Idaho elk harvest graphs 1989-2012. You won't believe what happened after wolves

[bearpaw]

Idaho elk harvest graphs 1989-2012. You won't believe what has happened after wolves were introduced!

[bearpaw]

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[bearpaw]

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[huntnnw]

This should provide proof to the ones saying elk hunting is still great in ID 

[pianoman9701]

This should provide proof to the ones saying elk hunting is still great in ID 

No, the resident wolf lovers will claim it's all habitat loss and has nothing to do with the wolves. According to them, the wolves are the only reason there are any elk left at all. It's disgusting to me that our government has forced this on us and that a segment of the population refuses to see the harm.

[jasnt]

This should provide proof to the ones saying elk hunting is still great in ID 

No, the resident wolf lovers will claim it's all habitat loss and has nothing to do with the wolves. According to them, the wolves are the only reason there are any elk left at all. It's disgusting to me that our government has forced this on us and that a segment of the population refuses to see the harm.

 

This gets me wondering what the last 10 years look like in NE Washington. I'm wondering if we may be already starting this kind of trend here as well. Ill have to look in to it

[Jacque]

 

[jasnt]

So far all I can find is state wide results.  Not each gmu.

[wolfbait]

This should provide proof to the ones saying elk hunting is still great in ID 

No, the resident wolf lovers will claim it's all habitat loss and has nothing to do with the wolves. According to them, the wolves are the only reason there are any elk left at all. It's disgusting to me that our government has forced this on us and that a segment of the population refuses to see the harm.

 

This gets me wondering what the last 10 years look like in NE Washington. I'm wondering if we may be already starting this kind of trend here as well. Ill have to look in to it

The hunting and ungulates will end up just like the Lolo elk herd, with WDFW refusing to acknowledge that their wolves and other uncontrolled predators are having any impact on the game herds. "For the amount of hunters that showed up, the season was a great success" WDFW biologist in the Methow Valley.

[nwwanderer]

One graph with a statistically accurate trend line for all area combined would be very useful as we make our point.  Great stuff, thanks for all you do.

[Bob33]

Excerpt from IDFG's elk plan:
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/planElk.pdf

"Elk populations and IDFG are facing new and ever changing opportunities and challenges, including:

1) the return of wolves to the landscape;
2) continued declines or instability of elk herds in the backcountry;
3) elk population expansion in southern Idaho, limited by the amount of crop and property damage that can be sustained;
4) habitat loss and modification;
5) declining elk hunter numbers; and
6) increased importance of the social aspects of elk hunting to elk hunters."

[WA hunter14]

the moose were also hit realy hard too probably worse

[bearpaw]

Here's the catch.

Elk are doing well in zones that have not been impacted by wolves, some of those zones have robust and growing elk herds. So the wolf supporters like to combine those zones counts with the wolf impacted zone counts and say that wolves have not impacted elk herds in Idaho.

The habitat excuse, there is no doubt that some of the wolf impacted zones that used to support larger herds do not have as good of habitat due to USFS limiting logging, but some of these wolf impacted zones are wilderness that was never logged and Idaho has had many forest fires in the last 10 years in some of these wolf impacted zones, so the habitat issue doesn't hold much credibility when you compare one wolf impacted zone to another. The biggest common factor is wolves in these impacted areas.

If the lack of logging or fire was the biggest factor limiting elk herds why are the zones without many wolves producing high elk counts? That's right, because wolves are the biggest factor. It's not so much cougar or bear as wolves because Idaho has been intensively managing cougar and bear for several years to try and absorb the newly emerged wolf impacts.

The bright side for Idaho is that wolves are being managed heavily and brought under control in many areas and most everyone (hunters and outfitters I know) agree that some of the damaged herds are beginning to come back.

Now the million dollar questions:

With wolves multiplying, will WDFW manage cougars and bear more intensively to prevent increased predator impacts?
What will Washington due when wolves get delisted?

the moose were also hit realy hard too probably worse

Yes wolves hit the moose hard plus there have been some parasite/disease issues for moose in areas without many wolves. Moose are down everywhere in the Rockies, but are especially low in numbers in wolf impacted areas. If you notice, WDFW has already started reducing moose permit numbers in the Selkirk GMU, moose numbers are dropping in that GMU. (where we have had wolves the longest).

[huntnphool]

Seems to me the decline started right after Obama took office, but its likely Bush's fault, not the wolves.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Excerpt from IDFG's elk plan:
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/planElk.pdf

"Elk populations and IDFG are facing new and ever changing opportunities and challenges, including:

1) the return of wolves to the landscape;
2) continued declines or instability of elk herds in the backcountry;
3) elk population expansion in southern Idaho, limited by the amount of crop and property damage that can be sustained;
4) habitat loss and modification;
5) declining elk hunter numbers; and
6) increased importance of the social aspects of elk hunting to elk hunters."

#5 nailed it .. That's what they want to hear !