Finally saw a wolf

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

Many years ago I used to work at Hualapia Mountain Park just outside of Kingman. In October every year, back then anyway, there was a convention of sorts of the American Wolf Breaders Association. There would be 300 animals in the park during Octobers full moon. You could hear the singing bouncing off the 3 peaks all night long. Although fairly much domesticated these ones were, they were still wolves howling in a tight mountain range. Sends chills up the spine. Absolutely beautiful animals. I've still to see one in the wilds.
_________________
"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

evenstar · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 5548 Location: SCW by way of CA

How do ya bread wolf? And then deep fry it or bake?
_________________
John Richardson and Richie Rich, El Perro de Playero
http://members.tripod.com/~evenstar/index.html
http://www.arizonahikers.com
When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
--Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902

Nighthiker · Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 1714

Igo, is the park still a great place to visit ?

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

CatValet · Posted: 5/11/2006, 11:03 pm Post subject:

Hooli must have meant, "How do you BREED wolf"

Pick from following list (at least three):

Chocolates
Jewelry
Perfume
Shoe Sales at Nordstroms
Flowers
Champagne
Trips to Hawaii or the Caribbean
Slow Dancing (don't let them lead, don't step on rear paws)
Candlelight Dinner, silk sheets, Warren Zevon on the stereo

If all else fails, a little "Eau de Calf" behind your ear Rolling Eyes

mike · What box? Joined: 30 Dec 2002 Posts: 3134

CatValet · Posted: 5/11/2006, 11:28 pm Post subject:

I wondered who would pick up on that....

"drinking a Pina Colada at Trader Vic's
His Hair was perfect"

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

azbackpackr · Posted: 5/12/2006, 5:54 am Post subject:

Oh, yuck! None of that foofoo stuff would have caught me, way back when! Except maybe the trip to Hawaii. Except I was already living there when I met my husband. I can't dance, perfume makes me nauseous, jewelry is a nuisance, shoes from Nordstrom's are probably uncomfortable (I really don't know, I've never been to Nordstrom's--I truly LOATHE shopping, unless it's REI or Summit Hut or Home Depot) and I don't like champagne. Flowers are ok, though. And I've never heard of Warren Zevon. How 'bout the Dead? Maybe a little Stevie Ray or Hendrix?

What was this topic about, anyway?

Oh, wolves!

My best experience with the wolves up here on this mountain was when we were elk hunting a few years ago. We didn't actually SEE the wolves, we heard them. It was a pretty primal experience. We were gutting an elk on the side of a steep hill, late at night under a full moon. The wolves were in the canyon below us, howling. Now if that doesn't give you goosebumps....!

We decided then that we didn't agree so much with all our neighbors about those wolves. We do feel for the rancher, losing a lot of calves, but mostly the coyotes kill the calves, and mountain lions, too. But now it seems the wild is a little wilder, with the wolves out there.

The wolf program is pretty much on hold though. They pulled most of the wolves off the project and put them back into captivity. However there are now several packs of third and fourth generation wolves out there, with no radio collars on. They have finally, after several generations, learned how to be wolves. You don't hear so much about them going up onto people's porches trying to get at their dogs, or getting into garbage cans. This generation is more shy.

I don't think the griz would do well around here, though. Too many people, not enough to eat. They would need a huge area, and it would over-lap with a lot of towns, ranches, new subdivisions, and lone cabins. And there is cattle grazing throughout, and that is not going to go away completely. You may think the Apache-Sitgreaves and Gila National Forests would be enough, but there are a lot of people and homes everywhere, and roads bisecting these forests. It's not a big enough area, even though it may total 10 million acres, it still has a lot of inholdings and towns. And those bears really are dangerous to have around. I'm personally not in favor of experimenting with that. It would cost millions of dollars to administer a project like that and the bears would get shot the minute they came near somebody's home or livestock. These millions of dollars would be better spent with other forest projects that really need to get done.