was the hunting of wolves by the government in the1800's like a slaughter of lambs?

Answer 1

Wildlife conservation is a relatively new concept. It is easy to look back to the 1800's and with our year 2007 sensibilities and say "they did this wrong and they did that wrong".

Wolves represented a very real threat to domestic livestock in the 1800's. And those folk really did depend on their livestock for life. Wolves loved pinned up livestock.

Wolves did represent a threat to loan hunters, prospectors, explorers, small children, etc. A hungry pack can easily take a loan man down.

Wolves also represented a psychological threat to people. Familys being alone in hostile lands saw the wolf as a representation of all the fears they had. Wolves howling in the night were the 1800's equivalent to the boogie man.

We now know that wolves play an important roll in the North American ecosystem. And thanks to the important roll state governments, private land owners and conservation minded hunters have played, the wolves are slowly returning.

Don't judge our ancestors harshly. They did as they felt necessary and we have no right to second guess that.

Miketyson26

Answer 2

Wolves weren't easy to exterminate. They weren't hunted or trapped into extinction. Wolves have never been in any danger of extinction anyway. They have always lived quite nicely in the Boreal forest. They were exterminated on some western ranges but only by dogged determination and the use of poison. At the time there were very good reasons for this.

I live in the Boreal forest--I have wolves in my front yard occasionally. I hunt them and I kill them and I sell their hides. I love and respect them. That might be hard for some people to understand. That's Okay--I make no excuses for the way I live. I would be the last person to say all wolves should be done away with. Their existence as a viable population where I live is in no danger.

Wolves have been re-introduced into area's that I don't think they belong. That's just my opinion. Point is they are there now and without the use of poison they are there to stay.

Answer 3

No. Your question leads me to wonder if you've already made up your mind, or if you've been listening to the wrong people.

Wolves are much more difficult to kill off than lambs.

And, lambs don't pose the threat that wolves pose. As we see in areas where wolves have been re-introduced, they do indeed attack livestock and humans. Lambs, on the other hand, are just good to eat.

I'm not saying that wolves shouldn't be reintroduced, but let's be realistic about what they are.

Answer 4

Slaughter of lambs no, Ignorance of Man Yes.
Mankind misunderstood the Wolf, They Feared the Wolf.
History shows no documented attack on man by wolves in North America.
It was wives tails and camp fire stories.
This was the fuel of ignorance that started the wild fire that knowledge put out
It's not T-Rex or the Devil.
It is a Super Predator, and a Beautiful creation of God.
Many States are reintroducing the Wolf back in to its habitat where it does belong.
And by the way I am a hunter and enjoy the hunt even when I decide not to pull the trigger.
But it is my right to decide, not anti hunters.

Answer 5

No. Wolves are cunning, and have an exceptional ability to avoid man. I have lived in the woods all my life, (36 years), have spent hundreds of hours in deer stands, and have NEVER seen one while hunting. Even when in an area where I have heard them, and seen fresh sign of there presence, they have never made themselves seen. I have only seen them from a distance either from my house, or while driving. Yet they manage to do untold damage to livestock, and because of protection from the government, and the rise in deer herd population, their numbers increase steadily. If you have already formed an opinion, pay attention to the other answers to your question made by people who live around them, not those from urban areas who have no real experience to base their opinioins on.

Answer 6

No, but personally I wisf they would have killed them all, They are a pain in the a**, they kill everything, they are one of the most deadly predators in the world.
One pack of Wolves can devistate wild and domestic animal populations in a 100 mile area in less than 12 months.
I have witnessed it here in Montana, they should have never reintroduced the damn things.

Answer 7

I'm not sure about the rest of you but personally, I wasn't around in the 1800's so I can't honestly answer that question

Answer 8

You sound like someone who would call a young seal a baby,And no is the answer.

Answer 9

NO, it was a useless slaughter of WOLVES !