By Jim Stanford on February 18, 2007
Mountaineers continue to report sightings of wolf activity in the Tetons.
Stephen Koch, skiing down after putting a new climbing route up the North Face of the Grand Teton with Hans Johnstone, excavated himself from a faceplant and discovered wolf tracks in the snow (pictured at left) on the night of Feb. 6. Koch found the large prints at the bottom of Glacier Gulch.
On Friday, Rando Steve came upon the carcass of a young moose apparently killed by wolves in the vicinity of Death Canyon. Photos of the scene and tracks are posted at Teton AT.
While wolves have denned in the park before, this could be the first time the predators have established territory in the canyons below the southern peaks.
Could this be one of those “mountain” wolf packs Gov. Dave has been talking about?
The state’s wolf-slaughterer-in-chief expounded on his knowledge of wildlife biology in this week’s News&Guide, saying there never may have been a “true predator-prey relationship” between wolves and elk because elk historically were a plains animal. The short piece aptly is titled, “Wolves didn’t used to eat elk?”
The account of the dead moose is likely to stoke the fires of those who say wolves are “savaging” the state’s wildlife.
It is sad to lose a young moose, particularly because so many moose in this part of Wyoming are being mercilessly mowed down by … automobiles.
In 2006, motorists hit 282 elk, moose, and deer in Teton County, according to the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation. In Grand Teton National Park in 2005, automobiles hit 46 elk, 43 deer, 14 coyotes, eight moose, seven bison and four bears.
Then there’s this New West story from over the weekend about 21 antelope being run over and killed by a truck in a single incident in the Jonah natural gas field near Pinedale.
Perhaps Gov Dave and his pals in the Legislature, looking to “save” our wildlife from wolves, next will mount a crusade against … automobiles?
Posted under climbing, grand teton national park, skiing, wildlife, wolves
Man, that pronghorn incident is unbelievable.
What that $#@!?!