Cattlemen hope for wolves, beef is not what's for dinner

Washington Ag Today October 30, 2009 Even a cattlemen can be awed by a wolf, for a moment anyway.

Coon: “As an amateur naturalist I was thrilled to see my first wolf in the wild when one crossed our ranch in Adams County a year ago. However, as cattleman and beef producer I was alarmed to see one of these predators on my property.”

That’s Dick Coon, producer and president of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association speaking at a public input session in Spokane on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s draft wolf management plan. Coon, like many other cattlemen who provided comment, urged adoption of a management plan requiring fewer breeding pairs than 15 to delist wolves, so the state can begin managing them quicker. That was northeast Washington cattleman Ted Wishon’s position too. He relayed what just one predatory animal can do to livestock.

Wishon: “One cougar. When he was eliminated we eliminated the loss of 15 to 20 calves a year. You put a pack of wolves in that country I know we are going to have problems. It‘s inevitable.”

The preferred alternative for wolf management Fish and Wildlife is putting forward does have a livestock compensation plan but the legislature would have to provide funding. Wolf proponents speaking at the Spokane input session supported compensating producers for wolf depredation. Several wolf advocates however, said ranchers should not be allowed to kill a wolf caught in the act of attacking livestock while the wolf is still listed as endangered.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network.

?