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Dave

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Waiting for more knowledgeable people to show up. There is 111 weaned calves in the front field. Took the dogs for a walk out the driveway. Found a dead calf and another walking very poorly. Dead one has been eaten on. The slow walker appears to have hide missing and blood up between the back legs. The rocked lane out into the field I found blood and what looked like bits of meat. Things sure don't look good this morning.

The man from Fish & Game confirmed the dead one was a wolf kill. We had stuffed the cripple in the trailer. We went over to look at it. It died 30 seconds later. Also a definite wolf kill. Even better evidence than the dead one. I will refrain from any further comment on the world wide web.

People here have expressed concern about the cougars and bears. I am much more concerned about the wolves. Weaned these calves on a 103 degree day. Never lost a single calf. Then lose 2 in one night to the wolves.
 
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Dave said:
Waiting for more knowledgeable people to show up. There is 111 weaned calves in the front field. Took the dogs for a walk out the driveway. Found a dead calf and another walking very poorly. Dead one has been eaten on. The slow walker appears to have hide missing and blood up between the back legs. The rocked lane out into the field I found blood and what looked like bits of meat. Things sure don't look good this morning.

The man from Fish & Game confirmed the dead one was a wolf kill. We had stuffed the cripple in the trailer. We went over to look at it. It died 30 seconds later. Also a definite wolf kill. Even better evidence than the dead one. I will refrain from any further comment on the world wide web.

People here have expressed concern about the cougars and bears. I am much more concerned about the wolves. Weaned these calves on a 103 degree day. Never lost a single calf. Then lose 2 in one night to the wolves.
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Hard to be there 24/7... Damn, that's tough. Personally I think any wolf outside of a National Park should be fair game since they don't know about boundaries. And golly gee... they do look an awful lot like coyotes.
 
bird dog said:
I would think that they will be back.
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Neighbor lost one about 2 weeks ago that was in a field about 4 miles from here.

Travlr said:
Hard to be there 24/7... Damn, that's tough. Personally I think any wolf outside of a National Park should be fair game since they don't know about boundaries. And golly gee... they do look an awful lot like coyotes.
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Less than 300 yards from the house. But a person has to sleep some time. It was the crack of dawn when I found them. The sun hadn't come over the horizon yet.
 
Maybe doin chores in the dark!? Overnight attack for sure. Play farmer with a rifle on the roof of the barn as the dead calf as easy prey, let them stink, before he comes back for more live ones.
 
wbvs58 said:
Do they attack as individuals or would it have to be a group of them. These calves are about 250kg aren't they?

Ken
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Based on how much was ate we think it was a lone wolf. Calves were about 500 pounds, Hauled the calves to the bone yard. Plan to check at first light every morning for a while.
 
Well these calves weaned on a 103 degree day we should have lost some of them then. But we didn't so these are the two we should have lost. But we will get some money for them. There is a program to compensate people for losing them to the wolves. Funding is kind of limited and it will be after the end of the year. Good thing is my neighbor is on the committee which hands out the money. So we do have an in and it wont be a total loss
 
Dave said:
Based on how much was ate we think it was a lone wolf. Calves were about 500 pounds, Hauled the calves to the bone yard. Plan to check at first light every morning for a while.
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Does Oregon have a wolf damage payment? This kind of crap really sucks.
On edit: I see you just posted whole I was typing my post.
 
Dave said:
Well these calves weaned on a 103 degree day we should have lost some of them then. But we didn't so these are the two we should have lost. But we will get some money for them. There is a program to compensate people for losing them to the wolves. Funding is kind of limited and it will be after the end of the year. Good thing is my neighbor is on the committee which hands out the money. So we do have an in and it wont be a total loss
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Be sure you get pictures. In SD we had our area declared a disaster and the feds promised to compensate for damages and livestock losses... and they kept changing the rules with every submission for compensation. I lost a half a mile of fence and 1 out of 6 calves (guy up the road lost 450 sheep) and all I wanted was the fence fixed. After several rule changes I got so pissed off that I applied for the livestock too... and then after a couple more rule changes they said they now needed pictures. Of course by then the calves were buried and decomposed.
 
Next door neighbor had 3 calves chewed by the wolf last night. All 3 confirmed to be a wolf attack. None of them are dead right now but they figure one might make it. Little to no hope for the other 2. After we kill this wolf we need to find the people who thought reintroducing them was a good idea. This makes 5 confirmed and one that the fish and wildlife guy wouldn't confirm but we know it was a wolf all in a relatively small area. How much are 6 weaned calves worth on today's market? Now with 2 separate confirmed attacks we will get a kill permit. But that will take at least 2 weeks. How many more will it kill before they issue the kill permit?
 
I'm terribly sorry for your loss! I'm also dealing with a loss today, but I believe it was natural causes, the momma cow is in mourning and is being very vocal about it. She was a first-time mom, very young, and we did good so did the momma, the baby calf lasted a whole week. This was also our first time with a baby calf, tonight though I needed to remove the baby from the pasture, but worried... about how momma is acting. I will just have to keep an eye, on and see how she acts tonight when I feed her and try and remove the baby, if she doesn't want me too, or comes toward me while I try, then I will try and remove the baby tomorrow. I hope things get better for you though! Luckily we don't have wolves here, and coyotes hardly ever come through our pastures, especially with four horses in two of them..lol.
 
Dave said:
Next door neighbor had 3 calves chewed by the wolf last night. All 3 confirmed to be a wolf attack. None of them are dead right now but they figure one might make it. Little to no hope for the other 2. After we kill this wolf we need to find the people who thought reintroducing them was a good idea. This makes 5 confirmed and one that the fish and wildlife guy wouldn't confirm but we know it was a wolf all in a relatively small area. How much are 6 weaned calves worth on today's market? Now with 2 separate confirmed attacks we will get a kill permit. But that will take at least 2 weeks. How many more will it kill before they issue the kill permit?
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As the weather gets bad will it be easier to kill them or are they like the mountain lions and never seen?
 
I don't know how I feel about this honestly. Wolves are only doing what their instinct is telling them, and that's to hunt, it is not their fault honestly because we as humans are the ones making their habitats smaller by cutting down forest, and killing their prey. So they go to where food is to survive. Last I knew, the wolf population was running very low due to illegal hunting, and death, so they repopulated probably hoping the population would rise naturally. You can't blame them for trying to raise a almost endangered species, while trying to balance out nature...probably from over growth of deer and other animals that were harming forests just like we were and are. Everything has a balance..
 
Dave said:
Next door neighbor had 3 calves chewed by the wolf last night. All 3 confirmed to be a wolf attack. None of them are dead right now but they figure one might make it. Little to no hope for the other 2. After we kill this wolf we need to find the people who thought reintroducing them was a good idea. This makes 5 confirmed and one that the fish and wildlife guy wouldn't confirm but we know it was a wolf all in a relatively small area. How much are 6 weaned calves worth on today's market? Now with 2 separate confirmed attacks we will get a kill permit. But that will take at least 2 weeks. How many more will it kill before they issue the kill permit?
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Like my grandpa used to say, there was a reason they had a bounty on them years ago. I don't buy the "balance" bs. Most all the places I've heard they've been reintroduced the wildlife has been nearly wiped out.

Your not only suffering from the loss of the calves your also loosing from the tremendous stress it puts on the cattle. Cattle that have had wolf attacks are nervous, they don't gain well and more cows end up open. I also can't imagine the stress the cattlemen go through laying awake at night wondering how many they're losing.
 
Ned Jr. said:
Like my grandpa used to say, there was a reason they had a bounty on them years ago. I don't buy the "balance" bs. Most all the places I've heard they've been reintroduced the wildlife has been nearly wiped out.

Your not only suffering from the loss of the calves your also loosing from the tremendous stress it puts on the cattle. Cattle that have had wolf attacks are nervous, they don't gain well and more cows end up open. I also can't imagine the stress the cattlemen go through laying awake at night wondering how many they're losing.
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Alright, that is your opinion. Think about this though...it is literally your fault that your cattle is getting attacked, you don't have the proper mechanics in place to keep prey out, and we as humans...I see the wolves attacking our cattle as karma..for us taking their homes, forest, and prey. Still, if you have the proper mechanics in place, you may have fewer wolve attacks on your livestock. I'm not saying you are a bad livestock owner, and I realize that not everything is in our hands let alone in our control, but you have to realize again, that wolves are only doing what instinct tells them to do to survive. Yes, nature is cruel sometimes, but...we are crueler and we need to think more about our actions toward wildlife before we act on them. Still my condolences to you as well if you are also losing livestock to wolves.
 
TheBurningRedRose said:
Alright, that is your opinion. Think about this though...it is literally your fault that your cattle is getting attacked, you don't have the proper mechanics in place to keep prey out, and we as humans...I see the wolves attacking our cattle as karma..for us taking their homes, forest, and prey. Still, if you have the proper mechanics in place, you may have fewer wolve attacks on your livestock. I'm not saying you are a bad livestock owner, and I realize that not everything is in our hands let alone in our control, but you have to realize again, that wolves are only doing what instinct tells them to do to survive. Yes, nature is cruel sometimes, but...we are crueler and we need to think more about our actions toward wildlife before we act on them. Still my condolences to you as well if you are also losing livestock to wolves.
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Some of the the people here are veterinarians, some have degrees in Animal Science or other Ag related fields, and almost everyone that is on this site has long term real experience in the outdoors and particularly with livestock and predators. Many have a lifetimes worth of experience.

What is your education and experience? Opinions are not all equal...
 
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Travlr said:
Some of the the people here are veterinarians, some have degrees in Animal Science or other Ag related fields, and almost everyone that is on this site has long term real experience in the outdoors and particularly with livestock and predators. Many have a lifetimes worth of experience.

What is your education and experience? Opinions are not all equal...
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I never said opinions are equal. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

As for the other information you are seeking, I'm afraid I do not know you well enough to give you it. I hope you have a wonderful day or evening.
 
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