" The wolves should be penned up with the wolf lovers. Very soon the outcome will be decided. "

" This article provides a good platform for putting the hue and cry from the livestock industry about the alleged decimation of cattle by Wolves in perspective. First , note that more wolves were removed from NW Wyoming last year than Wolves predated from cattle. Then consider that Cattle numbers in Wyoming range from 750,000 at the low carryover point of the cycle to over 1.3 million at weaning. Even ten times the number cattle taken by Wolves in Wyoming would not register against the whole. Total loss of cattle ( mostly very young calves ) to all causes is due to a wide variety of reasons, but those taken by Wolves are far less than one percent of cattle taken by predators. The Coyote still claims the title there. But to hear the cattle barons whine and holler, you'd think the Wolf is eating them out of house and pasture and threatens their livelihood. That is very wide of the truth. Depending on how you reckon the numbers, the entirety of cattle production of Wyoming still places the state in the middle of the range...Wyoming is roughly 30th in beef cattle production , behind such other Cowboy States as Georgia, Hawaii, Florida, Ohio, Alabama, Tennessee. If you really want to make money in cattle. move somewhere that gets abundant rainfall and five hay crops a year and is close to market. If you want to lose your duffs and blame it on Wolves or anything else besides the truth ---that Wyoming is a lousy place to grow red meat even in its best years --- then by all means puff out your chest and whine to no end about Wolves in Wyoming. While yer at it, blame Wolves for global warming, high fuel prices, and Darfur. The hard fact is every cow and sheep in Wyoming could disappear tonight and the rest of the world and supermarkets would hardly notice the loss. I am baffled why Wyoming continues to support ranching in the 21st century as though our entire state depends on having daily reenactments of "Bonanza" , when in fact ranching contributes so little to the economy but takes so much resource to do it. Fine. If you insist on raising cattle in Wolf country , you do it on the wolf's terms, and should be prepared to absorb the meager loses they inflict. Reintroducing the Wolf goes a long way towards correcting a bad biological mistake made since 1875 in exterminating Wolves ( and Bison ) , when by any methodolgy whatsoever we are hard pressed to justify the continued presence of running cattle in big game habitat at all. "

" Good! Keep the invasive species of gray wolf populations down as much as possible. Keep them as fearful of humans as possible, otherwise we'll end up like Iraq is now, overrun with aggressive gray wolves, that are completely unafraid of humans:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-wolves17mar17,0,1492758.story "

" If the wolfies hadn't been brought in from Canada they wouldn't be getting killed...........I wonder who's to blame for that??? "

" lets review Dewd's post.

1. The Coyote. A recent article that appeared in the CST discussed antelope populations up becaus coyote populations were down. It seems the wolf kills or runs off the coyote. the coyote controls the antelope population because wolf prefer elk and cattle or large animals and they kill sheep in numbers and do not eat them for some reason. if the wolf kills or runs off the coyote in enough numbers then we can list the coyote and kill any wolf messing with them. add a requirement that the enviros have to pay to replace the coyote if they become endangered in the mountain west because of the wolf.

2. who in their rabbit reared mind would call several southern states and hawaii cowboy states. or think up saying any one could relate blaiming the wolf for global warming and the other remarks in that real stupid comment.

3. i was raised on a farm in the midwest and we never got 5 hay crops in a summer. we may have gotten 2 and if pushed it maby occasionally 3 and we got plenty of rain along with a longer growing season. it is now apparent dewd is not educated in agriculture or animal husbandry.

4. after making unfounded remarks he reverts to discussions of bonanza re-enactments and other ludicrious exhaliations of hot air and some bigoted remarks. rather than appear to be a rational thinker he comes off as being half a bubble off plumb

5. if one raises cattle and sheep in wolf areas i do believe the enviornmental groups pay for the losses. this they agreed to do now it appears Dewd wants to renig on that.

6. adding bison in without discussing they were wiped out to remove a main source of food, clothing and shelter for the native americans to controll them is indicative of either ignorance or an attempt to imply the two were wiped out for the same reason and lay blaim at the inappropiate feet.

7. so in dewds thinking lets replace the wolf populations in california, oregon and washington they were there first. lets replace them in colorado to include the front range they were there first also. let us not forget the total east coast they were there too. but that will never happen because that is where the enviros live and they believe it is ok to impose their ideas in someone elses back yard as long as it is not theirs.

8. it is my opinion the real reason dewd and his ilk desire the ranches go away is so they can have their 40 acre ranchetts complete with the works of mao all over the state in numbers that would make the petro industry oil/gas pads look like a minor blight.

i could say more but it is a waste of time because the enviros believe they are the only ones to have a say and every one else is supposed to roll over and play dead for them and their ideas. "

" Hey id, Hawaii is a cow-boy state because it has the largest cow ranches in the US and last I knew, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico were southern states. 5 cuts of hay per season are the norm where they get plenty of rain. Do try to broaden your narrowly personal life experience. Finally, you wannabe ranchers and hunters are the ones who want everyone to roll over and keep things they way they were. News flash: That was tried and it didn't work. The watersheds were being ruined by over grazing and that's why the wolf was re-introduced. Give it a rest, huh? You're getting tiresome. "

" The thing that bothers me the most: We (U.S.taxpayers) spent millions of dollars to reintroduce (maybe) a (nuisance at best) species that is not welcome in this state by most residents of this state. Waste of money and resources, right? Now...we're going to spend millions to kill the damn things. What a country! "

" 5 cuts not with clover and fescue. a cowboy state is based on if you have cattle now thats a switch. and what do you know of my life what one says in a few lines answering an idiot. i never said i was a farmer said i was raised on one. did they not teach reading comprehension at your school? the wolf was introduced as a pet project for enviros and what about the affect of the wolf on the majestic coyote. you support my position in so many ways you want it your way as ling as it is someone elses back yard and you cant admit it "

" Ummm ... id ... I don't think earthling called you a farmer either. Or are my reading comprehension skills lacking too? How does being raised on a farm in Iowa or Missouri make you an expert on wildlife issues in Wyoming like you want to portray yourself as being? Please tell us all which states are cowboy states. I think we'd all like to know that. Man, you've got one foot way over the edge of making any sense, and your other foot is on a banana peel. "

" rainbut i never said iowa or missouri there are in fact other midwest state some actually on the eastern side of the mississippi river. and having a cow ranch does not make a state in the south or a state in the middle of the paqcific a cowboy state. as far as a wild life expert you aint one either. i notice you care nothing about the coyote you did not even discuss it so i guess selective wildlife management is your idea of comprehensive protection. so if your goin to pipe up put the other pipe down. and you do not get 5 cuts of hay a growing season with fescue or clover 2 if licke and 3rd time in clover is to harvest seed so it can be planted in another place the following year when doing crop rotation. may not have been a farmer but 18 years on one i know enough. so go spike a tree and injure someone or what ever you enviro nuts think is fun. "

" I don't know why it is so hard. the sensible thing si to put the wolves where those who want them live. No excuses, no hedging, spend a few more million to gather them up and haul them to the coasts and their cities. They'll take care of cleaning the derelicts out of the city parks in short order. "

" Doesn't matter where you're from id, what you write barely makes sense. And believe me, I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. But you were weighed, measured, and found wanting. Neither the wolf, nor God's Dog (the coyote) are responsible for anywhere near the number of depredations claimed by ranchers and hunters. True story. Wyoming's wolf management plan is going to shoot itself in the butt and the feds are going to re-list the wolf. You can bet all you got on that. But don't get all upset. Wolves WILL make it to the midwest and then you can play the expert here. Once wolves get to your farm in Illinois (or is it Ohio?) you'll have 1st hand knowledge. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and let your betters deal with this issue. "

" what did not make sence oh i know every thing you did not answer. besides anyone who thinks roping pinapple makes a cowboy state is one who is the closest to farming as they will ever get watering their chia pet. perhaps anothers ideas would make more sence if your degree (if you have one) came from a place other than university of ca berkley "

" sf=id=facctoid. "

" ???????? "

" DewD is spot on with the facts of the matter.
Wolf predation on cattle/sheep is minor compared to coyotes, and when's the last time ranchers got lathered about coyotes?
This hysteria about wolves (or griz, for that matter) has little or no relation to the facts on the ground, as DewD has pointed out.
If every cattle/sheep operation shut down today, the US market wouldn't even blink. There would be negative fallout for small towns and we'd see much more rural sprawl, but it might be good for Wyoming to move beyond the cowboy mythology and come to grips with the 21st century for a change.
The money and political capital expended on wolves far exceeds actual loses.
In contrast, the Great Lakes states, which have twice the wolf population as the Northern Rockies, has little or no hysteria about wolves and deals with livestock-killing wolves is a cost-effective and pragmatic fashion. "

" After reviewing many posts including archived i found an unusual thing. Dewd=earthling=Rainbow (gender confusion)= Rance plus many more sns. this is indicative of one who thinks that by making it seem there are more of him/her it carries more weight.

the troubling issue is the ignorance on another post by these/this people/person regarding the origin of the word redneck is that this person is a closet racist also.

i do not believe in racism and will no longer discuss or answer this person but i will let all know they are all the same entity "

" I'm with you Inky, DewD is exactly right. Here's an interesting fact: Walmart employs more people in Wyoming than the ag industry does. About three times as many. I know the state also kisses Walmart's butt, but not to the extent the state does for the rancher. It's all part of that Buckin'-Horse-On-The-License-Plate mentality Samuel Western wrote about. I also think that the a solution to Wyoming's economic woes has little to do with money but instead rethinking the rendition of its "way-of-life" myths. Wyoming isn't a cowboy state. We are a miner, driller, and tourist state. Time to start thinking that way and quit giving a free ride to the biggest welfare cheats in the country - the ag industry. Oh, and id, thanks for the compliment on Mar 22 at 1:54 PM. You thinking that I am those other great writers is probably the best thing you could ever say to me that I would actually be able to understand. Thanks, man. "

" Don't know where they're shooting all those wolves. None of it is on the Greybull up where I run cows. Lotta downstream guys playing expert,. But then again, we've never had an actual problem with wolves on the Greybull. "

" I know you people think your food comes from Walmart.......Meat from the display and milk from the cooler.......Maybe the U.S as a whole wont feel a great impact for a little while if cattle were instantly removed, but what were talking about here is much greater than removing cattle and sheep it is a backward philosophocal thinking that will plunge our country into economic despair and you will walk away as if you had nothing to do with it..... These sorts of things are well underway from wanting to drain resevoirs to locking up land to save a mouse, to save a mouse! Meanwhile turning the West into an economical disaster by silly regulations that have absolutely nothing to do with helping mankind, only frustrate the common sense of those that still have some.......I guess you feel comfortable getting your food from china that has no regs. You have no clue......Our food now is being labled as being "Distributed from" not "Grown in" or "made In".........Have you noticed all the problems we have had lately with simple things like lead based paint?...Is this what you want to be a part of? I just heard of a massive recall of Cantalopes that came from Central America........Its not only letting the wolves roam the West that is the problem, it's this philosophy that Farmers and Ranchers dont belong while wolves and bugs do.........Hard times are coming folks. At that time I'm sure you people will not recall any of your stupid retoric...............You my just be praying for a steak........ "

" 1. 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth, 2 cups raspberrys, 1/4 cup raspberry jam and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, pureed and set aside in a large bowl.

2. One 3 pound leg of wolf seared and one 3 pound leg of lamb also seared (only time they go well together) in a non stick skillet. pierce wolf and lamb leg every inch or so and place in bowl listed in 1 above. Cover and marinate for 12 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and pat wolf and lamb meat dry place them on rack in roasting pan.

4. Roast for 1 hour or untill meat thermomrter reads 140 degrees. Allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

5. While wolf and lamb are roasting boil marinade and add rosemarry. Boil untill reduced and slightly thickened. Spoon sauce over carved meat and serve with fresh asparagus spears and new potatoes.

6. If you desire open a package of tofu and run it through garbage disposal in honor of enviro nuts.

7. Future recipies smoked wolf toungue, braized wolf ribs, wolf frahitas, wolf burgers and other delightfull meals.

8. Remember a wolf on todays menu will save the state and many cattle and sheep. Wolf the other red meat. "

" Again, the back and forth gibberish between the environmentalists and ranchers. Bottom line; when can we have a season? How do I apply for a license? How come the "...agents..." get to do all the hunting? "

" CST I don't appreciate the fact you are not listing my post but you always seem to let your way left wing buddies post all over here throwing out as much insult as anyone else. "

" To all the ranchers get 2 or more Irish Wolf Hounds or 2 or more Tibetian Mastifs (legal to have). You do not have to wait for reinbursement for wolf killed stock these dogs will be agequate. After a run in or 2 the unshreaded wolves will stay away

Aditionally keep vigil of your property and prosecute any eco nut that trespasses on lands you hold. You do not have to pay for the prosecution they have to pay the fine and their legal defence team.

Happy hunting and spread the word the only good wolf is a dead wolf "

" PUT A BOUNTY ON EM ALL "

" oldtimer, Your idea is fabulous! Yes, the wolf would certainly clean up the homeless population in the filthy, crowded cities of the coasts and elsewhere. The greenies will neve go for it as the wolves would likely all die of diease after eating the derilicts. But I do like the way that you think! "

" The dirty water and traffic is St Louis, New Orleans, New York and San Fran would kill the wolves before they had a chance to eat any of the surplus, non-viable, non-contributory population of illegal aliens, bums and hobo's (aka homeless). "

" If most Wyoming hunters are as skillful as Dick Cheney the wolves won't have much to worry about...the enviros and the anachronistic ranchers should worry more about Dick's oil & gas industry cronies...soon all Wyoming will be is pipelines, poisoned soil and water and no land left for people, wolves or cattle. "

" Shoot, shovel and shut up. "

" Explain to me why Ranchers feel the need to eliminate a species in order to protect their cows? Cows that they range on public land. Cows that drink from public waters. Ranching is the largest form of welfare in the state of Wyoming! The government pays for predator killed cattle. The state pays for damaged crops. The victim pays when one or more of your "prize" hefers gets hit on the hiway. Ranchers get first dibs on the public waters for irrigation. Tax breaks for crop land. Bail out money for not growing crops. The list of freebies goes on and on from the federal level down to the local level.

I am not aware of any other industry that is so pampered and yet cries about EVERYTHING! I would say that predators, crop damage, drought, etc. are all a cost of doing your business. Deal with it. I dont see retail stores being reembursed for shoplifters. They don't get free reign on public lands to better their products. AMAZING!

Humans are absolutely amazing! why do we feel the need to determine what species lives and dies? Why do we feel the need to determine where animals should and shouldn't live?

If your cows are running on public lands, you risk feeding the wolves. You raise food, expect for it to get eaten. Afterall, Uncle Sam is still there to pay your bills for you no matter what happens. "

" A gentle reminder for all of you who complain about stockgrowers running herds on public lands:

Stockgrowers are also members of the tax-paying "public." That makes them co-landowners with the rest of us. As such they are entitled to use of the "public" lands, providing they pay their grazing fees (I know someone will undoubtedly post a comment on how terribly low grazing fees are.....that's another debate for another day). Stockgrowers cannot be legally barred from using "public" lands.

"

" Amazing huh Rick?I tell you what is amazing is all the people who are anti rancher/energy worker on here always slamming on us about our way of life yet don't have the b---s to proclaim how they contribute to the state.Most the people making thses attacks are not even tax paying residents of this state but sure want you to believe they are.The part I find most interesting is the fact that we have acheived the set number of wolves wanted by the pro-wolf campaign ,and then they wanted to change the rules of the game as we go.I have no problem with the fact that some people want wolves.I have a problem with people that don't want them regulated.If ranching was as lucrative as you folks say I think everybody would want to be a stockgrower.I am sure there are some ranchers not living up to their obligations, but I can think of many other types of people who don't either.You say that's the cost of doing buisiness in wolf country and no money should be paid for the losses.So if someone runs into you while driving I guess that's the cost of being on the road with other people,then you should not be able to get a settlement from that person.Rick you want to whine about federal subsidising ,how about things like all the money going to illegal immigrants for free health care and all the welfare leeches in New Orleans demanding we rebuild their homes because they built there city under sea level.BOO HOO!If we spent more time trying to get along with one another and focused more on trying to acheive some sort of balance this state and country would benefit greatly.We have become a society where someone always thinks he or she has more rights than the next person.I agree with Lamplighter totally that this country is headed for a big wreck. In my opinion because we have lost our morals. "

" I have no problem with them using it to the same extent that everyone else does. I dont care to suppliment their feed, as well as pay the inflated prices at the counter. Then we pay for the cattle if something happens to them because they decide to let them run amungst grizzlies, wolves, and cars. Run your cattle on your own land! "

" i spent time trying to find posts of this factoid untill i realized it was just a smoke screen.

the issue is rance made the statement "brain dead red neck" disrespecting the newley emancipated slaves and poor working people after the civil war ended who were share croppers and the later union persons who wore red scarves. this remark came from rance's post march 12, 2008 on the trib popular story hillary clinton to visit casper.

no matter if dewd rance rainbow and the others are diffrent or the same person makes no difference. you supported the comment by not speaking up so you are at least of like mind. you are all racist bigots and the primary example of why the civil rights act, the americans with disabilities act the eeo laws and every other rule regulation and guideline ET.AL. was enacted or passed.

your kind will never learn that a sheet goes under the blankets on the bed and it is not a garment to march in. i have stood against this type of bigoted racist bias and will continue to do so.

go ahead attack and try to deflect what you really are and what you really represent by trying to change the subject. it will no longer work you are what you are and all will see.

i will never have any words or compassion for you your words will no longer be worth squat. the fact that you spew your hate makes me sick and i have no use for you or your kind. if this post gets posted fine if not it is off my chest and you have been called on your lack of humanity and for your blatent acts of racism.

dont bother talking to me again i have nothing to say to you and your replies will only be deflections or lies. "

" Hey Cybelle: Perhaps if these taxpaying stockgrowers weren't allowed to lock up leases for generations at lease rates far below fair market value there wouldn't be such contempt for the free ride they're getting at the expense of the rest of us taxpayers. "

" DAKOTA, How would you suggest that we recoup the money that the tax payers are not getting from the ranchers visa vi their low (in relative terms) grazing fees? Should we sell off the public lands that would otherwise make no money were it not for grazing fees? Isn't some money for grazing on otherwise rather poor land (low production rate) better that no money going into the public coffers, or selling the money so that developers can sprout hoses on all of it? Or, do you see other cattle operations beating down the door to get on to these dry lands from elsewhere?
"

" Highmakin, wow you offended by my opinion? Too bad if you are. I am a tax paying citizen in this state. I am a native to this state. I have lived my entire life in this state. Therefore, I am probably more qualified to speak about the "poor" ranchers and farmers in this state than you are.

As for driving on the road and getting hit? I do have insurance for that purpose. Apple and oranges kiddo. If the stockgrowers were to pay insurance on their grazing cattle, then the insurance company would pay for the losses, not my tax dollars.

As far as the other welfare, I agree with you. However, this article is about the wolves. So, that is what I commented on. The wolves and the crybabies that want to wipe them out.... again. When the other subjects arise, and I feel compelled to comment, I will.

Morals? do our MORALS allow us to eliminate a species because we want to? Because they inconvenience some of us? I agree that we have lost a great deal of our morals. However, I feel that as far as this issue is concerned, the extermintors have lost the morals. My morals say that the wolves can exist in nature. My morals say that that rancher has chosen to run his cows with the wolves. My morals say that he pays for his choice. I pay for mine.

In closing, you will not find a person more opposed to free hand outs than I am. That is why I have taken the wolfs side. They fight for everything they get. Cant say that for their predators! "

" Lamplighter, The wolves were brought in to replace the wolves that had been killed off by the previous generations of idiots. The cattle were brought in also, long after the wolves were here. Wonder who is responsible for that? "

" Lamplighter, I am perfectly aware of where my steak comes from. And, it isn't Wal Mart. However, I dont see pigs running wild on range land. I don't see chickens running wild. I see cows! I see cows that are out there eating and stomping and crapping on mountainlands in order to keep the wealthy rancher from dishing out the expense of feeding them in the summer. They feed them all winter, why not feed them and pasture them on their land? Because there is next to free feed to be had, while the vegetation on their own land grows.

Dont spew your garbage at me, assuming that I know not what is going on. I grew up raising cattle, raising hay, beans, corn etc. I know where it comes from. I also know what handouts are there for the rich ranchers that lock up land, while running cattle somewhere else.

Put your sh*t kickers back on, run out and brand those cows, so you don't lose them on my public lands. And if you do, hold your hand out. Your cowboy legislators will make sure it gets filled with cash. "

" Maybe you ought to learn a little bit more about what the AUMs are for federal land in the mountains where the wolves are Edison. You're trying to call it "...rather poor land..."? That shows you don't know a thing about the subject. If you could read (and spell better: it's 'vis a vis') you'd see that I'm saying what needs to be done is to open the leases up to competitive bidding EVERY YEAR and let the market decide what the land is worth. Come back when you have at least an elementary knowledge of the topic. "

" DAKOTA, OK, you've proposed an idea rather than just spewed vitriol about the thread. Now, what makes you believe that annual competitive bid would increase the return to the government as actual profit? Is it that you see local ranchers fiercely competing over ground such that they would be increasing their overhead costs (on themselves)? Or do you see outside operations entering the local fray, far distant from their own current operations as being the catalyst of increased revenues? How will government overhead fair in this operation? Increase? Decrease? Remain the same? Revenue less over head equals profit. Is the current system cheaper for the government to operate, thus giving a wider profit margine? Please elaborate on the unspoken aspects of your offered new economic dynamic which will be of benefit to us all. Give us all of the pieces and assemble it into a whole for me. By the way, I am happy to know that my grammar and spelling entertained you. People that laugh a lot live longer. Last, all land in WYO is rather poor when compared to far better soil and climates found elsewhere. Have you traveled? "

" Sorry Rick but I have just as much authority on it as you as i too have the same state qualifications as yourself.If you dislike the fact that this is a ranching state then I suggest you pick a road and leave.I am not a rancher but I do know many third and fourth generation ranching families that are not rolling in the dough as you suggest.As far as the rich ranchers go,most of the big operations you speak of are not in the hands of native folks from this state but in the hands of some non resident buisiness tycoon using it as a tax break.As far as the wolves totally being wiped out I think you people need to study your beloved animal al little closer.Wolves like most predators ,will go nocturnal with human pressure.I can guarantee that 95% of the people on here have never even seen a wolf, your self included.You say you grew up ranching and that the previous generation of idiots wiped out the wolves so I guess your family might be part of those idiots?None of us here(myself included) are experts on these animals but it sure seems as though many think they are. "