Upstate NY wolves? Albany NY area...

section8smkr

section8smkr

New member
I'll make this question as simple as I can. The hunters I know who reside in the Albany NY area, who hunt surrounding counties- mostly east to the Mass border, and the Southern Adirondaks have been seeing in the last 2 or so years an increase in game birds Quail, Partridge and the like. Sorry for not being a Dec expert, but this is what I hear. The amount of Coyote activity has dropped, both in sightings and
activity.. Ok, any takers who reside in these areas who agree or disagree? Not trying to stir the pot, but I'm sure it will. Specially interested in those who reside between Albany Ny and dead east to Mass border.

Just asking for valid input to clear the air.

Sincerely,
8
 
My daughter lives in the Albany area and she says she sees alot of yotes in the mornings on her way to work. But that's now when it's still dark at 6:00am. I live farther north between the adirondacks and the St. Law. River. There are coyotes all over up here this year. Too bad most of the land owners are turning into peta freaks. I have been seeing alot of fox when I'm out testing my calls.

John
 
Thank you John,

If I may ask another question, you spoke of an good amount of yotes this season. Think it's more than the last, say 5 years? The reason I ask is that the hunters I know, I have known for about 14 years. They are not the type to boast, but have seen wolves in the areas east of Albany- not "coy-dogs", as most would believe. But wolves. They kind of smirk and shake their heads when I asked if they were sure the were not coyotes. "I know the difference", they said. They hunt basically from just south of Garnet Lake to the east to the Mass border. A wide area I know but, all these guys are saying the same thing... less yotes, more upland game birds, with wolf sightings...

Just wondering if you have witnessed the opposite? Less upland birds and more yote sightings in a couple years? Maybe the yotes are getting pushed out of this area??

Again, thank your previous reply,

8
 
The wolf topic is a big one. There are people who swear they seen them and others who believe the D.E.C. Up here we are close to Canada and a wolf crossing the ice is probably a possibility. I seen a road kill up on tooley pond that looked like a wolf and thought about it for awhile and went back about 2 hours later and it was gone so I can't confirm or deny it.
The grouse population up here seems to be down in our area but we have alot of yotes, red fox and redtail hawks and owls every where you look. I'm not a biologist but I think we have too many owls. I haven't shot a snowshoe rabbit in a couple years and cottontails are not much better but then we have the cycle to figure in so I really can't say. It may just be normal fluctuation in the population with so many variables including the winters. I guess we won't know for sure until somebody shoots a yote and gets arrested because it's a wolf. LOL.

John
 
Well, there was a pure wolf shot in Mass not that long ago. I have read people think there are some in the Berkshires. I am on the other side of the river in Albany county and we have lots of coyotes here. Although some sure sound funny when they howl. Like they are very large.
 
Thanks guys for the responses! Just trying to put 2 and 2 together. Just all the things I hear, I can't seem to put to rest.

Sincerely,

8
 
Quote:
Well, there was a pure wolf shot in Mass not that long ago. I have read people think there are some in the Berkshires. I am on the other side of the river in Albany county and we have lots of coyotes here. Although some sure sound funny when they howl. Like they are very large.



That wolf was shot about a mile from my house. It was in Shelburne Mass. I have also seen one. A co-worker told me that last week, he heard a wolf howling near his farm. A minute later the coyotes started in. We DO have wolves in western Mass. We also have cougars.
 
I don't know how many times I hear people from the DEC say there are no wolves in NY. I do believe they (DEC) are no different from any other government entity. They will tell you what they want you to believe. About 8 years ago, a guy shot what he thought was a huge yote 12 miles from here. He took it to a taxidermist and was told to get ride of it. The taxidermist told him it was a Timber Wolf, weighed 98lbs. I've seen some real big yotes but nothin close to 98lbs. My gunsmith does a lot of work for cops and ENCON officers and he was told by a part time DEC biologist that they have released breading pairs throughout NY, the DEC office got rid of his position before hand and I guess he thought people ought to know what has been going on. I don't know how much truth there is to any of this, I didn't see the 98lb'er but a bunch of locals did and as for what my gunsmith told me...he has never fed me any BS. Personally, I do believe the DEC would do something like that for some project like deer population control. My neighbor also told me he was at his camp down the road and seen something in the woods 20yds away from him, he bent down to grab a stick and when he stood back up it was gone. He claims he thought it was a big yote at first but says it was bigger than his timber hi-bred, I think she goes 90lbs easy. I don't really know what to think but I would like to see one for myself.
 
Sure do, well not as much as I used to. Not as much as I should also, I've known them since they moved into the area. Great bunch of guys. As mater of fact I have to get down there this week.
 
Maby the DNR guys are trying to help you out. I know with the lynx issue up here in maine that if an animal on the endangered species list shows up in your town the PETA freaks will start with their law suits and then the DNR guys are faced with fighting them as well as you folks. Its a mess!!! So better to deny all.
 
Hey, here in NY we have EASTERN COYOTES, no wolves /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif. So says DEC, so believe them... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Rabidhunter66 has a good point and I recently had a chat with a retired DEC officer who said they are coyotes, Not wolves.
 
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I hunt in Stephentown, just the spot you are asking about. I have never seen so many Coyotes in one place. Rabbit population is pretty thin. This is an area that I had never seen a Coyote until 12 years ago. The area has undergone allot of changes since I started hunting there in the 1970's. Dairy farms are gone, now it is all small farms w/ lots of Sheep and chickens. Lots of new tree and brush growth on what was open fields. Now here in NH Biologists have run tests on our Eastern Coyotes. They have found that they indeed do have DNA from the Quebec Wolf. Many do have traits that make them "look" like their Northern brethren, but they remain Coyote. Here in NH I took a "grey" male coyote that weighed in at 64 pounds. It was in the Southern part of the State, an area that had allot of Mass transplant and their pets. Pets were dissapearing at an alarming rate. jp

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Wildlife_profiles/profile_eastern_coyote.htm
 
i have a friend in Buffulo Ny that runs coyote hounds and said that wolves do cross the frozen lakes from canada and do interbreed with coyotes.they also have ran wolfs with the hounds.he said they haven't seen packs of them just single or pairs.and when the lakes thaw they get trapped here and breed with coyotes.
 
I do not know why the northern states that border Canada ,Ny,VT NH, ME do not admit there is a problem with wolf's .I personally in the NE have not seen one . I have however been to Noth western ALBERTA , seen them twice but never got off a shot .Very impressive predators. Have also seen them in B C.Outfitters out there claim that once they get into an area they are natural enemies of coyotes and with-in a few years coyote numbers dwindle down a lot.Look at the problems going on out in Idaho and Montana, guys are giving up there hounding for fear of losing their hounds to wolves. I think it is just a matter of time before they start showing up on a regular basis in the ne states . And don't forget the state of NC has admitted that they have stocked breeding pairs of red wolves in the state
 
I don't believe that we have wolves around! Their are allot

more trappers around then you think and they have not taken

any. Also people who set out trail cams would also see them.

They are large coyotes,after all the eastern coyote as large

as it is. A mix with wolf anyway????
 
I think just about anyone would agree that a single wolf, or even a mountain lion, could end up in NY. Most likely one released/escaped from captivity. Wild wolves would be a longshot. Any of which would be most likely caught on trailcams, car-killed, photographed, trapped or otherwise proven to exist if they really did. A sustainable breeding population is out of the question.

As for the DEC releasing anything to control the deer population - does anyone actually believe that they would do anything that would result in selling LESS hunting licenses and doe permits?? That's what would happen if anything impacted the deer population, and that will never happen.
 


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