tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113182078732942696.post8713128463322742353..comments2024-03-12T05:38:57.339-07:00Comments on Wolves, Wolf Facts, Cougars, Cougar Facts, Coyotes, Coyote Facts - Wolves, Cougars, Coyotes Forever: Almost every peer reviewed article on Wolf/Cattle interaction surmises that when Wolves are present in a system where domestic cattle graze, Cattle do not birth calves as prolifically as when wolves are not present.......And the Calves that are born to cows that have been subject to predation weigh sigificantly less than normal----Now we hear from U. of Montana biologist Mark Hebblewhite and colleagues who over the 15 year span 1995-2010 across 18 Montana Ranches have found no evidence that wolf packs with home ranges that overlap ranches have any detrimental effects on calf weights as long as these packs do not actually prey on cattle............ Other non-wolf factors, notably climate and individual ranch-specific husbandry practices, explained the majority of the variation in the weight of calves...............Unfortunately, I hear a mixed bag message in this research................ To my mind, unless we can further improve husbandry practices enough that wolf predation on cattle shrinks even further then it's currently is (last year, of the thousands of cattle in the Montana, wolves killed only 58 cattle), Ranchers are going to continue to be the enemy of the wolf.........My old boss used to tell me that "perception is reality"---The ranchers perception is that wolves are the tipping point factor(however small) that sets them back economically to an unacceptable degree(despite all evidence pointing to weather and disease as the economically stifling economic factors in cattle raising)Coyotes, Wolves and Cougars foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05594002891926526543noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113182078732942696.post-79317814808875487892014-04-21T16:36:59.972-07:002014-04-21T16:36:59.972-07:00Julie..........thanks for checking in,,,,,,,,,,,,,...Julie..........thanks for checking in,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and you and I are in lockstep regarding the minority of folks who dictate carnivore management at the state levelCoyotes, Wolves and Cougars foreverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05594002891926526543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113182078732942696.post-30342218385077741052014-04-21T09:55:03.086-07:002014-04-21T09:55:03.086-07:00Rick, Thank you for this interesting information. ...Rick, Thank you for this interesting information. I agree that the "perception" of wolves by ranchers (and hunters)is not often based on the facts. It seems that a minority of ranchers and hunters have control of wolf management in the Rocky Mountain states and it is time for the federal government to take back control and re-list wolves on the federal endangered species list. Julie (http://sentientvoice97.blogspot.com/)Julie Callahanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12440101743569927455noreply@blogger.com