THE WOLVES AND GILMAN
Gilman, Wisconsin is located in northwestern Wisconsin near the intersection on Wisconsin State Highways 64 and 73. It is a village with 436 population and is bordered on the east by the Miller Dan flowage, Perkinstown Winter Sports Area, and the Chequemagon National Forest and on the north by the Pershing Wildlife Area and the Big Rock Game Farm and Hunting Preserve. Gilman has a web page: http://www.vil.gilman.k12.wi.us/ which explains all of these things in detail.
People Against Wolves is an organization of individuals that see what is wrong with having wolves under the dictates of the USFWS and are trying to bring about corrective actions. Members are in communication with each other regarding all things related to wolves. They are informed, aroused active citizens that react to false media wolf information and attend wolf management meetings trying to influence people with the truth regarding wolves. Recently a person from a cattlemen's association was appointed to the DNR Wolf Study Committee. People Against Wolves should be also represented by somebody that will go to back to the beginning and question if wolves are endangered should be on that committee. At the present time PAW is represented on the Wolf Stakeholders Group.
Future plans for PAW include acquiring a state of art slide projector for its talks. In competitive presentations with USFWS and DNR bureaucrats these people have this equipment supplied by the taxpayers. Also as the PAW movement grows there will be booths at the major sports shows at Milwaukee, Mlps, Chicago, etc to get the PAW word out.
The last wolf of the Gilman area before they again came back in 1980 because of wolf restoration of the so called endangered wolf was killed in 1950 by Cecil Wry 5 miles east of Gilman. This wolf was a problem to many people of the area and was named "The Thing". It was a problem wolf much like Rusty, the Custer Wolf, Three Toes, the Phantom and others told about in "The Last of the Loners" by Stanley Young. It had a huge track and wolf hounds would turn back when they got near it. It would run the roads and attack people's cattle and dogs. This led people to think that maybe it was a wild German Shepherd. The people were worried about their children that waited for the school bus in the darkness. Among "The Thing's" exploits was going into a shed through a window and carrying back out a dead calf and feeding on it. He crushed the skull and fed on the brain. It all ended when "The Thing" attacked Cecil Wry's dog and was killed with buckshot. "The Thing" turned out to be a 98 pound male timber wolf. His mount in now at one of the homes in the area and his picture appears above and below. .
Some of the older residents of Gilman recall the wolves of the 1930s. There was so much howling that kids were afraid to go to sleep at night. Losses of livestock were very common. A Bill Polley of Gilman had the misfortune of getting caught in a bear trap. He was not able to get free and the wolves killed and ate him.
The wolf pictured above was killed in British Columbia by one of the area's hunters. It is a 150 pound male Canadian wolf. The mount is at one of the area homes and has been featured in People Against Wolves talks to sportsman's clubs and educational institutions. Upon looking at it you will see what an awesome beast some wolves are. He was capable of opening his jaws wide enough to engulf your skull, crushing it and eating out your brain if he chose to. With those long legs and huge paws deer did not have a chance when he went after them on the crusted snow.
Of course it is very unlikely that any of the present Wisconsin wolves will reach this size. The Federal Wolf Management Plan of 1992 documents that the majority of wolves tested in the Wis, Mich and Minn area are found to be coyote-wolf hybrids. It is no wonder that most of them do not get to 80 pounds. These wolves are not real wolves and do not deserve being called an endangered species. It is no wonder that these "wolves" are being mistaken for coyotes.
Now that the USFWS is delisting wolves people need to see what this really means. Wolves will only be downgraded from endangered to threatened. You will still not be able to legally kill a wolf that is killing your livestock. Only federal agents will be able to do this. This has been going on since 1974 and needs to end right now. Wolves are not endangered and never were. Killing a wolf should really be no different than killing a skunk except that you might want to skin it before you get rid of the carcass. People need to attend the wolf meetings that are going to take place on the "delisting" and finally set things right. Wisconsin needs to become free from all USFWS interference in wolf managing allowing it's people to decide if they will have no wolves at all or a small well controlled number.
The above picture shows what wolves do to bear hounds. This dog belonged to Jim Trawiciki and Randy Mitchell and was killed during August of 2001 in Taylor County where there were not supposed to be any wolves.
Wisconsin has far too many wolves. The federal guideline calls for 50 wolves while Wisconsin has over 250. This limits where bear hounds can be run as well an increasing livestock depredation. What goes on is because of the failed wolf policy. The federal government can force their endangered wolves in on the states without any choice in the matter. Hopefully the Bush administration will admit that wolves are not an endangered species and never were, and sunset the federal government’s involvement in wolves. Then the states and their people will be able to manage wolves for the maximum benefit for their people.
People Against Wolves believes that wolves do not stand a chance if all the facts concerning them are truthfully told. Everybody will see that they are not an endangered species and that it benefits them and the wolves if they are not in places where they are in conflict with human activities.
References
Recovery Plan for the Eastern Timber Wolf, Revised 1992. Prepared by the USFWS, Region 3, Twin Cities, MN