ORIGINAL: Dirt2
You relate the old timer's story from the dark ages of the '20s and '30s. It's true that we nearly lost our wildlife at that time, hence my use of the term 'dark ages'. To attribute that situation to wolves is just wildly off base.
I didn't attribute the situation to wolves. I stated that Elk were shipped in by rail. Most of the wolves and Griz (predators) had been killed off by ranchers (humans) by then, leavingno major predator threat other than the solitary cougar and black bear for these elk. The big thing to mention is that at this time game management was in place, and these new elk herds were then managed (tags). When the herd grew, and graze land and farm lands were threatened by the elk, depredation tags were in place to "thin" them outeven more.
Way back before the "dark ages" as you put it, there was no game management. We all know the effects us humans have had globally on game animals taken with no control. It was thru game conservationalists like Theodore Roosevelt and others that started the wheel for the game management we see today.
My big beef is where was this management plan when they introduced the wolves?? The biggest mistake made was letting it go to the federal government to decide. It should have went to the state level to begin with. It's been over 10 years now, and still in the hands of the Feds, with the possibility of "oh, you can manage your wolves when all 3 states come up with an "approved" plan, and then we'll let ya have them". So, us Idahoans get to sit here on our hands and wait for our neighbors to figure out the plan of attack, all the while the wolf population escalates out of control. Hmmm...good plan!
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