Quote
Dearborn
And, meanwhile in neighboring Wyoming, you can't hunt them at all, despite the fact that wolf target populations have been exceeded and elk numbers are plummeting. I remain largely non-committal on the wolf re-introduction issue, but our federal agencies are continuing to prove that they do not make good neighbors.
Elk numbers are plummeting?
What is your source for this claim?
What is the normal, natural carrying capacity of the area for elk? You know, when Fish and Wildlife don't artificially feed alfalfa to most of the herd to unnaturally maintain their populations at inflated levels through endless severe winters? Just to appease hunters?
Elk pops prior to wolf reintroduction were huge - often in excess of 25,000 animals in the central GYE, probably far bigger than than across the full area, with the only important enemy human hunters. Everywhere you went up there, you tripped over scads of elk who had become essentially unafraid of being out in the open. Nice for tourists and autumn hunters, I suppose, but excessive for the habitat.
Now, GYE elk pops are maybe half that number, and the elk have smartened up and stay a bit more stealthy (which is not to say they are invisible - we still see plenty of them when we visit). Does this suggest that the pops have plummeted? Meanwhile, wolf pops have grown and approximately leveled off, with fluctuations depending on winter weather, interpack competition and variable elk pops. In other words, they have pretty much achieved a good dynamic equilibrium level that allows minor population ups and downs with the elk.
Meanwhile, thanks to reduced elk pops, natural riparian areas and willows are coming back to life after being decimated for 50 years; aspen groves are returning to historic ranges because the elk have been less likely to munch them into oblivion. Native aquatic species are likely to benefit from this progression. Grizzlies have seen a benefit from being able to nab some wolf kills, and their pops are doing fairly well...which is a good thing, because warmer climate temps have reduced their autumn sources of pine nuts, upon which they have heavily depended.
Maybe a bit of naturally selective depopulation was actually in order. Now if we just knock off that foolish feeding, let both elk and wolves regain a slightly lower natural dynamic equilibium level, shut federal management efforts to a trickle and stop worrying about it.
Bruce Jensen
