Crying wolf, Elk Foundation calls out motive of wolf groups Feb 26

[wolfbait]

Crying wolf, Feb 26, 2010
Elk Foundation calls out motive of wolf groups

Special to ESPNOutdoors.com

MISSOULA, Mont. — In letters to legislators and newspapers across the West, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is calling out groups like Defenders of Wildlife, Western Wildlife Conservancy and others for their disingenuous use of data on wolves and elk.

The RMEF action was prompted by each group's recent op-ed articles in the media, as well as testimony before Utah lawmakers by Western Wildlife Conservancy Executive Director Kirk Robinson. All cited RMEF statistics to argue that restored wolf populations have somehow translated to growing elk herds in the northern Rockies.

"The theory that wolves haven't had a significant adverse impact on some elk populations is not accurate. We've become all too familiar with these groups' tactic of cherry-picking select pieces of information to support their own agenda, even when it is misleading," said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. "We will not allow that claim to go unchallenged."

RMEF population data, which come from state wildlife agencies, show that elk populations are expanding the most in areas of the northern Rockies where wolves are not present. However, where elk share habitat with wolves, such as the greater Yellowstone area, some elk populations are declining fast.

In fact, since the introduction of gray wolves in the mid-1990s, the northern Yellowstone elk herd has dropped from about 17,000 to 7,100 animals — a 58 percent decline. Other localities in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming also are documenting precipitous downward trends.

Additionally, some research shows that elk remaining in areas of concentrated wolf populations are suffering nutrition loss, lower body weights and decreasing birth rates.

"Every wildlife conservation agency, both state and federal, working at ground zero of wolf restoration — Idaho, Montana and Wyoming — has abundant data to demonstrate how undermanaged wolf populations can compromise local elk herds and local livestock production," Allen said. "There's just no dispute, and emotion-over-science is not the way to professionally manage wildlife."

RMEF continues to support state-regulated wolf management to include hunting and other viable methods. This position is supported by new reports of diseased wolf populations in the Yellowstone area.

"When wolves are too abundant, they're more susceptible to diseases, just like all wildlife. The viruses and mange now spreading through wolf packs is another sign of way too many wolves," Allen said. "Defenders of Wildlife would like to spin sick wolves as a reason to end hunting. But real conservationists know that diseased wildlife populations need better management. Hunting as a management tool delivers that, period.

"Remember, pro-wolf groups make their living by prolonging this conflict. There is no real incentive for them to admit that wolves are overly recovered. Fundraising is their major motive and they've built a goldmine by filing lawsuits and preaching that nature will find its own equilibrium between predators and prey if man would just leave it alone. That's a myth.

"The truth is that people are the most important part of the equation. This isn't the Wild West anymore. People live here — actually quite a lot of us. So our land and resources must be managed. Wildlife must be managed. Radical spikes and dips in populations show that we should be doing it better. It's not profitable for plaintiffs, but the rest of us would be better served if the conflict ended and conservation professionals were allowed to get on with their business of managing wildlife, including a well-regulated hunting strategy."

In 2009, RMEF got involved in the ongoing wolf litigation, supporting defendant agencies by filing legal briefs used in federal court to help delist wolves and proceed with hunting — "facts conveniently ignored by groups who misuse our name, data and credibility to prolong the conflict. We stand for elk and other wildlife and what is happening right now is simply not good wildlife management," said Allen.

See Allen's letters to editors, Utah Senator Dennis Stowell and more at RMEF.org.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.7 million acres — a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

http://www.timberwolfinformation.org/info/archieve/newspapers/viewnews.cfm?ID=6423

[denali]

Thanks Wolfbait,    RMEF took a hands off approach concerning  wolves for a long time saying that the States should manage wolves, then it became clear that was not going to happen  and now puppy pimps are using RMEF data to support their own cause? and raise money         

[Shootmoore]

Thanks for the info Wolfbait.  Unfortunately some were lulled to sleep by the pro-wolf crowd throughout the years and are now only waking up to the severity issue.  Hopefully the beachhead can be contained as we are now seeing that instead of a reasonable introduction, it is turning into an all or nothing push.

Decades of work and funds are falling in a few short years of introduction with this one species over all others approach.

Shootmoore

[TheHunt]

Finally the RMEF are picking a side. 

[sako223]

I'm OK with some wolves, just not as many as we have now. There was a current program on tv last night. Lots of money being wasted. Now the wolf people are mad at Obama for re upping the delisting. Wyoming screwed it up.

[carpsniperg2]

glad to see it. now if we can get everyone to see the problems with what they are doing maybe we can get this crap under control before we lose all our deer and elk and our livestock as well.

[bearpaw]

I have donated hunts to the RMEF for their auctions in past years, but about 10 years ago I quit because it seemed like RMEF began forgetting who their strongest supporters were, rank and file hunters.

Since then I became a stronger supporter of the NRA and SCI. Without NRA and SCI guns and hunting would be in a much tougher situation than they are. SCI has been on the frontlines battling this wolf takeover from the beginning.

I'm really glad to see RMEF finally pull their head out, lots of people will now suddenly believe what's been going on with wolves in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. We definitely need all the help we can get on this issue. 

[Shootmoore]

I have donated hunts to the RMEF for their auctions in past years, but about 10 years ago I quit because it seemed like RMEF began forgetting who their strongest supporters were, rank and file hunters.

Since then I became a stronger supporter of the NRA and SCI. Without NRA and SCI guns and hunting would be in a much tougher situation than they are. SCI has been on the frontlines battling this wolf takeover from the beginning.

I'm really glad to see RMEF finally pull their head out, lots of people will now suddenly believe what's been going on with wolves in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. We definitely need all the help we can get on this issue. 

Here is my take on it, with RMEF.  I think they were taking the Defenders of Wildlife et al at face value in the beginning.  Much like I first started out with well lets try to work together for common sense approach to the issue.  I think that now they are finally starting to see that "face value" is really just verbal judo by the likes of Defenders of Wildlife et al.  I am now seeing WDFW making the same mistakes that RMEF has.  Its not clear to me if this is just a failure to look at history on the part of WDFW or if they have intentionally put the blinders on.

Shootmoore

[sako223]

RMEf has not overly impressed me in the past either. I think WDFW is running on non hunting biologists creating job security.

[bearpaw]

I know a guy who works for national RMEF, he told me last year there were some changes coming, I guess you can imagine I give him a small piece of my mind about the direction they had gone. He said they were getting a lot of money for conserving (buying) ground and trying to not be a political organization. I asked him what good the land would do if we had no gun ownership or hunting seasons.........

Money is usually the culprit.   

[wolfbait]

I'm OK with some wolves, just not as many as we have now. There was a current program on tv last night. Lots of money being wasted. Now the wolf people are mad at Obama for re upping the delisting. Wyoming screwed it up.

Actually Wyoming is the only state that had the wolf plan right from the start, and USFWS past their wolf plan but not defenders of wildlife. If the other states would have stuck to their guns as Wyoming has, then the wolf would not be in the big game classification, but instead could be managed as a predator which it should. Managed as a big game animal you can certainly see how that has not worked.

[denali]

Well said Wolfbait  Idaho season would end Dec 31...oh crap what we realy said was  March 31....OH crap that did not work ,  so any out of state hunters can use their unused/deer / elk tags to tag a wolf .

Wyoming has a plan .... maybe we should take a look at it ...just sayin

[mulehunter]

Thanks Wolfbait!  and Bearpaw, thanks for helping with all letters.  Hope thing will change better for our future!

Mulehunter  

[bearpaw]

Well said Wolfbait  Idaho season would end Dec 31...oh crap what we realy said was  March 31....OH crap that did not work ,  so any out of state hunters can use their unused/deer / elk tags to tag a wolf .

Wyoming has a plan .... maybe we should take a look at it ...just sayin

IDFG is learning that these wolves are going to be tougher to kill than anticipated.

I expect to see some other liberalizations coming down the pike to try and increase the kill. With pups dropping soon the wolf population will increase more than what was taken. 

[wolfbait]

Well said Wolfbait  Idaho season would end Dec 31...oh crap what we realy said was  March 31....OH crap that did not work ,  so any out of state hunters can use their unused/deer / elk tags to tag a wolf .

Wyoming has a plan .... maybe we should take a look at it ...just sayin

IDFG is learning that these wolves are going to be tougher to kill than anticipated.

I expect to see some other liberalizations coming down the pike to try and increase the kill. With pups dropping soon the wolf population will increase more than what was taken. 

Population increase of 1500 new wolf pups kind of makes the hunt seem a bit pitiful. Course the wolf count this year will be taken the same as in other years before the pups are out and about, so they will not be counted, this way it helps keep the wolf increase low for the people who have agendas.