Wolves at Chignik

[Sourdough]

Heard the report yesterday from the incident at Chignik.  It was real gory, and the guy did not hold back information.  I won't go into details here out of respect of her family, they might see it, or someone that knows them might see it and give it to them.  Alaskans are used to this sort of thing, we have Bear Maulings every year, and they are bad.  But others (Outsiders as we call you folks) are not.

Sure makes one think about being out alone.  This causes one to understand why our forefathers eradicated the wolves from the lower 48 where their families lived and worked.  A Farmer or Rancher come home and find where his wife or kids were attacked in the garden.  And find a gory scene like they found at Chignik, the man would definitely go on the War Path against all wolves period.

And our Fish and Wildlife Service has restored them to Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho.  Just wait till they move into the suburbs, and they will it's just a matter of time.

[Dand]

National Geographic had a recent issue that discussed wolves.  I wondered if it had come out a few months later, if the Chignik incident would have been mentioned somehow.

And now the Feds are making a huge fuss there in the AK interior where ADFG accidentally shot a couple collared wolves. - because of a bureaucratic screw up - possibly their own.

I had an idea the attack site wasn't a pretty picture. Sure was a sad loss of a wonderful teacher.

[Sourdough]

Yes it was a very sad loss.  The children loved her.

The incident about the State shooting collared wolves was a set up by US Fish & Wildlife.  They had collared one pack (the Weber Creek Pack) outside the preserve, and failed to give F&G that frequency.  Look at a map and you will see Weber Creek is several miles from the Yukon/Charley preserve.

Now the US Park Service, and US F&W have taken it upon them selves to change hunting seasons, and Methods and Means for hunting in the preserves.  They do not have the authority to do that.  That authority rest with the State.

[Dand]

Yeah I'm hearing bits from folks behind the scenes. Its not pretty back there from what I can tell. Saw it made the news tonight. I wonder if Parnell will have the stomach to take on the Feds.  He's been fussin' about the Feds meddling in Alaska in other ways - here's a chance to walk the talk.  But he might want to carefully pick his battles given the group pulling strings in DC.

[bilmac]

I feel for you guys, but with the tree huggers in charge in DC, it,s going to get worse not better.

[Old Fart]

Sad story for the families involved.
I'll keep a good thought for them.

And people wonder why we carry.

[nw_hunter]

 Chignik Lake, with a population of roughly 100, is on the south side of the Alaska Peninsula 13 miles from Chignik and 474 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Unlimited wolf trapping is permitted in the area from Oct. 1 to April 30. Hunting regulations allow 10 wolves per person per day from Aug. 10 to May 25, said Fish and Game spokeswoman Jennifer Yuhas.

"These are regulations set by the Board of Game and the liberal allowance of harvest denotes (an) incentivized program to harvest wolves in that Unit," Yuhas wrote in an e-mail. (There must be a huge wolf population in that area!)

Fish and Game officials would not comment on Berner's cause of death or say whether predation by another animal, like a bear, might have been possible.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/03/09/1175725/wolf-blamed-in-death-of-villager.html#ixzz0lH1JxNlO

[AtlLaw]

They do not have the authority to do that.  That authority rest with the State.

Try to make the feds remember that!     And even worse, I am convinced most of the population believes the feds are the final authority for everything!     Sometimes I wonder if anybody ever read the Constitution... 

Talk about wolves... 

[wreckhog]

Sad story for the families involved.
I'll keep a good thought for them.

And people wonder why we carry.

I don't think that anyone wonders why anyone in a population 100 Alaskan town carries anything (45-70, 44 Mag, etc). In fact there was a TV show about a clity slicker in a rural Alaskan town many years ago, Northern Exposure, with the recurring theme, that a city slicker had much to learn about living in Alaska.

[AtlLaw]

a TV show about a clity slicker in a rural Alaskan town

A jewish doctor from new york city, Flieshman.   One of my favorite shows!

He went native in the end... 

[powderman]

To my knowledge theres been nothing on the news about this, first I'd heard of it. POWDERMAN. 

[Dand]

Powderman, got to KTUU.COM or adn.com and search on wolves Chignik.  A special ed teacher went for a jog on an isolated road. Guys coming home from clam digging found her gloves on the road an a lot of disturbance. Followed the trail and found the teacher dead and as Sourdough says, a very nasty scene.  Two guys went for help, one stayed on site with his snowmobile running.  While by himself a wolf came to the scene and and didn't want to leave. The fact that a wolf came close to a running snogo is real unusual in these parts. Wolves had been seen in the area for a while and some folks had been keeping their dogs inside to protect them.

Go down to the Hunting in Alaska forum there are a couple threads on the event.

State biologists shot 1 or 2 wolves a week later - neither had rabies. No word on any other tests such as stomach contents.

Autopsy declared cause of death likely an animal attack.  She was a small woman and may have been running with earphones on - maybe totally unaware of her surroundings.

[powderman]

DAND. Thanks. POWDERMAN. 

[Sourdough]

I deleted this message.  Dand and powderman PM me  Rog