Gerald Martin
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2009
- Messages
- 8,289
Plenty of people getting it done? There are also plenty of people who aren't getting it done directly because of the 'lovable' wolf and those who foolishly introduced a non-native subspecies to an area it was never in previously. By what standard of yours must a hunter be 'man enough' to get it done? My wife shot 3 elk out of the North Yellowstone herd many years ago and that herd fed many familes for years. It is now at about 10% population of what it used to be. Was it over it's target back then? Sure. But not by that much and wolves were not needed to fix the issue. Instead now we have greatly reduced opportunity for many to fill their freezers because the wolves are reducing tag availability tremendously with their well documented 23 elk per year per wolf take.
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.c...cle_44b86caf-db36-57b4-9624-4fad1d19490c.html Summary- northern herd @ 10,000 from the high of 19,000 in the 90's.
https://billingsgazette.com/outdoor...cle_785d9693-3d3b-5d50-9775-bbc53653f063.html Summary - bull numbers up to a whopping 7/100 from the low of 3/100 outside the park. Bull numbers @ 16/100 in the park. Largest outfitter in the area outraged that FWP is infringing on their opportunity by restricting general harvest during last two weeks of the season to permit only.)
My take-away.- Wolves have an effect. Hunters have an effect. Grizzly bears have an affect. The high numbers of elk in Yellowstone during the 90's were unsustainable. The high bull harvest during our 6 week general season with heavy snowfall driving up hunter success during the later parts of the season is unsustainable.
Using wolves as an excuse to continue unsustainable hunting practices is not a workable solution. Expressing outrage that the fruits of unsustainable management and hunting practices is exacerbated by growing predators numbers of grizzlies and wolves isn't going to change reality.
We can expect continued mismanagement until hunters stop demanding "opportunity at any cost" and start demanding that FWP manage for the health of the herd. Hunters in areas of declining elk numbers ignore the effects of poor human management and scream, "Big, Bad Wolf!" while being ignored by FWP who are compelled by legislative requirements to kill more elk in over half of the state. FWP is directed by the legislature which is controlled by ag interests in this state.
Expect to continue to be ignored until we come up with an effective lobby to represent our interests that goes beyond complaining about wolves. The ones screaming the loudest aren't doing squat to change the status quo.
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.c...cle_44b86caf-db36-57b4-9624-4fad1d19490c.html Summary- northern herd @ 10,000 from the high of 19,000 in the 90's.
https://billingsgazette.com/outdoor...cle_785d9693-3d3b-5d50-9775-bbc53653f063.html Summary - bull numbers up to a whopping 7/100 from the low of 3/100 outside the park. Bull numbers @ 16/100 in the park. Largest outfitter in the area outraged that FWP is infringing on their opportunity by restricting general harvest during last two weeks of the season to permit only.)
My take-away.- Wolves have an effect. Hunters have an effect. Grizzly bears have an affect. The high numbers of elk in Yellowstone during the 90's were unsustainable. The high bull harvest during our 6 week general season with heavy snowfall driving up hunter success during the later parts of the season is unsustainable.
Using wolves as an excuse to continue unsustainable hunting practices is not a workable solution. Expressing outrage that the fruits of unsustainable management and hunting practices is exacerbated by growing predators numbers of grizzlies and wolves isn't going to change reality.
We can expect continued mismanagement until hunters stop demanding "opportunity at any cost" and start demanding that FWP manage for the health of the herd. Hunters in areas of declining elk numbers ignore the effects of poor human management and scream, "Big, Bad Wolf!" while being ignored by FWP who are compelled by legislative requirements to kill more elk in over half of the state. FWP is directed by the legislature which is controlled by ag interests in this state.
Expect to continue to be ignored until we come up with an effective lobby to represent our interests that goes beyond complaining about wolves. The ones screaming the loudest aren't doing squat to change the status quo.
