, 06:57 AM
martinnordegg martinnordegg is offline
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I don't what to get into a peeing match but I do have some real world experience and a wolf problem this winter on my line.

But you speak from a complete lack of experience on so many levels. I am not being rude or mean here - just real. I travel 3 hours each way to my line and feel I'm lucky to have got one so close. None of us gets to pick the perfect line. But the ridiculous 48 hour check laws of the Alberta government insure very few wolves get trapped. They've rigged the game in their favor no question.

The 48 hour rule applies to legholds. I believe it was not only the Alberta Govt. involved in implementing this rule but the AIHTS, the ATA and trappers themselves. For myself the 48 hour rule for legholds is a good one and addresses trappers diligence in running a humane operation.

Run a wolf bait for a whole winter and tell me how that works out for you. Better yet set up and supply 4 baits hoping one gets hit in the season. All the while keeping up the checks and baits. 1 beaver won't even have a coyote come back, wolves eat a deer or moose carcass at one sitting. Until you do you have no way to relate to the work and the expense.

We run three to four baits. This includes slinging in roadkill via helicopter. You bet it is alot of work, alot of money and it is alot of satisfaction. We enjoy the challenge. I guess if you don't have the time or want to dedicate the loot to going after wolves then that is how you choose to manage your line.

As far as the bounty SRD spends $3000.00 per aerial shot wolf, poisoning isn't much cheaper, never mind the absolute horrific by kill. Why not put a 2K bounty per wolf and save some money? No law says it has to be only for registered trappers. Yes only the line owner can trap on the RFMA but residents can trap on private land or can set baits on public land and shoot wolves.

I am not sure where you are getting your dollar numbers from but you are probably close. Where did you get this 3K number?
I hear more and more of non-RFMA holders hauling in baitpiles and getting after the wolves. Seems to be a growing hunting opportunity. I also hear more complaints from RFMA holders on these hunters "disturbing" their trapping activities and being in conflict with RFMA holders. With all the wolves on your line and this Forum I would think some of the Forum members would set out a bait pile and help you out.




As far as my line goes the wolves have a free pass, there is nothing I can do under the current trap check laws and trying to haul enough bait just isn't possible. For one thing you have can only use road kill or federally inspected domestic animals for bait. (yes pay to have that pile of guts and hide inspected!) You need a license to pick up roadkill and it can only be used in the same WMU.

Not sure what your roadkill authorization letter says but ours includes two County's for pick up and does not specify it has to be used in the same WMU. If yours says that then there is definately no consistency is ESRD Policy regarding this.

Setting up on pee poles is the only cost effective system but by the time the cooling off period is up on a new set I have to pull the traps because I can't be there every 2 days.

Trappers are not lazy we are just handicapped by the system.
Trappers are not handicapped by the system, nor are they lazy. Each RFMA holder manages the line as they can. If an RFMA holder is not able to spend the time to trap by the operational standards then they might consider a Junior Partner or two to help out.


As for the Show, I would like to see a couple more episodes.
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Old 12-30-2014, 07:52 AM
nube nube is offline
 
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My thoughts Echo a lot of what 209 states. For those that have no experience with a line they just wouldn't understand it. I had all the intentions in the world to chase wolves this year but came to the fast conclusion that it would cost me a ton in time and money just to make it work out and I am not going to do it the way it should be done for a couple hundred bucks. I wouldn't have time either to run the rest of my line either. Maybe when I am retired and can live in the cabin for a week at a time and go when I want to but right now it just won't work.
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Old 12-30-2014, 08:16 AM
martinnordegg martinnordegg is offline
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Originally Posted by nube View Post
My thoughts Echo a lot of what 209 states. For those that have no experience with a line they just wouldn't understand it. I had all the intentions in the world to chase wolves this year but came to the fast conclusion that it would cost me a ton in time and money just to make it work out and I am not going to do it the way it should be done for a couple hundred bucks. I wouldn't have time either to run the rest of my line either. Maybe when I am retired and can live in the cabin for a week at a time and go when I want to but right now it just won't work.


How about a couple of Junior Partners to help with timely trap checks. Lots of members on here have expressed an interest to go as a Junior and there are quite a few in the ATA magazine.

What's your opinion the the 48 hour rule?
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Old 12-30-2014, 08:28 AM
nube nube is offline
 
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Originally Posted by martinnordegg View Post
How about a couple of Junior Partners to help with timely trap checks. Lots of members on here have expressed an interest to go as a Junior and there are quite a few in the ATA magazine.

What's your opinion the the 48 hour rule?
I got 2 junior partners that are friends of mine. They live lives as well and we all can't be there every 48 hrs. Eventually we will try a bait and snares but this year has been a steep learning curve and I have a lot of stuff to figure out and do to make things easier in the future.
As far as a Junior partner that I do not know I have no desire to do that at all. To me it is just looking for a few problems doing that and of no benefit to me at all either.
my thoughts on 48 hr rule? hmmmmm I'm not a fan of giving any critter added stress or pain at all but at the same time if i didn't have to check wolf traps every 48 hrs I would sure as heck have some out right now.
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Old 12-30-2014, 08:58 AM
martinnordegg martinnordegg is offline
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I got 2 junior partners that are friends of mine. They live lives as well and we all can't be there every 48 hrs. Eventually we will try a bait and snares but this year has been a steep learning curve and I have a lot of stuff to figure out and do to make things easier in the future.
As far as a Junior partner that I do not know I have no desire to do that at all. To me it is just looking for a few problems doing that and of no benefit to me at all either.
my thoughts on 48 hr rule? hmmmmm I'm not a fan of giving any critter added stress or pain at all but at the same time if i didn't have to check wolf traps every 48 hrs I would sure as heck have some out right now.

Once you get things organized to your liking more time will free up for sure.

Well I always remember the guy that got me started trapping. He was ademant about checking legholds at the most every two days and sometimes once a day. This can be accomplished by placing the sets where you can observe the area from a distance with binos. When it is this cold out, and the power the new wolf legholds have, circulation is cut off enough to freeze the foot/lower leg very quickly and then all you may be left with is a foot and piece of leg in your trap. Very cruel!
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Old 12-30-2014, 09:47 AM
RockyMountainMusic RockyMountainMusic is offline
 
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[QUOTE=TFNG;2674629]Yes we are paying a ridiculous sum of money to kill a few wolves in part of Alberta. I'm not saying I agree with that either. It's not province wide though.

It may not be province wide yet but there is already talk about moving the program both heli-shooting and poisioning to other parts of the province to do the same for caribou elsewhere..... The WSF do help with some incentives but the $3000 heli shoots are way more costly than any bounty out there. I guess everyone can see where i stand based on my wolf poisioning thread, its pahtetic. So is the clear cutting and no rules on logging today! Lots of good talk on this thread though, and for the check times.... thats a hard one!
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Old 12-30-2014, 10:19 AM
nube nube is offline
 
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[QUOTE=RockyMountainMusic;2677125]
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Originally Posted by TFNG View Post
Yes we are paying a ridiculous sum of money to kill a few wolves in part of Alberta. I'm not saying I agree with that either. It's not province wide though.

It may not be province wide yet but there is already talk about moving the program both heli-shooting and poisioning to other parts of the province to do the same for caribou elsewhere..... The WSF do help with some incentives but the $3000 heli shoots are way more costly than any bounty out there. I guess everyone can see where i stand based on my wolf poisioning thread, its pahtetic. So is the clear cutting and no rules on logging today! Lots of good talk on this thread though, and for the check times.... thats a hard one!
Rocky M the logging is what really has me ticked off in this province. Trust me I enjoy using toilet paper like the rest of the country but there has to be a better way then going in and wiping out Townships of area that take 50 years to grow back.
The only thing I am catching i y replanted areas right now are lynx and I see the odd weasel track but that is it. Not sure how long it took for those trees to get the way they did but I would guess the replanted areas are 15+ years old. I doubt that marten will be in there for another 20+ years
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Old 12-30-2014, 10:46 AM
Big Grey Wolf Big Grey Wolf is offline
 
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Guys it is much more serious on recovery of old growth forest. The companies are logging trees that are a minimum of 100+ years old. Thus 100 years from now every man, women and child alive today will be dead, all 7 billion. You are looking at 5 generations from now before your future grand children will be able to have old growth forest with marten trapping. It also assumes the limited top soil will not wash into the Athabasca/Smokey etc rivers with them now wanting to log right down the steep banks to water line.
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Old 12-31-2014, 09:02 AM
RockyMountainMusic RockyMountainMusic is offline
 
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[QUOTE=nube;2677178]
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Originally Posted by RockyMountainMusic View Post

Rocky M the logging is what really has me ticked off in this province. Trust me I enjoy using toilet paper like the rest of the country but there has to be a better way then going in and wiping out Townships of area that take 50 years to grow back.
The only thing I am catching i y replanted areas right now are lynx and I see the odd weasel track but that is it. Not sure how long it took for those trees to get the way they did but I would guess the replanted areas are 15+ years old. I doubt that marten will be in there for another 20+ years
I know what you mean, its the same problem here as on the fox creek side! The thing i dont get is in 1980 there was more restrictions than now, they were not allowed to cut with a low recovery rate which i know of some blocks getting less than 50% actually low 30% of recovered logs, there are peker poles that are hardly good for anthing but toothpicks but that doesnt stop them. They used to have buffer zones around creeks and highways apparently not anymore, the burn piles are ridiculous and the blocks go for miles at a time. I will try to get some pics to show what im saying its retarded! I know we need wood, we need work im not oppsed to it it just need to be done responsibly, they dont even have to re plant these days, the gov approved a trial period where the forest will re-grow itself........ Its all about politics and money and nothing else!
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