Any avid DU hunters in here?

[Bread and Circus]

Can someone explain to me this aerial wolf hunting thing? It reminds of what I learned in school of when the used to shoot Bison from trains. It was taught as an egregious act perpetrated by people who didn't respect what a unique and wonderful treasure NA Bison were. This wolf thing smacks me as that as well. However, I also know wolves can be predatory to ranchers farmstock and that kind of thing. But then again, I'm not aware of any ranching in Alaska.

Can someone please help me with this? Because on it's face it sounds pretty nasty.

[Auggie]

1. Oh no... a hunting thread

:hide:

[seabeyond]

2. really worse than smoking threads. as i back out. no reason. n/t

[SIMPLYB1980]

3. Yes, and responsible hunter's think that it is horrible.

This link will help. To disgusting to talk about.
https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=c406_090308palinwolf&JServSessionIdr012=uyh64s2pn5.app24a

[cynatnite]

4. Aerial hunting is illegal in some states like Idaho and I believe Montana, too n/t

[floridablue]

5. I hunted a DU once

But she got away. Disappeared in the smoke at the end of the bar.

[wvbygod]

6. aerial wolf hunting is mostly predator control

Try this link to learn a bit more about it....

http://www.slate.com/id/2199140/

The federal legislation does have a loophole for predator control, permitting state employees or licensed individuals to shoot from an aircraft for the sake of protecting "land, water, wildlife, livestock, domesticated animals, human life, or crops." (This doesn't just apply to wolves; coyotes and foxes are sometimes gunned down from aircraft, especially in Western states.) Since 2003, Alaska has issued aerial wolf-hunting permits in select areas where moose and caribou populations are particularly endangered. The idea is that by killing the predators, the airborne gunmen can ramp up the number of moose and caribou that human hunters can take home for supper.

[newfie11]

7. My family has many hunters

None would hunt this way. The wolf has no chance. In western South Dakota aerial hunting is done only by state game officials and on coyotes. This is a large sheep/cattle area. I don't see Alaska as a livestock producing state especially at the price of hay up there.

[GumboYaYa]

8. No true hunter would do that.

I grew up hunting, trapping and fishing. My uncles always taught me to have a healthy respect for wildlife, never take more than you will eat, and always respect the dignity of animals and the dignity of the hunt.

People who did things like spotlighting deer or net fishing received great ire.

[wmbrew0206]

9. This isn't about hunting for sport, it is wild life management.

As a poster above mentioned, they are trying to control different species' populations in different area.

This type of hunting is probably the most humane (shooting vs trapping) way to lower a predator's population.

This is not a bunch of hunters going out and hiring a helocopters and shooting as many wolves as they want. It is state or permitted private hunters that go out with the purpose of lowering a specific area's predator population based on studies that tell them how many predators there should be to allow other species to increase their populations.

[Bread and Circus]

10. So, what do you think of Palin's policy and the bounty on the left foreleg?

[wmbrew0206]

12. I really don't know enough about it to comment

The reason I commented was because I took a wild life management course in college and it got into discussing herd management and how that it done with a combination of controlling the predators and giving out hunting permits. The discussion turned to how to control the predators. Do you posion them or trap them (both options at the time were a very painful way for a predator to die) or give out hunting permits where at least the animal died a lot quicker.

[Barack_America]

11. Then why not issue a specific number of permits and send the hunters out on foot?

Why is the helicopter necessary.

[wmbrew0206]

13. Like I said above, I really don't know enough about this specific issue, but here is my guess

The areas that the permits are for are probably not in very accessable areas and hunting from a helocopter is the only reliable way to be able to get to the area and find the wolves. That is just my opinion.

I have not seen an advertisements for Helocopter wolf hunts in some of the SCI magazines I see at the hunting camp. If they were trying to market these hunts to big game hunters they would probably be in there. I wasn't really looking last time I flipped through, so I will keep an eye out next time and se if there are any outfitters trying to sell these hunts.