Hunting Forum

The anti's couldn't get it done judicially last Fall so now they're going after it legislatively.

Politics v Science: Minn. wolf bill introduced

BTW, I almost posted this in the wolf hunt thread, and as I was reviewing it I noticed that I never posted the good news about Buddy... We got him back on November 29th, two weeks to the day after he went missing.

It's good that the wolves didn't get him, but it's an interesting story nonetheless.

Of course I had posted the pic of the wolf that had come threw the night before Buddy went missing, and based on history I had assumed the worse.

Well, my wife had a friend at work that suggested that she call the area shelters to see if maybe Buddy had wound up at one of them. Considering that the nearest shelter is about 35 miles away, I was less than enthusiastic when she mentioned it to me, so initially my wife didn't make any calls.

Well thankfully her friend at work was persistent, on the 28th of November her friend finally convinced her to make some calls.

The nearest shelters were in the Duluth area. None of them had a dog come in fitting Buddy's description but... One of the shelters gave her the # to the Virginia shelter which is about 45 miles to our North. Sure enough on the 15th of November, the day Buddy went missing, they had a dog come in matching Buddy's description. They said that he had been picked up by animal control in Eveleth, which is about 40 miles to our North.

After having them email me some pics, we were 90% sure that it was Buddy.

I drove to Virginia on the 29th, and sure enough there he was. So two weeks, and $150 later Buddy came home.

Just a couple of notes... We live about an 1/8 mile off of HWY 53. Quite often we get traffic off of the HWY as people stop to relieve themselves. Also, since we're the only permanent residence on our road we never chain our dogs, so we never saw fit to put a collar on Buddy.

We'll never know what really happened, but it's possible, being he had no collar that someone may have thought that Buddy was a drop off dog. Also, Buddy is a very friendly dog, CA has met him, and can testify to that, it's possible that someone just really liked him, and just took him. One final thought I had is that Buddy will jump into an open car door in a split second, it's possible that Buddy basically got himself abducted simply because he jumped into a car/truck on his own.

One last note, Buddy isn't out of the woods yet (pun intended) Most days I walk our road to see whats been crossing it. Today I found the tracks of 4 wolves that had crossed the road about 100yds West of our house. They had to have crossed late yesterday or sometime after it warmed up today. With the warmer weather parts of our road are getting soft, and the tracks were sunk deep into the road.

That's good news about Buddy, Lunkerdog. I bet he was pretty happy to see you. It would be interesting to learn how he ended up in Eveleth. Seems likely he hitched a ride with someone. Hopefully he has satisfied his wander lust and will stay home for a while. Especially with with the other canines wandering around your neighborhood.

Good to hear Buddy made it home.

I heard that Dill, head of Natural resorces committee, is just fine with a wolf season and has no plans to change. Looks like only a law suite could stop hunting.

Glad to hear you got Buddy back. Had two disappear years ago. One came back about a week after with front feet that looked like it had dug it's way out of something. I thinks someone decided they needed a lab. The other one a lab golden retriever mix never did come back.
Don't see why the wolf lovers would not be able to get the Wolfe thing passed, everything else that doesn't make sense passes.

Glad to hear you got Buddy back. Had two disappear years ago. One came back about a week after with front feet that looked like it had dug it's way out of something. I thinks someone decided they needed a lab. The other one a lab golden retriever mix never did come back.
Don't see why the wolf lovers would not be able to get the Wolfe thing passed, everything else that doesn't make sense passes.

Good news about Buddy, Lunker....now quit being a cheapskate and put a collar on your dawgs with your name and phone number, dumazz!

As far as wolves go, what do I need to do to apply and come kill with you?

Tom, Buddy now has a Blaze Orange collar with a tag on it. Tho I did tape the tag tight too the collar so he isn't ringing the dinner bell for the wolves when he's out chasing rabbits.

As far as the hunting... Here ya go... I can't promise you'll get a wolf, but can promise to put you into good wolf hunting country.

Hunting

Need me a fuggin wolf!

Tom,

Time to start practicing your singing or should I saw howling.  It should give the local coyotes something to talk about.

-MD


 

                
                                                                                                              

Well, let's hope the "uncertain prospects" means the bill dies .....

Let the dog out Friday morning, he started wolfing to the west at ravens.  I got him back in the house later as I was going to a customers I saw a flock of ravens, mature and immature eagles.  There had to be a deer kill near by.  I walked out into the woods later and determined it was on the neighbors property.  Saturday my wife took Winston for a snow shoe hike and he took off for the kill site.  I had just got home and was able to see his tail moving about and called him back.  My wife continued her hike but first put Winston on a leash and made him heal for the entire hike.

Today my wife looked out the bedroom window and saw a wolf heading for the kill site.  This was about a half hour after I had let the dog out.  I did not let him roam today nor will I in the days to come.

-MD

Good move, MD!!!

Taken at 3:48 pm 4/8/13.  There was also another wolf who did not make it on camera.

This is the reason my wife joined me at a permit to carry class in Saginaw on Saturday.  This picture is about 75 feet from the house. 

My dog also likes to inspect the ground around that salt block.

-MD

This is the reason my wife joined me at a permit to carry class in Saginaw on Saturday.  This picture is about 75 feet from the house. 

Let me think... A Saturday class... Saginaw... Mark, if that wasn't Franks class I'll eat my permit!!!

75 ft. from the house!!! How often do you get wolves that close to the house? Is this late Winter boldness due to hunger?

I know they get a lot bolder around our place at this time of year, once we had them at about 50 ft from our backdoor.

Although it was August when they killed Clarence, that was about 300 yds from our driveway.

-LD

Mark, if that wasn't Franks class I'll eat my permit!!!

No need to break out the Steak Sauce.  It was Frank's class.   We stayed Friday night in Duluth, which given the weather was a wise choice.  By time we started home the snow had stopped but the roads where two tracked for a long ways.

We took the class with the four legged trouble makers in mind.  I am not paranoid enough yet, for the constant carry to ward off the two legged kind.   Given the self defense laws in MN, you might as well assume your are going to be guilty until proven innocent.

Upon reflection I would have to agree that the "in the face encounters"  with wolves are more likely to happen in the spring.    The day I confronted 3 or 4 in the front yard was near the end of the winter.  That said they will leave tracks any time during the winter.

-MD

-MD

I am not paranoid enough yet, for the constant carry to ward off the two legged kind.

Ouch... That's going to leave a mark (no pun intended)

Mark, it's not my place to convince you that you should, or shouldn't carry... But since I'm still feeling "the sting" I'll go ahead and play devils advocate.

In 50 years I've never read or heard of a wolf attacking a human here in Minnesota. On the other hand I hear about humans attacking/assaulting other humans pretty much on a daily basis.

I betting that you'll remember hearing/reading about 26 year old Christina Watson being murdered on the Fond Du Lac reservation this past Fall. I didn't know her personally, but I work with her boyfriend, and had said hello to her 100's of times as she dropped him off, or picked him up from work.

You may also remember back in 2010 when a man and woman were killed in the Prairie Lake area, and their truck was found burned out in Alborn (I have an Alborn phone #) Again, I didn't know the women personally, but she had worked in the butcher shop of an area mom-n-pop store where my wife and I prefer to by our meat. She had waited on my wife and I many, many times. That was the murder that finally prompted me to get my permit

That's two women that I've known that have been murdered within the last three years.

One more murder you may have heard about in the news. Last year there was finally an arrest made in the cold case murder of Trina Langenbrunner, I believe the case was 10 years old. I had never met Trina, but I had gone to school with her husband, and his father had worked with my mother for many years.

As I grew up in the Cloquet area, a local murder was a very rare thing... Times have changed since the days of my youth.

I understand what your saying about Minnesota's laws, but in the end how does the saying go? I'd rather be judged by 12, than carried by 6.

I'm not trying to start a big debate about this, but couldn't help myself from saying something to support my paranoia

-LD

I'm not trying to start a big debate about this, but couldn't help myself from saying something to support my paranoia

Maybe paranoid was too strong of a word.  I have been having this debate within myself for awhile.  Things do happen even in the wilderness.  In one handgun incident that happened in the last two years I was acquainted with both the perpetrator and the victim.  (They were not related to each other.)  Without a defensive weapon you have two choices, you can hide or be a martyr saving someone else.  With the defensive weapon you might be able to stop it without any shots fired.

Now to get closer to the topic of the thread.  Pure breed wolves very rarely attack humans.  Cross breeds though have attacked.  So the likelihood of needing the firearm to protect yourself is slim.  On the other hand I remember someone writing about running down a road firing his gun to scare some wolves away from his dog.   That would most likely be the scenario for carrying while out on walks is to protect Winston.

-MD

-MD

I have been having this debate within myself for awhile. 

Sir I absolutely understand that internal debate. I had a similar debate within myself for four years before a local event pushed me across the line.

On the other hand I remember someone writing about running down a road firing his gun to scare some wolves away from his dog.   That would most likely be the scenario for carrying while out on walks is to protect Winston.

Touche!!! BTW, it was my carry piece I was firing... All of our other guns were securely locked up in our brand new gun safe at the time So your logic in this regard is sound.

A couple of years ago I grouse hunted with a couple of guys that claimed to have seen a wolf as they were walking down the trail. No shots needed to be fired then, but clean undergarments were needed.