Wolf Population Management Plan- Your Opinion

[DOGMAN]

I am for wolves and Ranchers. But, I am not for hand-outs. Many Ranchers feel a sense of entitlement, and feel they are owed a pay-off for a Wolf attack. In many cases that is complete bullsheet. Some places in the West ranchers have leases on National Forest and BLM lands, and they may not check their cows for weeks at a time.
Then they cry foul when there is a wolf kill. That is just pure political muscle being flexed by the livestock industry. What other business can leave an asset unattended for days on end than get reimbursed when that asset is "lost".
Even on their own grazing land they'll leave cattle unprotected for weeks and weeks then cry when one gets attacked. In the past humans and wolves lived together- but, livestock growers had guard dogs, and they kept watch of their herds.

Bankers don't leave their assets just laying around for predators- and if they did they'd go out of business. Why can Ranchers do it, and feel they should be reimbursed?
Its all about "Personal Responsibility".

[crashdive123]

Very well said Jaon.

[Beo]

Jason that was great. I agree totally.

[Ole WV Coot]

We don't have any that I am aware of so I can't comment on them. We've screwed up nature to the point that deer will and are considered a pest around here. We've messed it up. Folks leave the cities, can't blame them for that but they buy a few acres, fence it, clear cut everything for a 2 acre lawn, and since they can buy a gun or two or three and get rid of every animal that "trespasses" on their property just to practice with their new toys. Same with ATVs in some places, it's their property and they can do anything they want on it. Wolves or coyotes I would shoot around the house if it came to my beagle or them. I guess I would make it hard on a human if they tried to kick the little fellow also.

[Rick]

What other business can leave an asset unattended for days on end than get reimbursed when that asset is "lost".

Actually, any business can. Crash could leave his business truck unattended for a week and then file a police report once he finds it's stolen. He'll write it off as a business loss. Any business can do it, even ranchers.

[gourdhead1997]

Actually, any business can. Crash could leave his business truck unattended for a week and then file a police report once he finds it's stolen. He'll write it off as a business loss. Any business can do it, even ranchers.

I agree but a tax write-off is different than an actual reimbursement. A write-off is a loss in tax revenue whereas a reimbursement is actually coming from the tax base that we pay. Don't get me wrong. I believe there should be some federal help for our food providers. Just pointing out the difference.

[DOGMAN]

Actually, any business can. Crash could leave his business truck unattended for a week and then file a police report once he finds it's stolen. He'll write it off as a business loss. Any business can do it, even ranchers.

Totally different situation. Writing off a business loss is not what they are doing. There are funds that are set aside that Reimburse them.

[DOGMAN]

Don't get me wrong- I don't have anything against ranchers. I went to a land grant/ag college, and most of my friends from college are all ranchers. My very closest friend in life runs his families enormous cattle ranch in northeastern Montana, and we argue about this stuff every time we get together.

But, cattle ranching in the arid American west is a losing proposition- it is a very, very inefficiant place to raise cattle. The amount of resources that are used to get one pound of table ready beef is astronomical. The only way ranchers in the Rocky Mountains make it in this day and age is through government help, real estate development, and tourism. It is damn near impossible to make a "working" cattle ranch in this area profitable without other sources of income.

But, the livestock industry has enormous political clout- and so all Americans are basically supplementing the western cattle industry because a few old western families want to continue to play cowboy. The entire industry is based on sentimentality and nostalgia- not profit. It's sad really- tax payers are all having to pay to keep these traditions going, when in a true free market capitalistic society they'd have almost all already gone belly up and found other ways to make a living.