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3,120 Wolves Later – The TRUTH About Wolf Control

Cliff Gray

42,908 views

Most hunters think wolves can be managed like any other predator. The data says otherwise. In this episode, I sit down with Justin Webb, founder of the Foundation for Wildlife Management (F4WM), to dig into the unfiltered reality of wolf control in the West... what works, what doesn't, and why the "predator-prey balance" we all learned as kids isn't how this actually plays out on the landscape.

00:00 Why F4WM Exists
05:23 Wolves Aren't What You Think
08:35 The 0.25% Success Rate
12:39 They Dug Up Every Trap
17:24 The Trapper's Reality
22:09 Educating an Entire Pack
32:42 Why Colorado Was Predicted
35:17 The Economics of Removal
48:10 How F4WM Works With States
57:08 The Silver Lining for Hunters
1:01:21 The Wolfer Summit
1:09:09 How to Get Involved

Mentioned:
F4WM Membership & Banquets — https://f4wm.org
Wolfer Summit (Aug 6–9, Coeur d'Alene, ID) — https://f4wm.org/events/annual-wolfer...
Justin's Wolf Trapping Master Class — Wolf Trapping with Justin Webb // OFFICIAL...

F4WM Instagram Instagram: f4wm_wolf_management

#wolfhunting #pursuitwithcliff #publiclandhunting #predatormanagement #f4wm
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20 Comments

@Bozhg 4 months ago

Wolves don’t kill only the sick or injured. They kill as many as they can if they get a chance to a herd of sheep

@robertmakowski7808 5 months ago

When I was driving through Denver in July of 2014, was listening to a talk show whose guest was one of biggies in getting the wolves reintroduced...and what did he state.. The reason he and the other greenies where try to get them out in the wild was...the elimination of SPORT HUNTING by reducing the game animals to the point that hunting would end... I can remember screaming at the radio.... They knew exactly what the outcome was going to be...

@tfred2129 5 months ago

Drop 100 of them in central park to start off

@legacylandwildlife 5 months ago

Thank you for doing and sharing this! I do not live in an area with wolves nor do I know much about them. This was a very informative talk with someone that actually knows what he is talking about.

@derrickhulsey3490 5 months ago

Grizzly bears need to be taken off the endangered species list 100000%

@Antjermima1234 5 months ago

Great show with Justin! Thank you

@MapleandMeatball 5 months ago

I’m from a s state that hasnt had a wolf since the mid 20th century but I thoroughly enjoyed the interview. If I lived in Idaho or Montana id be all over this program! Justin is very well spoken and was very exact with his answers. You can tell he cares and knows a thing or two because he has seen a thing or two.

@sml5110 5 months ago

Put them in areas with high populations so more people get to see what its like to live with them.

@camp-and-fish 2 weeks ago

I was skiing at Pomerelle last year (southern Idaho), and as I rode up the lift when the mountain opened, we could see wolf tracks running up the mountain chasing a hare. All tracks were visible first thing in the morning after the lifts opened. You could see their footprints from 30-40ft up in the air (on the chairlift). Seeing their huge tracks in the snow was chilling. I know wolves are as far south as Burley Idaho. It's just a matter of time before they come down into Utah.

@glennwmurphy1 5 months ago

THIS IS THE BEST INFO ON THE WOLF SUBJECT I'VE EVER HEARD OR LEARNED FROM. WELL DONE GUYS, THIS SHOULD BE WIDESPREAD, THE PUBLIC DOES NOT HAVE A CLUE...I HAD NO CLUE ABOUT THE DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE YOU GUYS HAVE.

@tommarymarking1579 4 months ago

Very interesting. I'm in Northern Calif and wolves are causing a big livestock problem in the NE part of the state. They are pressuring the mule deer in Susanville area in the Diamond Mtn. and running the cattle causing poor wgt gain and infertility from anxiety and nervousness.

@lacuzon39000 1 month ago (edited)

I was in France two years ago in an area where wolves are present , and near the village where we were one farmer had a cow ready to give birth , so knowing the danger he brought that cow in a field closer to that village , the morning after after he found his cow barely alive and a few pieces of the calf , I saw the the scene where it happened and that wasn’t a disney movie scene , wolves came at less than 100 yards from that village that night . Wolves and bobcats are running out of food in the wild and getting closer to populated area to hunt for stocks and pets and this is when the city people will freak out.

@CliffDeRouen 5 months ago

In some cases elk are more down wright outside the city limits gazing in the hayfields trying to stay away from the mountains trying to stay away from the wolves. Which leaves the cattle in the mountains wright in the woods with the wolves.

@EdwardHeil-i6x 5 months ago

Thanks so much for putting it together Cliff. It was very informative.

@katrinadoupe3135 5 months ago (edited)

We use snares up here in ontario. On a bait pile. You place bait year round. And leave your snairs tied up in the trees closed. And dont ever bring anyone new with you. The wolves will atribute your scent to the food you bring in to feed them. And they will get used to the smell of the snairs hanging up in the trees closed off to just being apart of you the feeder. Then when the season opens and when you want to catch some wolves you go in and place fresh food and lower your snairs open them up and youl catch a bunch in one shot usauly. Now do this at different sites targeting different packs and you can walk away with 10 or more wolves Sometimes. Your not trying to hide your scent or anything your trianing them to associate you with the food you bring in. Now there is different ways to place your snairs and the bait pile to help increse the chances of success as well.

@arthurquintana1345 5 months ago

Great topic! Glad to hear about the foundation!

@glennwmurphy1 5 months ago

I'VE BEEN HUNTED BY WOLVES, VERY SPOOKY. LUCKILY NOT FAR FROM THE RANCH HOUSE DURING A HEAVY SNOWFALL IN WASHINGTON STATE, UP NEAR THE CANADIAN BORDER. HAD MY BLACK LAB ON MY HEEL, I REMAIN CONVINCED THE PACK WANTED A "TWO-FER" BECAUSE THE LEAD WOLF WAS FOCUSED ON ME, GETTING CLOSER EVERY TIME I COULD LAY EYES ON HIM. HAD A 12 GAUGE PUMP IN MY HANDS AMMO IN MY COAT POCKET, BUT THE EXPERIENCE WAS A REAL WAKE-UP CALL FOR ME. YOU CAN'T SHOOT SOMETHING THAT CAN SEE YOU, KNOWS HOW LONG IT TAKES YOU TO SHOULDER THE 12 GAUGE, AND NEVER GIVES YOU A SHOT AS THE GROUP GETS CLOSER. I WOULD SEE THE FLASH OF FUR SLIPPING BEHIND A TREE, CATCH SIGHT OF A FACE THAT DISAPPEARED AS SOON AS I LOOKED AT IT, THESE GUYS HAD OUR NUMBER AND I KNEW IT, AND THEY OF COURSE WANTED MY LAB. I KEPT MOVING UP THE ROAD TOWARD THE HOUSE, FIRING IN THEIR DIRECTION AS WE WENT, NEVER COULD GET A SHOT OTHER THAN TO MAKE NOISE. IF I HAD BEEN A MILE FROM THE HOUSE, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH DIFFERENT STORY. THESE WOLVES WERE ABSOLUTE PROS, I WAS THE AMATEUR. THEIR CALLS WERE GETTING PRETTY EXCITED AND TENSE AS THEY GOT CLOSER, IT WAS AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE. AND NOW I CARRY AN ITHICA MAG 10, LOADED WITH MY OWN CUSTOM ROUNDS PACKING ALL KINDS OF STEEL THAT WILL BLOW THE SIDE OF TREE OFF AND INTO THE FACE OF ANY WOLF PEEKING OUT AROUND IT. YOU HAVE TO REALIZE QUICKLY YOU ARE FACING SUPERIOR OPPONENTS, ON THEIR TURF, AND YOU BETTER COME PREPARED AND SCARED. I SURE AS HELL WAS.