Now We Have Wolves?

[jdmidwest]

Looks like Wolves are starting to wander into the state now. Frickin Cougars must have told them about the Elk. I guess we will have to put up a border fence and call out the National Guard to keep the Aliens out.

Big Coyote may be part Wolf.

[troutfiend1985]

I think it would be a neat thing to have wolves in MO. Cool animal, and the only animal I wanted to see in Yellowstone, unfortunatley no luck on that end.

[flytyer57]

I would think the wolves got to MO long before the cougars.

Wolves are more widespread than the cougars.

[Dutch]

I would think the wolves got to MO long before the cougars.

Wolves are more widespread than the cougars.

Cougars and one black bear have been seen on my farms a couple of times but no wolves have ever been reported and I hope it stays that way.

[ozark trout fisher]

I personally would love to see wolves back in Missouri. But I don't think it can ever happen in any kind of significant numbers. Aside from all the public opinion concerns, I don't think we have the habitat in Missouri anymore, probably not even in the wildest parts of the Ozarks. Wolves need plenty of room to roam, and I'm afraid that there just isn't enough of that in Missouri. Our state is just too densely populated for a species like that.

In other words I really don't think we have anything to worry about. The ecosystem of our state is almost certainly far too messed up for such a truly wild, beautiful and native species to have a chance at survival.

[flytyer57]

I personally would love to see wolves back in Missouri. But I don't think it can ever happen in any kind of significant numbers. Aside from all the public opinion concerns, I don't think we have the habitat in Missouri anymore, probably not even in the wildest parts of the Ozarks. Wolves need plenty of room to roam, and I'm afraid that there just isn't enough of that in Missouri. Our state is just too densely populated for a species like that.

In other words I really don't think we have anything to worry about. The ecosystem of our state is almost certainly far too messed up for such a truly wild, beautiful and native species to have a chance at survival.

Don't be surprised about where a wolf might show up. I've seen them in Wisconsin just outside the city limits of Milwaukee. I've seen coyotes walking the railroad tracks in the city.

[Al Agnew]

In historic times, wolves were always somewhat uncommon in the Ozarks, their place taken to some extent by red wolves. The wolves preyed upon elk and bison, and were more common in northern and western MO. Of course, in more open country they were also more susceptible to getting shot.

Wolves aren't as secretive as cougars are. If they were in the Ozarks, people would be seeing and hearing them.

I watched a couple of wolves on an elk kill in Yellowstone a couple weeks ago. About 100 yards off the road. There were coyotes on the kill when we first saw it, but we knew it was a wolf kill because the usual wolf watchers in the park had told us about it. We watched the coyotes for a bit, and then suddenly they took off loping away, looking back nervously, and the two wolves appeared.

I've watched wolves in Yellowstone a number of times, a couple as close as 30 yards. Really impressive animals. And you can see a ton of coyotes that, at first glance at a distance, you think MIGHT be a wolf, but when you see a wolf there's no mistaking it.

[flytyer57]

Come to think of it, my nephew in Milwaukee, now in Phoenix, had a couple of wolves that he raised from pups. They always did scare the crap out of me when he let them run around the yard loose. Dang things always looked like they were ready to take a bite out of ya at any second.

Here's a pic of my nephews kid being nice to them in the pool while I hold my grandson.

[duckydoty]

We were having some run-ins with wolves in Katmai National Park 2 years ago. The wolves were trying to steal the fish off the fishermans lines. They were pretty aggresive and more intimidating than the bears. I've got a picture of one somewhere and she is only about 15 feet away.

[troutfiend1985]

We were having some run-ins with wolves in Katmai National Park 2 years ago. The wolves were trying to steal the fish off the fishermans lines. They were pretty aggresive and more intimidating than the bears. I've got a picture of one somewhere and she is only about 15 feet away.

DD, are the wolves in contact with humans alot up there? I don't know much about wolves but I've heard that wolves are pretty timid around humans. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's always been my impression. I know that animals coming into contact with humans and getting food from humans can become aggresive, and it almost sounds like the wolves hear your drag as a dinner bell. Kind of a Ducky's wolf instead of Pavlovs Dog.