he hasnt addressed anything on here..just avoids them..I personally think he is just stirring the pot
Really? I see you guys screaming for facts, but when I post them, you overlook them. Facts aren't very convenient when they disagree with you are they?
I already showed how hunter harvest for deer and elk has gone up as wolves increased in Montana. And I showed that while deer harvest dropped a bit in Idaho, (mainly from back to back bad winters) The elk harvest has remained fairly steady as wolf numbers grow. And I pointed out the Idaho biology report on elk that has very in depth analysis on wolves and habitat and the history of elk in Idaho.
https://research.idfg.idaho.gov/wildlife/Wildlife%20Technical%20Reports/Elk%20Statewide%20PR10.pdf This report also shows that there was a problem with the elk herds before the wolves were ever released in Yellowstone in units such as Lolo due to habitat issues.
Since you don't want to educate yourselves, I'll help you. We'll take a look at Wisconsin deer hunting since wolves have found their way back there from Minnesota.
Here's an interesting link from the Wisconsin DNR.
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/mammals/wolf/wolf_facts.htm#History%20in%20WisconsinAnd a couple quotes from it.
("Before Wisconsin was settled in the 1830s, wolves lived throughout the state. Nobody knows how many wolves there were, but best estimates would be 3,000-5,000 animals. Explorers, trappers and settlers transformed Wisconsin's native habitat into farmland, hunted elk and bison to extirpation, and reduced deer populations. As their prey species declined, wolves began to feed on easy-to-capture livestock. As might be expected, this was unpopular among farmers.")
Hmmm I see another common theme here, humans wiping out everything in their path.
("By 1960, wolves were declared extirpated from Wisconsin. Ironically, studies have shown that wolves have minimal negative impact on deer populations, since they feed primarily on weak, sick, or disabled individuals.")
I know I know, they also kill healthy animals when they can't find any weak ones. So? They do what they need to do to eat. They also eat lots of small game and varmints.
("By 1960, few wolves remained in the lower 48 states (only 350-500 in Minnesota and about 20 on Isle Royale in Michigan). In 1974, however, the value of timber wolves was recognized on the federal level and they were given protection under the Endangered Species Act (Exit DNR). With protection, the Minnesota wolf population in-creased and several individuals dispersed into northern Wisconsin in the mid-1970s. In 1975, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources declared timber wolves endangered. A wolf research program was initiated in 1979.")
OK, so by the mid 70's wolves were making a comeback in Wisconsin from wolves that dispersed there from Minnesota. I have another link that provides a nice chronology of deer hunting in Wisconsin.
http://host.madison.com/sports/recreation/outdoors/article_66e3c206-ed41-11df-a141-001cc4c002e0.html It shows that in 1978 while wolves were gaining a foothold in Wisconsin, 150,845 deer were taken by hunters. The DNR fact sheet show that the population of wolves there has grown to about 650 at present. So if all you anti wolf people are correct, Wisconsin's deer population should have plummeted from that point forward and hunting should be ruined forever. Let's see how that went then? Again on the chronology link we find that the harvest in Wisconsin went up to over 255,000 in 1984. (I must be cherry picking again, right?) Then by 1990 it was an all time record of over 350,000. (lots of cherries on that tree to pick)
Then in 1992 we have this.....
("1992 -- Though kill fourth highest on record, 288,820, many hunters voice discontent over lack of success and claim DNR raised expectations by pre-hunt harvest prediction of around 370,000")
Those ungrateful hunters.... 4th highest year ever and they're complaining....Must be the wolves right?
Whoops! in 1995 it was up to 398,000 harvested deer. What is going on here? This has to be smoke and mirrors......
It drops a little for a couple years then.....2000 a record 528,000 and change are killed. Yessireebob, wolves are ruining hunting in Wisconsin.
In 2004, hunters are required to kill a doe before they can harvest a buck and over 400,000 does are harvested. This herd is getting out of control. In 2007( "402,563 deer killed during all gun seasons is the third highest total on record" ) In spite of all the effort to reduce the herd.
By 2009, they are getting the herd back under control and the harvest was around 242,000.
It must have been those darn wolves! Because we all know when there are wolves around, the deer population goes down. It has to....... because wolves eat deer, It has to. It has to. That's the only thing that makes sense!
Time to get your heads out of the sand fellows.
