I encountered my first wolf in the wild in Alaska

The Grey opened this weekend with a better then expected opening;

topped the weekend box office with $20 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, continuing the actor’s success as an action star in the winter months.

The Alaskan survivalist thriller opened above expectations with a performance on par with previous Neeson thrillers “Taken” and “Unknown.” Those films, both January-February releases, opened with $24.7 million and $21.9 million, respectively.

But the R-rated “The Grey,” which has received good reviews, drove home the strong appeal of Neeson, action star.

Houston Chronicle

Animal Rights Wackos are up and arms about this movie believing it will turn the average person’s view against the wolf. While the movie is made with computer generated wolves it seems the film crew and cast dined on wolf provided by a trapper to experience what that was like. Of course these Animal Right Wackos are up in arms about that but I’m sure it matters not to them if the crew dinned on wolf or fried chicken.

Director Joe Carnage—oh, excuse me … Carnahan—ordered wolf carcasses flown in for the cast to eat so that the actors would “have a sense of the movie we were making.” He bought the meat from a trapper, meaning that the wolves likely suffered horribly in traps before being killed.

Not surprisingly, Liam Neeson, no friend to animals, was game for eating wildlife.
The Big, Bad Wolf

A film that has the potential to scare more people than “Little Red Riding Hood,” The Grey portrays these intelligent, family-oriented animals the same way in which Jaws portrays sharks. The writers paint a pack of wolves living in the Alaskan wilderness as bloodthirsty monsters, intent on killing every survivor of a plane crash by tearing each person limb from limb. Yet wolves aren’t aggressive animals, and as Maggie Howell, the managing director of America’s Wolf Conservation Center, says, “Wolves don’t hunt humans—they actually shy away from them.”

Don’t just shy away—run away from The Grey.

PETA Files
While I don’t believe I’d eat wolf I have no problem if others want to.
These critters are not cuddly and friendly as some would present but are they frightful as they have been presented in some movies? Probably not but they are a dangerous animal that have and will kill humans. I plan to go see this movie much like I did when I saw Jaws when it came out. I’ll admit that summer swimming was a bit unnerving thinking a Great White might get me …..I wonder if I’ll be looking over my shoulder after seeing this movie every time I enter the woods? Probably not cause I’m usually armed.

A Thanksgiving fishing trip off the coast of North Carolina will certainly be a lifetime adventurous memory for a group of men after a rare encounter with a Great White Shark.

Captain Watson has fished for about 25 years off Wrightsville Beach, where the shark close encounter happened.

“The fish kept circling. He kept getting closer and closer and he swam under the bow of the boat and hit it then came around the boat a couple minutes later, did a turn, and slapped the side of the boat with the back of his tail,” said Watson. “You could feel the whole boat shutter.”

According to the men, they were about 25 miles southeast of Wrightsville Beach when they saw the shark, which they estimate was at least 18 feet long and more than 4 feet wide. That’s nearly equal to the size of their boat.

It circled the boat for nearly 20 minutes

“I was probably 2 or 3 feet from the bow roller. His nose was at my feet,” fisherman Don Smith was quoted as saying. “His tail was pretty much in line with the rod that we had in the back of the boat in a rod holder. That’s a pretty good estimation of just how big the thing was.”

North Carolina waters are home to many sharks, but great white sightings like this are pretty rare.

Discovery News

A shark about the size of the boat I’m in? Hmmmm Nope I’ll stay on the mainland. Call me a wimp but I don’t want to even think about having to tangle with that guy.

Photo from Orlando Sentinel

This latest cold snap should put snakes out of our minds for the next few months anyways but here is a story out of Florida I just couldn’t pass up highlighting. A snake swallowing a adult deer whole is unbelievable and had I not seen the photo and the story I doubt I’d believe it.

An adult deer was found intact inside a huge Burmese python Thursday, after the snake was captured and killed in the Everglades.

Contractors for the South Florida Water Management District encountered the python on a tree island in western Miami-Dade County, according to the district. It was killed with a shotgun blast.

The 15.7-foot snake had a massive bulge from a recently consumed 76-pound female deer, the largest intact prey ever found in a Burmese python in Florida, said Skip Snow, a biologist and python specialist at Everglades National Park, who conducted the necropsy.

The python, an ambush predator, had staked out a known deer trail, he said. When the deer walked by, the snake presumably seized the animal in its sharp, backward-pointing teeth, crushed the deer under its weight and coiled around it, killing the deer before consuming it, he said.

Orlando Sentinel

Two bear attacks are in today’s news including one here in North Carolina.

A Candler man and his dog are recovering after being attacked by a bear early this morning. The man was walking his dog near his home off Beaverdam Road while it was still dark, and accidentally walked up on a mother bear and her cub. The mother bear attacked the dog and man started hitting the bear with a stick.

WLOS ABC 13

It would appear that the black bear had attacked the dog and the owner stepped in to save the dogs life. While picking a fight with a bear is almost never a good idea messing with someone’s dog is often a more egregious offense.

The second bear attack was a fatal attack last week inside of Yellowstone National Park. This attack is believed to be carried out by a grizzly and not a black bear but both bears are found inside of Yellowstone.

A grizzly bear killed a Michigan man whose body was found by hikers last week in Yellowstone National Park, officials said Monday.

The victim was identified Monday as John Wallace of Chassell, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula.

Wallace’s body was discovered along a trail about five miles from the nearest trailhead. Results of an autopsy concluded that he died as a result of traumatic injuries from a bear attack.

Mlive
This is the second fatal attack inside the park this summer. Back in July a hiker surprised a grizzly sow with cubs and she attacked to protect her cubs.

Bears for the most part try to steer clear of humans however in places like National Parks where encounters with humans are frequent bears can loose that desire to avoid humans. The question often comes up what should you do if attacked by a bear? Play dead…. fight back? In the first example the man fought the black bear in the second scenario at this point we don’t know.

Massachusetts Wildlife has some suggestions on what to do if attacked by a bear that seems to be consistent with what I’ve read other places.

The standard response to serious bear attacks is to “play dead with grizzlies and fight back with black bears”. More specifically, it is probably appropriate to play dead if the attack is defensive (e.g., defense of cubs) and fight back if the attack is predatory. Context, circumstances, bear behavior, and geographical locale are indicators which may indicate the nature of the attack. Risk of bear attack can be diminished by individual responsibility and the communication and utilization of knowledge about bear behavior and natural history.

Predatory black bears seldom give explicit signs of aggression and intent. The bear typically approaches during the daytime, sometimes slowly circling the person, and then rushing in for the attack. Predatory attacks usually continue until the bear is deterred, the person escapes, or the bear gains its prey. If the bear is not deterred by noise or throwing of objects and escape is impossible, your only option may be to fight back with any available means. Adults as well as young children have successfully fought back and deterred potentially lethal bear attacks.

While bear attacks are rare people in bear country need to be mindful and on alert for bear encounters. As far as attacking a bear that has taken one of your pets I wouldn’t recommend it.

I came across this amazing series of photos involving and injured Bison and a grizzly inside of Yellowstone National Park on the Outdoor Life Website. The bison had multiple burns over a significant amount of his body probably from an encounter with a geyser or one of the many thermal pools in the area. I’m impressed that the photographer was able to stand his ground and get the shots I’d like to think I could do the same. That had to be a sight to see them rumbling down the road towards you. Check out the photos over at OL and I will warn that some are a bit graphic.

Red Wolf or Coyote? Maybe a bit of both

The News and Observer article the other day about red wolf reintroduction into North Carolina had a few people ask me about my thoughts. Well that certainly is a loaded question mainly because I’m not convinced what has been released as a red wolf is really a red wolf. No doubt it has wolf in it but it also has coyote in it as well. Myself I believe they are better described as a supped up coyote. While I know many will disagree with me I’m just not sure the federal government should be stocking in something that is not what they claim it is.
Now am I opposed to restoring wolves or other predators to ranges where they once were? No if it is done reasonably but that never seems how it is done. I do not believe predators should be stocked in to replaces man’s role at the top of the food chain. While there is room for both where the issue comes in that many of the supporters of restoration efforts want to allow these populations to grow unchecked we only have to look at western United States to see that.
Well anyone that knows me knows how much I like to turkey hunt so the main thrust of the article must make me happy;

Wolves’ role in helping these ground-nesting birds is well known, Rabon said. Raccoons eat the birds’ eggs, and red wolves prey on raccoons. More wolves mean fewer raccoons, and fewer raccoons mean more quail and turkey. Connecting the dots, more wolves mean more birds.
Effects like this aren’t unique to Eastern North Carolina. Research from around the globe, compiled in an article in the journal Science last month, shows just how deeply large predators like wolves and cougars are connected to the ecosystems where they live.
If predators vanish or reappear, even plants and soil might feel the effects. Predators play a crucial role in shaping the landscape.

I’m really not surprised the red wolf / coyote help many of the birds including turkeys. Other predators have gone pretty much unchecked with trapping becoming a politically incorrect activity and hunting of coons certainly not as popular as it once was. West Virginia did a five year wild turkey survival study and found that only one study turkey was taken by a coyote suggesting the coyote did not negatively impact the wild turkey population. Given that study the red wolf / coyote in eastern North Carolina most likely has some positive effects on turkey and quail populations.
Of course with anything in nature something has to give especially if the red wolf has federal protection and the population continues to expand. The protection is hard to enforce giving that the red wolf stocked in had coyote in its dna already and they will breed with coyotes making it impossible for anyone to prove if the critter in question is a red wolf or a coyote. That is my opinion and should not be taken as legal advice for sure. I hunt pretty infrequently in the red wolf territory but if you do you better educate yourself on the red wolf.
Red Wolf Id Card

Bottom line whatever you choose to call it the red wolf / coyote is having some positive impacts but a check with local farmers I’m sure they have some negative impacts these critters are causing.

Coyotes can be found in all counties in North Carolina

Coyotes are present in all 100 counties of North Carolina and by all suggestions their population is growing. The expansion of the coyote is a success story of sorts and really the coyote population has exploded across the country. I say of sorts because the coyote is a formidable predator and left unchecked can do significant damage to crops, livestock, pets and wildlife. One only has to look at how fast the coyote claimed habitat in this state to realize how fast it is expanding.

In the early 1980s, coyotes were in only a handful of North Carolina counties. Today they’re in all 100.

“They’re extremely intelligent,” said Thomas Padgett, a Wildlife Resources Commission biologist who oversees nine eastern North Carolina counties, including Brunswick.

Though state coyote population numbers weren’t available, officials agree they are a force to be reckoned with.

“There’s no question in my mind that they’re expanding and that they’re becoming more of a problem,” said David Marshall, the state veterinarian.

Star News

The coyote population is at a point now in the state where they are becoming problematic in some areas. Farmers are experiencing livestock losses and they are resorting to a number of techniques to reduce their losses. One only has to drive through the countryside and see the donkeys mixed in with the cattle in the pastures to realize how popular an option they have become.

Pearly Vereen has kept donkeys in his cattle pastures to protect 200 cattle and calves. He’s up to eight donkeys.

“I try to keep at least two in every pasture the cows are at,” he said.

Before he brought the donkeys in, he lost eight or 10 calves to coyotes. He hasn’t lost a single calf since his donkeys have been on the case, but Vereen has still noticed coyotes at work.

“They’re about to destroy the deer population,” he said. He’s heard how they’ll prey on chicken farms. “If they get started on them, you got to kill them or they’ll clean you out,” he said. “They find food, they’re coming back after it.”

As hunters and trappers we should offer to help landowners especially farmers in controlling coyotes along with other species that are causing damage. Coyotes can be hunted year round in North Carolina and there is a variety of techniques one can use to hunt coyotes. The big thing with coyotes is changing up methods is probably the best advice because they are a pretty smart critter and will catch on quick.

Wild Mountain Lion Killed in Connecticut

The debate about the presence of wild mountain lions along the east coast has just gotten new life with the confirmation of a wild mountain being killed in Connecticut of all places. Many stories of encounters with cougars or mountain lions have been circulating for years but little physical evidence has been offered to support these stories.

A mountain lion killed on a Connecticut highway last month had apparently walked halfway across the country from South Dakota, according to Connecticut environmental officials who said Tuesday that the journey of roughly 2,000 miles was one of the longest ever recorded for a land mammal.

The animal originated in the Black Hills region of South Dakota and was tracked by DNA from its hair and droppings as it passed through Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2009 and 2010, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel Esty said at a news conference.

Biologists estimate the size of the mountain lion population at about 100,000 in North America, mostly living in western regions and seldom traveling more than 100 miles. It was the first confirmed wild mountain lion in Connecticut in more than 100 years.

Middle Town Press
Most wildlife agencies over the years have blamed sightings on mistaken identity or escaped animals.
The mountain lion killed in Connecticut migrated east from South Dakota making the case that western mountain lions could make it this far east.

Authorities initially believed it was a captive animal that escaped, but tests showed that it was not neutered or declawed and it had no implanted microchips, which are commonly used in domestic animals.

Tests also determined it was likely the same one that had been seen earlier in Greenwich, Conn., a New York City suburb 30 miles away. The death was followed by a flurry of big cat sightings in the suburbs of Connecticut, but experts dismissed most of them as unreliable. Government experts say no native mountain lions are believed to live in Connecticut.

The coyote is believed by many to have expanded east to explain how they have rapidly have taken over every county in the state of NC. I believe there are some more likely explanation but if that is the case will the western mountain lion be that far behind?

North Carolina lawmakers with the passing of house bill 432 have eliminated the game animal classification for wild boar in the state.  What has been some crazy laws that recognized hogs as a game animal in 6 mountain counties and feral pests in the other 94 counties has been corrected to reflect the true problematic pests these critters can become.  Starting on October 1^st all wild hogs in North Carolina will be considered feral and can be hunted year round.

Press Release Quote:

The new law was enacted in part to address the proliferation of feral swine across the landscape of North Carolina. Feral swine are not native to North Carolina, and pose threats to commercial hog farming operations and native wildlife through disease transmission and habitat destruction.

One such disease is brucellosis, which can infect people if they come in contact, through their eyes, nose, mouth or a skin cut, with infected blood, fluid or tissues from an infected wild hog. People also can become sick after eating improperly cooked meat.

Currently, surveillance testing for brucellosis in feral swine in North Carolina is quite limited. However, in areas where surveillance has occurred, rates of brucellosis have been increasing for the past three years.

NCWRC

In addition to address the double standards of dealing with wild hogs this bill also cleans up a number of other issues or at least gives the NCWRC the authority to change some things if they wish.

Press Release Quote

HB 432 also states that the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission may adopt rules prescribing seasons and the manner of taking wild animals and birds with the use of artificial light and electronic calls. It also states that hunters can take rabbits, squirrels, opossum, raccoons, fur-bearing animals, and nongame animals and birds open to hunting, with a pistol of any size. 

Hopefully this will open the door for coyote hunting at night and a few other things that would help get a better control on some of the predators in the state.

Black bear I encountered in NH

On Wednesday school officials put two schools in Garner on lock down because a bear was seen in the neighborhoods around the schools. I guess the threat of a bear pulling a Columbine is one that I had not considered. I guess I should give the officials a break because like snow falling from the sky bears wandering through the area is an event that will bring all other activities to a halt.

“I was surprised, because you don’t usually hear tell of bears around here,” said Lenwood Hunt, who lives near Garner Magnet High School where the bear was spotted.
Police who saw the animal said it appeared to be an adult black bear, about 4 feet tall when walking on all four legs. They said it didn’t appear to be aggressive but urged people to leave it alone.
“I’m guessing (it weighed) about 200 pounds. It wasn’t no Boo-Boo Bear, by any means,” said Clint Ferrell, referring to the animated Yogi Bear’s smaller friend.
Police said they believe the bear lives in a wooded area along Old Stage Road, near Hall Boulevard, and was trying to head back there after wandering away.
Animal Control, wildlife and police officers were keeping tabs on the bear but weren’t planning on chasing or capturing it.

WRAL
I guess it shouldn’t surprise me but a number of folks have asked me about the recent bear sightings and what they should do. I guess they figure I’m some type of an expert because I’ll grab my camera and wander into the brush after a bear about every chance I get. For the most part if you leave them alone they’ll just move on. A number of people I’ve talked to feel the bear should be captured and moved and a few feel the authorities should shoot it. Neither of these are very good ideas the days of moving bears are for the most part over because no matter how far you move them they’ll find their way back. If they don’t make it back whatever attracted them to an area will just attract others.
If you don’t want bears around remove as much food sources you can from around your home. Granted our burgeoning deer population and the fact the does are dropping fawns right now is a ready food source for the bears. The majority of the bears we see around here are young males forced out of their home range looking for a new home.
They have little desire to live in our suburbia and are just passing through.
Today brought additional sightings in Raleigh of a bear. Officials believe it is a different bear then the one seen yesterday that was less than 5 miles from where this bear turned up. I think it is more likely the same bear trying to figure how the heck to get out of here.
All of these sightings are near my house so trust me I got my camera ready and I’m ready to get some photos. I’m not afraid of snow nor am I afraid of bears but maybe I better stock up on milk and bread in case I get beared in this weekend.