Wisconsin wolves & dogs

Looks to me like the take-home message is "don't run bear dogs near wolf packs in the summer time". Other incidents appear pretty rare. I looked at 2011 and 2010 incidents. I think there was one dog attacked while hunting hares, and one bird dog.
 
Pete, Thanks for the heads up. Maybe I should get Booker a Chessie to protect him in the woods? ;-)) How is life treating you this summer, I missed the seeing you at the LaCrosse get together. We need to try real hard to make it there next year. How is Otto doing? I go back to school a week from today and cannot believe the summer is over. Be well.
 
Planning a grouse trip over to minnesota and it is one of my concerns. My male would not back down and would fight till his death, but he is at least loud on fur, sight and scent, so I will have a little warning. The little one would be easy prey and she is not vocal. My plan is to keep them close and maybe hunt them together.
 
Up here over the last few years there was a very active wolf pack on the military bases next to Anchorage. For years the wolves did not mess with people and their dogs. However, after years of being left to do as they please the wolves learned that they had nothing to fear from the dog walkers on the back roads of the bases.

One wolf would come out to "play" with the off leash dog. As the wolf would run back into the brush the dog would follow its new buddy. Waiting for the dog was usually two to three other wolves. A light afternoon meal was made of the pet in just a few minutes. Once they didn't even wait for the dog to get out of site of its people before killing it.

Last winter they treed a woman out running on the back roads. The wolves were not interested in the dog sitting at the base of the tree. When other runners showed up the wolf moved out of site and the lady got out of there. During this same period wolves were also seen around the new housing areas while kids were outside.

The base told the State that they didn't care to have the State's wolves scaring folks and the pack was killed off as much as possible.

So, for you folks in wolf territory, if they do not out right kill your dog and look to be playing with it, you might want to get your dog to return to you. None of the dog walkers that lost their dogs had any kind of control over the dog. If they had a quality recall trained into the dog they might still have the dog.

Also, if you are faced with an agressive wolf do not run, it will just run you down, hamstring you, and eat you alive. Fight it face to face.
 
A thing to remember about the DNR site they are just reporting the dogs killed. There are other lists of incidents with wolves regarding people, livestock,other animals . These lists are much larger. If you dog is injured or you can't prove it was killed by a wolf it's not on the DNR list.
 
The link Pete provided will take you to a bunch of state depredation reports.

This one seems to show all the reported wolf complaints in 2011--mostly livestock, but some dogs, too.

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/mammals/wolf/pdfs/2011_WolfDepredationReport.pdf
 
I've gone from being neutral on the wolf topic to "tea party" status on wolves. I'm tired of the gov't, the anti's, the legal system, and the Endangered Species Act.

Gentlemen, I know this . . . if it doesn't get reported, it never happened.

Since 2005 I've worked in wolf country and taken my dog to work frequently. One of the important aspects of a flushing dog is keeping it close, so I don't think I've got a lot to fear since I don't let my dog wander in the off season. But I can tell you that I make a point of keeping her within eyesight at all times and bring her in to heel when I cross extremely fresh wolf sign. Walked into a fawn kill that was hours, if not minutes, old in march of 2008. That gets a person's attention.

I would carry a handgun if my employer allowed it.

Be wary if you value your dog.
 
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