I admit it. I want to be the "top dog" predator when it comes to game animals. And I don't see anything wrong with that.

For those that want to bring wolves back because they used to be here: If you take that argument to its logical conclusion, you come up with what animal rights ultra liberal people want: do away with all livestock (they are not "natural"), do away with all development in the country, and do away with hunting.

If all historical predators were restored to historical levels, there is NO NEED for us to hunt. These predaotors evolved keeping game populations is check and there would be some fluctuations, but for the most part predators would do all the hunting for us. We don't really need to hunt at all do we?

Fact: wolves mean less game for hunters. Therefore, if you are REALLY in favor of reintroduction, why not give up your hunting tag for a wolf? How about lobbying your state really hard to reduce the number of tags allowed by 50% so wolves can be reintroduced?. Don't want to do that? No? Then are you really serious about reintroduction of wolves? Sure there will still be animals to hunt, but not as many.

Anyone who says that coyotes don't eat lots of fawns and wolves don't eat lots of calves is only kidding themselves. I think we all agree that wolves are very intellegent creatures. Which would you try to catch if you were a wolf, a big very fast adult elk or a young, slower, dumber calf? There aren't always "old" and "sick" ones around for easy picking.

If people who have wolves now want to keep them, so be it, but don't force those that don't have them anymore to reintroduce them.

More and more scientific evidence is coming out that unchecked populations of coyotes are one of the major reasons for the decline of mule deer. Mark my words: if wolves are reintroduced to historic levels, elk populations will follow the same path.

We have to choose: do we want to hunt or do we want to let nature take care of itself?