AK Jeff

Good job Jerry!!! Yes, I grew up in Montana and still spend a good amount of time there. That study was done in the Bitterroot area of western Montana which has a very strong wolf population. In fact that area is being singled out as a spot where the wolf population should be reduced. Obviously the results of the winter mortality will show a more complete picture of wolf predation.

I'm certainly not anti-wolf by any means. I've probably spent more time just watching them in the wild than most people, but I've had no problem dropping the hammer on them given the opportunity. The real problem is the complete failure of the ESA and the total disregard for state wildlife management that has come about from the current Northern Rockies wolf scenario. When you can take an animal as common as the gray wolf, slap it with an "endangered" label and then force it down the throats of people who didn't want them in the first place, and then break every promise that was ever made regarding their reintroduction something in the system is seriously broken. The wolf is really being used as a tool to eliminate hunting from the west which is really the stronghold of hunter activity in the US. There is room for wolves in the west, but not if they're going to be left to run amuck with no real control mechanisms in place.

The real problem is just what the whole mess has done to legitimate wildlife conservation. Take for example the state of Alaska and wood bison. Alaska has spent millions and spent years trying to release a quarantined herd of wood bison up here. The problem is they're listed as endangered under the ESA and Alaska has watched the whole wolf mess and doesn't want a repeat. Canada has thousands of wood bison in multiple herds so they certainly aren't in jeopardy of going extinct. Of course the anti-hunting groups that I mentioned in my previous post don't want them delisted because they can abuse the ESA and the Equal Access to Justice Act to make money with their frivelous lawsuits. Alaska has enough wood bison habitat just in the Yukon Flats to easily support a herd of 4,000+ but as long as they're ESA listed they'll stay in their little fenced enclosure by Portage. It's a real shame because the potential for having an incredible wood bison herd and some great hunting opportunities exists, but the ESA is just a giant roadblock.

We as hunters need to step up and protect what we've built over the last century as a valued wildlife resource to be enjoyed by generations to come. The anti-hunting community want wolves to be their proxy for the elimination of our way of life. At least one anti group has said they want at least a thousand wolves in Colorado. It doesn't take a genius to do the math on that. Studies in Yellowstone found that the average wolf was responsible for about one elk kill every two weeks or 26 per year. A thousand wolves in Colorado would equal 26,000 elk kills per year. Now try and tell me with a straight face that that wouldn't have a drastic effect on elk hunting in Colorado. Wyoming has a valid wolf plan that keeps wolves in the wilderness areas, but doesn't allow them to proliferate everywhere and they should be given the opportunity to implement their plan. I'll get off the soap box now.

Thanks again for commenting Jerry.

Jeff