The Future of Elk Management

[misner5]

I'm concerned our elk herds in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming (maybe even Utah, Colorado, Oregon) are in for severe decline due to wolf predation and our inabilities to manage the predator. It doesn't take much research to see if the wolf is not managed, the elk, deer, goats and sheep will decline. The question is how much will they decline. To the extent hunting will not be allowed? Very possible and maybe very likely.

Now to the main point! What are we as hunters going to do about it? Are we going to wait until history reveals our inactiveness allowed hunting to become extinct in wolf populated areas?

The pro wolfers are hard at it to ensure wolves never become delisted from endangered. Click on the link. There are countless petitions from them to the feds demanding wolves stay on the endangered species list. I didn't find any pro wolf management petitions. Hopefully there are some out there.

I say we need to get a quality petition put together to get wolf management started now. If anyone has experience in this realm please get it going and let me know what I can do to help. It appears that petitions need to be done correctly or they will get thrown out.

I'm afraid we're going to set idly by until it's too late. I'm one man who loves elk and elk hunting. I'm not for wiping the wolf out although I wish they'd never been reintroduced. At this point I'll be happy if we're managing them.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=petition&as_q=wolf&btnG=Search within results

 

[dkpeay]

The Bush Administration has approved a rule to allow the state of Idaho and Montana to start managing wolves. It should be implemented within the next month. ID, and MT can kill wolves where they are having an impact on elk herds.

The Bush admin. just launched an add talking about terrorists, just waiting to strike. The backdrop in the terrorist add is a pack of wolves.

An interseting parralell.

Don Peay

 

[udderdelite]

Are you just crying wolf? Is there really a problem? Im asking as NM has wolves Im not hearing to much negative reports on game numbers even Az has wolves and reports are going away .

 

[misner5]

Hey Udder,

I hope I am crying wolf but the proof says I'm not. Do a little research on the subject and you'll see for yourself that the wolves are affecting elk numbers in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and in some cases the wolves have reduced numbers of elk to about nothing compared to what they were. The Salmon Idaho area is a good example. Yellowstone went from 19,000 elk to 8,000 in the last ten years and wolves are the major reason. The main problem is the wolves are not managed to speak of. Yeah USFW kill a few here and there but for the most part the wolves go unchecked. The wolf population in the tri-state area has gone from roughly 75 in 1995 to 760 in 2003. Of course that's just "documented packs", who knows how many undocumented packs there are. They seem to be showing up in different areas all the time.

To compare your New Mexico wolf to the Canadian wolf...there's no comparison other than they're both a wolf. The Canadians far out size the New Mexican version. I'd be curious to know if a New Mexican wolf could even take down a healthy adult elk by itself. Of course your wolves will kill calves and eventually you might see populations decrease.

 

[whacknpack]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-05-04 AT 12:28PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Nov-05-04 AT 12:27?PM (MST)

I strongly agree. Wolves, like other predators, need to be managed accordingly, thus providing a balanced ecosystem of sustainable big game populations. Wildlife management is really people management. Concerns should be addressed at public hearing forums with State Game and Fish personnel. It can never hurt to write and re-write your elected official (senator or congressman).
I suspect that someday, you may see a season for these big canines. Game and Fish departments are going to have their hands full in the future (near future). I would be willing to get involed with a petition or another measure. I am an avid hunter (not just elk). Balance is what we are seeking. Nature does have a way of balancing things out, but predators do have to be managed to protect all interested parties.

whacknpack