[Randito]

[Ski]

[gb]

[Ski]

nice try. in other words, you got nothin'.

[Merlin]

Being my first post, I just submitted a pledge to 'post content that adds integrity to sight content' or something along those lines. Benefits of these predators primarily involves causing heard animals to stay on the move and not overgraze areas as they would without the presence of Wolves specifically. This benefits vegetative regrowth and riparian habitats especially which has a 'trophic' effect on the environment. Yellowstone has seen a rebound in environmental diversity since the reintroduction of wolves with the tradeoff of loss of some livestock. Programs to re-imburse ranchers who have lost cattle that have been killed by wolves are effective if it is apparent that wolves are to blame. Looking forward to contributing more in the future!

[gb]

[Kascadia]

[Mikey]

Gray Matter: You wrote: "Would you please care to elaborate on that link that you provided in this message? What is the intent of linking this particular video? If you're trolling, quality work. If not, you've got me thoroughly confused." I posted that link because the still photo looks exactly like my view of the 2 wolves stalking me when I was in the river fishing for steelhead. I suspect that most people have never seen a wolf crouched low (slinking) stalking its prey. In my river fishing experience, it looked to me like I was these 2 wolves prey. I have no idea of why you think I was trolling. Probably there are better still photos of wolves stalking prey but I did not spend much time looking for such wolf stalking photos. In Washington State, predators rarely bother trail hikers or off-trail hikers, hunters, climbers, fishers, etc. but it has been my experience that understanding the situation is appropriate. I had the opportunity to live my youth in a SW Wash location (outside the populated area adjacent many miles or roadless forest) to where encounters with bears and cougars were seldom but did happen. Although I carried a firearm most of the time when hiking, fishing, etc. alone, I never had to use it. By the way, wild life adapt to conditions. Presently deer frequent my SW Washington place, sleep in my backyard between the house and the garage and sometimes in the front lawn, act like they own my place, and I have fences around my fruit trees so we can get a our share of the fruit. Cameras show a 2 pt buck visits often, mostly at night. My apologies if my posts have strayed too far from Trail hiking recognizing that this is on "Trail Talk" and perhaps belongs in a category like "Off Trail Talk".

[Pahoehoe]

[Triton]

More info http://methowvalleynews.com/2018/07/14/forest-researcher-rescued-by-helicopter-after-being-treed-by-gray-wolves/

[Ski]

[Schroder]

[gb]

I guess what the real story and the likely reasons for the wolves behavior makes me wonder: What would have happened if when the wolves were yipping and barking if the researcher had left the scene before it "escalated" to a full on defensive posturing. Perhaps if the researcher had gone the opposite direction of the apparent wolves the threat would have de-escalated? What would have happened if she went the wrong way? Of course, that was likely towards the wolves. How would I have reacted?

[BigBrunyon]

this is exactly why they gotta hurry up and get the big bears back into the woods up there!! they'll kill the wolves due to being larger or at least provide a presence that will keep the dogs humble and afraid to venture too far out from those dens!

[Merlin]

I'd say good points SKI your right in each of your carefully constructed counterpoints. Truth is though, Yellowstone is the the only area where the long term benefits have been observed and it stands to reason that those same effects would correlate. By the way, trophic effect is not a theory https://missionwolf.org/trophic-cascade/ it is science by now. The larger ecological health of a system depends on it's diversity.