Livestock depredation | Lewis and Clark County hit second hardest in state
Versión castellana.
MENOS RECLAMACIONES POR DAÑO DE LOBOS PRESENTADAS EN 2013 ( EN MONTANA EEEUU)
Resumen/ Un año no hace una tendencia, pero como los cazadores y tramperos de Montana han aumentado el número de lobos cazados, las solicitudes de reembolso por daños al ganado de ganaderos se redujo en 2013.
George Edwards es coordinador del programa de daños al ganado» y sostiene que su caza supone la reducción de los conflictos desde una perspectiva de reclamaciones»
Pero, para John Steuber, Director estatal de Servicios de Vida Silvestre «hay una disminución en el número de depredación del lobo «, «Pero es tan sólo un año, así que es difícil decir que es una tendencia. Y hay que ser cautelosos” con esta asociación. En general, hay una gran cantidad de ganado en territorio de lobos. Steuber dice que a su Oficina, la mayoría de llamadas de ganaderos se producen cuando mueven su ganado en pastizales en mayo y junio. Con la época de parto las reclamaciones de ganaderos, habitualmente, comienzan a subir. Ocurre que los alces son migratorios. «Si los lobos no siguen los a alces depredan otros animales »
- En 2012, se presentaron 125 denuncias ante el Departamento de la junta directiva de la ganadería, que pagó 102.700 dólares .
- En 2013, se presentaron 96 reclamaciones con un costo de 86.800 dólares.
A partir de octubre de 2013 la junta comenzó a pagar también por la depredación del oso grizzly , por lo que esa cifra incluye cuatro muertes de ganado en el condado de Park atribuidas al oso pardo.
¿Cuántos lobos se han cazado?
- En la temporada 2012-2013 los cazadores han matado a 119 lobos y los tramperos han capturado 36 . 2013 ha sido el año de caza más agresivo que ha permitido la “Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks”
- En la temporada pasada 2012-2013, los cazadores y tramperos cazaron 225 lobos
- En la temporada 2011-2012, cazaron 121. En esta temporada el Servicio de Vida Silvestre dijo que además murieron 104 lobos.
- En el año 2013 , que se redujo a 70 .
- Al final de la temporada 2012-2013, se estimaba que había 625 lobos en comparación con 653 el año anterior.
Bison are playing a larger role in the sustenance of park wolves compared to past years as Yellowstone National Park’s bison herd has swelled … Read more
BILLINGS — One year doesn’t make a trend, but as Montana hunters and trappers have increased their wolf harvest, claims for livestock depredation reimbursement fell in 2013.
“I do think the trapping and the hunting both have really helped out the livestock producers,” said George Edwards, livestock loss program coordinator for the Livestock Loss Board. “It seems to be a huge reduction in conflicts from a claims standpoint.”
In 2012, 125 claims were filed with the Department of Livestock’s board, which paid out $102,700. In 2013, 96 claims were filed at a cost of $86,800. Beginning in October, the board began paying for grizzly bear depredation, so that figure includes four cattle deaths in Park County attributed to a grizzly.
Claims are paid out of the state’s general fund and the livestock losses have to be confirmed as wolf or grizzly bear kills by Wildlife Services.
Hunter, trapper take
So far this year, hunters have killed 119 wolves, while trappers have taken 36. This year is the first of a more aggressive
hunting season allowed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Hunters are now allowed to purchase up to three wolf tags, the hunting season was extended into mid-March and the price of a nonresident wolf tag was reduced from $350 to $50.
Last season, hunters and trappers took 225 wolves compared to 121 in the 2011-12 season. In 2012, Wildlife Services, the animal-control arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, killed 104 wolves. In 2013, that dropped to 70.
“We have seen a decline in the number of wolf depredations,” said John Steuber, state director for Wildlife Services. “But it’s just one year, so it’s hard to say that’s a trend. Until we see three, four, five years in a row, I’d be cautious about saying depredations are declining.”
The increasing wolf harvest has not yet made much of a change to FWP’s estimate of the number of wolves in the state. At the end of the 2012-13 season, it was estimated there were 625 wolves spread out across the western half of the state compared to 653 the previous year. FWP would prefer to see the wolf population closer to 425 animals.
Butte-based FWP wolf biologist Nathan Lance said he’s seen no behavioral changes in wolves based on increased hunting pressure.
“They’re a carnivore. They are secret and elusive anyway,” he said.
With such a large landscape to roam — up to 300 square miles for some packs in his region — hunters have a hard time finding the animals. So whether the wolf harvest goes up this season compared to last is hard to predict. This is especially so since after the general deer and elk season, which ended the weekend after Thanksgiving, most hunters stow their rifles.
Biggest loser
Out of the counties that claim livestock losses to wolves, Beaverhead is consistently at the top of the heap, often closely trailed by Madison, Glacier and Lewis and Clark counties. In 2013, Beaverhead County livestock producers received $22,170 for 14 cattle and one sheep death. The next highest payout went to Lewis and Clark County producers who received $11,200 for seven sheep killed by wolves.
Lance attributed Beaverhead’s status to the fact that the large county has a lot of cattle in wolf territory.
“The other thing that’s unique to the Big Hole part of Beaverhead County is that it has a migratory elk herd,” he said. “If the wolves don’t follow the elk, they have lower game numbers.”
Edwards said with calving season beginning for some cattle ranchers, claims will typically start to go up. Steuber said his Wildlife Services office gets most of its calls when ranchers move their cattle onto summer range in May and June.
Edwards noted that the loss board did get some one-time loss prevention funds to help producers this year — $100,000 for grants — for which there was “huge interest.” That money can fund projects like carcass removal and range riders to help prevent depredation.