Originally Posted by
rather_be_huntin
Tangozulu.....I do think you bring up some valid points. The problem with these boards is that we sometimes feel attacked and must defend our point of view depsite new information coming into the conversation.
To be fair among your valid points are some things you bring up are a bit over simplified and explained by the RMEF letter very well. There are valid reasons why the situation is Canada is different than the US situation such as the wolf has been over protected and populations are well above the goal that was set forth by the re-intro plan. Any over population of a predator results in destruction to other species. Yes hunters take many elk but we monitor our harvest, obviously wolves don't.
I chalk your force fed comment up to a bit of defensiveness on your part and I understand that. But the situation with our game remains a serious problem even without the wolves in that their winter range is dangerously low and shirinking every day. Feeding elk is only done in situations where no other viable option exists and a very large of wild elk never see an alfalfa bail set out for them. The wolf only makes the situation worse and elk are served up on a platter for them in the winter since the elk are forced to remain at higher elevations in the winter.
I'm thinkin that preditors have been "away" for so long that the general public thinks that vast herds of ungultes is normal. Truth is nature always has lots of peaks and valleys in most populations. The US was the birth place of modern game managementbut today we seem to have confused wildlife management with livestock management.
My Problem is that I've had first hand expierience with the SSS crowd and their good old boy game management practices. Some years ago the local CO received a complaint about some dead and apparntly poisoned wolves in a very remote area of northern BC. A helicopter was required to access the site as it was 50 miles from the nearest road and on a small frozen pond. The complaint wasn't from some green loonie but from the local trapper who had just been wiped out for the season. Not only were a few dead wolves layin about but also foxes, coyotes, wolverines, pine martin, squirrels, otters, mink, weasals, hawks, eagles, whiskey jacks, magpies and everything else that use to move. There was a set of ski tracks from what was probably from a supercub and a moose that had been shot and filled with poison.
The CO's spent some time checking a large area and found more sites just like the first. They no doubt never found all the sites.
Rumour around town was that a few guides had been lookin after "their" animals but no case was ever brought forward. There was no doubt that these wolf control measures continued to kill off the black and grizzly bears once spring arrived. There is little doubt this was goin on for years prior to discovery. The only plus side is a few guys packed their planes and left town. As a resident hunter I didn't need any of these guys lookin after my moose for me............with friends like that ..............