macman99

That was actually tried. Problem is that you have to have an actual population to "manage" before you can manage it, and when wolves are supposed to be protected, yet everyone who feels like it is shooting, shoveling and shutting up (usually only because dad did it and granddad did it) that doesn't give the population much of a chance to grow.

And then when that the population is large enough in most states that it CAN actually be managed, there are backawards states like Wyoming where the so-called "management plan" is to treat the wolf as a pest; no "management" at all. That's how the animals became endangered to begin with (duh). And that's why they were re-listed in many states (don't blame "liberals" or "wolf lovers" for that; blame states like Wyoming)

FYI: I am not a "tree hugger", a "liberal" or whatever. Calling everyone who disagrees with you names just makes a person look ignorant.

I'm a hunter and I get a deer every year (well, almost) because I get off my a$$ and scout, hunt, try different areas and different tactics, and actually work for it. 90% of the hunters I meet who whine and moan about wolves spend their time in a tree stand in the same area they've hunted for 30 years (deer DO actually move around, so maybe the hunters should, too - ?), riding the roads with a rifle on the passenger seat, looking for an opportunity to jump off the shoulder and kill and easy deer without having to walk too far, or sitting in deer camp drinking beer and bemoaning the "old days" when deer were as thick as fleas on a dog (supposedly). Other hunters may not love wolves, but they recognize them as a part of nature and adapt. Just like they've adapted to increasing populations, less huntable land, more hunters in the woods, and climate changes that move the deer around. But too many hunters give minimal effort to their hunting, then single out wolves because they're an easy target and they can put a face to the source of their anger: easier to hate wolves than to hate (or understand) a bad winter, food shortages, or CWD.

Wolves killing for sport? That's about the stupidest assumption I've ever heard of. Animals who have to find their own food in order to survive don't have the energy to expend calories for "sport." They may kill for their young, to return to a kill later on, or due to opportunity, but I highly doubt wolves are killing for "sport." I would take that information with a big fat grain of salt, especially coming from an outfitter - a person who makes more money by having more deer in the woods...

I don't agree with eliminating an animal from nature just so we can create better hunting opportunities for armchair hunters. If you want to do that, buy some land and create your own wildlife preserve that's wolf-free; don't try to dictate to the rest of the world which animals should be wiped out and which should live, based solely on a single activity (hunting). Plenty of people enjoy the outdoors who are NOT hunters, and the reason they start becoming "anti-hunter" is because of some of the backwards things hunters start bitching about: "kill all the wolves to protect our deer and elk (hint: they ain't "ours" until we legally harvest them). Oh yeah, and like 'em or not, those people vote, too.

I'm all for managing wolves like any other managed species, but only if done properly; every wolf being shot on sight by a PO'd deer hunter isn't "management."

Where I live, cars kill more deer than wolves do; maybe we should outlaw cars .