Predator Xtreme - Feb 2012
Gordy J Krahn great lakes wolves 63 www PredatorXtreme com FEBRUARY 2012 I slid my gloved finger inside the trigger guard of my weathered Model 70 as I caught peripheral movement in the brush below me Slowly shifting to my left I expected to see a deer crossing the narrow grassy opening where I was perched on the cross rails of a power line tower during Minnesotas November whitetail season Instead I captured an image very few people ever see that of a pale gray wolf The large canine silently crossed the power line opening unaware it had an audience My trigger finger reflexively slid to the trigger before I smiled relaxed my grip on the rifle and watched the magnificent creature melt into the mystery of the tamarack swamp I grew up in northern Minnesota where wolves are inherent to the local culture and often a topic of discussion when residents congregate at local bars and coffee shops Shouldve shot it was a common comment when I told friends about my wolf encounter The same attitude exists in Michigan and Wisconsin where wolves have regained a foothold in recent years and populations of the alpha predator are on the incline There seems to be two distinct camps in regard to wolf sentiment largely a clash between the rural reality of living in close proximity of wolves and the ideals of urbanites that have never seen a wolf but view the large predators as noble creatures that must be protected at any cost While theres no data to support the assumption theres little doubt that some rural citizens have taken matters into their own hands rather than deal with the bureaucratic federal government when it comes to marauding wolves Harsh federal penalties for illegally killing a wolf not withstanding shoot shovel and shut up has long been a common mantra across the wolfs northern range where many ranchers farmers and hunters are intolerant of the predator Under the protection of the Endanger Species Act ESA wolves in the Western Great Lakes Region Michigan Minnesota and Wisconsin have been under federal protection since 1974 with the exception of a brief period during 2007 08 when wolves in the Western Great Lakes DPS distinct population segment were removed from the federal Endangered Species List ESL and management was turned over to the states But this brief period of sensibility was short lived Predictably the antis sued and on Sept 29 2008 the U S District Court for the District of Columbia reversed the decision to delist wolves returning the Western Great Lake DPS to the federal list of endangered and threatened species
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