Ranchers in southwestern Alberta say they have seen more wolf attacks on their herds than ever before.

At last 17 cattle have been killed in the Porcupine Hills area since November, twice as many as the year before, and the ranchers say wolves are costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Lifetime Porcupine Hills rancher Clay Chattaway is calling for a cull, saying the wolves seem to be getting braver, moving in closer and becoming more aggressive.

"Only part of the wolf problem is the ones that they kill," he said. "The other part is the harassment. If cattle aren't happy and settled, they're definitely not gaining weight, and if they're really harassed, they're probably losing weight, and we make our money on weight gain."

"There is no doubt they have to be managed, and culling is one of the management tools."

Dave Ealey, a spokesman for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, said culling wolves is not an option and the government will instead try to selectively manage the problem. Provincial wildlife officers are shooting or relocating the odd wolf known to be problematic.

Ealey said he doesn't know why wolves are attacking livestock instead of wildlife.

"Maybe they're harder to get at this year, for some reason. [It] could be a variety of things that's making them less likely to go after the wild game."