Letter: Biggest threat to wildlife is not wolves

Dear Editor:

In his Feb. 4 letter about wolves, it is clear that Bill Weidemoyer lacks some of the key facts about wolves and their prey. For instance, according to a recent Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks report, at the end of 2009 there were 493 wolves in Montana. That’s a far cry from Weidemoyer’s assertion that there are more than 2,000! And, according to a recent population count, the Northern Yellowstone elk herd is nearly twice what Weidemoyer claims it is.

Mr. Weidemoyer also claims that there is “little left to eat” for wolves and natural prey species will soon be “gone altogether.” In fact, however, elk and other prey populations remain strong overall in Montana and the Northern Rockies. According to data from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, there were about 150,000 elk in Montana in 2008. That’s up from 94,000 at the time wolves were reintroduced to the region.

What’s more, elk hunter success rates have also increased from 16 percent to 21 percent during that same time period. Numbers from Idaho and Wyoming are similar.

That’s not saying wolves do not impact elk and deer. Of course they do … that’s what they eat. But it appears that much of the effect is behavioral on prey species – elk and deer act more warily than they did before wolves were restored, may depart drainages when predators are present and may be more attentive and alert to both human and nonhuman predators.

So, just because they are harder to find, it doesn’t mean they are gone. This may make hunting more challenging, and as hunters, we constantly need to adapt and refine our skills and techniques. But hey, hunting’s not supposed to be easy.

Although it’s tempting to scapegoat wolves, the biggest threat to elk, deer and other wildlife is – and always has been – habitat loss. As hunters, we should never lose sight of that.

Derek Goldman

Endangered Species Coalition

Missoula