Anybody hunted Wolf this season ?
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Anybody hunted Wolf this season ?
last season I did.
Did you have luck to thin out the Wolf population ,
to help Moose population ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by JUDGE
To improve your odds, it’s best to put out bait which is frozen in the ice. For comfort it helps if you have a blind of sorts (preferably with heat) to hunt from. Then, if you happen to shoot one you have to skin it out and prepare the hide for tanning or for sale. Bottom line is that wolf hunting can be time consuming, so if you’re hunting then you’re not doing something else e.g. ice fishing or chores. Bottom line for me is that I don’t have time to hunt wolves.
I saw 3 but could not take the shot , too far.
If Ontario hunters not going to start Hunting Wolf's
No Moose going left in the province ...
Wolves
Wolves and coyotes and hybrids of these species are found in Ontario. Gray wolves and gray wolf hybrids are found in both the northwest and northeast areas of Ontario and are the most effective at preying on moose. The number of gray wolves and their hybrids varies across the province but has been relatively stable overall for some time.
Relationship between moose, deer and wolf populations
Higher populations of prey species, such as moose and deer, can support higher populations of wolves. Predation rates on moose by wolves tend to increase in tandem with moose numbers. This naturally regulates the density of the moose population and is ultimately beneficial to moose and the ecosystems they rely on.
At very high densities, moose populations can degrade their own habitat, and experience increased occurrences of parasites such as winter ticks. Moose with brain worm or high numbers of winter ticks may be easier wolf prey in late winter.
Differences in wolf predation across Ontario
The ministry studied moose predation in northwest and central Ontario by placing radio and GPS collars on moose. The results show wide variation in the rate of wolf predation by area and wolf pack size.
Wolves were estimated to have caused half of the adult moose deaths recorded during the study in Ontario’s northwest. In comparison, wolves caused relatively few moose deaths in the Algonquin Provincial Park area in central Ontario. Outside of Algonquin, where wolf populations were lower, hunting and other natural factors caused more moose deaths.
The diet of wolves has also been studied in northwestern and northeastern Ontario by collecting scats (droppings) and analyzing their contents. In northeast Ontario, where moose density and calf numbers were low, moose was the primary prey of wolves during winter, but beaver was the most common prey consumed during the remainder of the year. In contrast, studies in northwestern Ontario and southwestern Quebec have shown moose remain an important food item for wolves throughout the year in those areas.
Wolf predation and wolf pack sizes
Wolf packs in Ontario are usually quite small, although packs as large as 19 wolves have been documented. Pack size and the number of packs in an area vary across Ontario, depending on the amount of prey available. Farther north, where prey abundance is lower, wolf territories don’t cover the entire landscape and some moose are able to live in areas with few or no wolves.
Generally, the number of moose killed by wolves increases with moose density and the number of moose living within wolf territories. Larger wolf packs kill more moose than smaller packs. But the increase in moose killed over time is not proportional to the increase in pack size. So, larger wolf packs actually kill fewer moose per wolf than smaller packs.
Wolf predation and hunting
Generally, wolves prey mostly on young moose and older moose past their prime, and consume few prime-breeding-age moose. However, moose populations in areas that are the most heavily hunted tend to include fewer calves and older moose. As a result, wolves prey on more prime-breeding-age moose during the winter months in these areas. This results in overall higher mortality of moose and may reduce moose population growth.
Wolf predation and roads
Ontario research has found wolves move at a higher rate on roads. These higher travel rates, in turn, lead to more encounters with moose. As a result, more moose are killed by wolves in areas that are closer to roads.
Results of wolf removal
The number of moose killed per wolf pack will not significantly decrease as the pack size is reduced, so removing just a few wolves from each pack will not decrease overall predation on moose. Only the removal of an entire pack can substantially reduce predation but this practice may not be ecologically or socially desirable. Changing hunting and trapping regulations to allow more wolves to be harvested is unlikely to remove an entire pack. Pack removal often requires intensive removal techniques such as aerial gunning or poisoning applied over several years. Only in limited circumstances may small reductions in pack size result in minor reductions in predation that benefit moose populations in localized areas.
Some provinces and states have undertaken wolf control efforts. After control measures were discontinued, wolf populations in Alaska, British Columbia, Quebec and Yukon soon recovered to pre-control levels. For example, in the Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve in Quebec, wolf numbers recovered to previous levels less than a year after a 71% reduction in wolf numbers. Once wolf populations recover, moose populations typically return to pre-control levels.
The Strategy for Wolf Conservation in Ontario directs wolf management in the province. The goal of wolf management is to ensure ecologically sustainable wolf populations and the ecosystems on which they rely for the continuous ecological, social, cultural and economic benefit of the people of Ontario. Achieving this goal requires the consideration of both ecological and social values and interests.
Moose and wolves been living together here thousands of years.Quote:
Originally Posted by alfoldivandor
Yes you are absolutely right about that ...
But we don't have to wait for natural low and high cycle
to take place ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoltgunBill
Where moose, deer and wolves exist on the same range, wolves can increase their numbers quickly by feeding on deer. Once the wolf population and pack sizes increase, they will turn their attention to moose as well.
In the Rainy River District, the explosion of the deer population resulted in a corresponding increase in the wolf population. Once the deer population started to decline, the wolf population accelerated the deer crash due to a lag in time when the wolf population peaked. There are still quite a few wolves around that keep the population at low numbers.
It’s more than high wolf numbers that are impacting the deer population. Hard winters and loss of quality winter habitat caused by logging and land clearing aren’t helping.