Hunter knows wolves, OKs hunts

Letter to the Editor,

Your comment regarding folks who like

wolves doing so from their chair is far from an absolute.

I have hunted for over 60 years and,

yes, I do like wolves. I was a wildlife biologist for 31 years in

northeastern Minnesota (where there are far more wolves than there

are here) and have had considerable experience and encounters with

wolves and wolf predation. I have sat and watched wolves feed;

sometimes they have sat and watched me watch them.

Several times I have had a wolf within

10 yards of me, sometimes they ran off, sometimes they walked off.

Although I have no interest in killing a wolf, I do agree with

Montana’s wolf hunting season.

There are may reasons why some folks

dislike wolves. Yes, they do kill and eat big-game animals; so do

I. Yes, sometimes they do kill more than they eat; sometimes so do

people.

Wildlife agencies across the country

have found an increase in the frequency of people just shooting and

leaving big game animals – often several at a time. This is not the

usual poaching where it is done for food; this has sometimes been

referred to as “thrill killing.”

Sometimes they can reduce a game

population below a desired level; so would hunters if wildlife

agencies didn’t have regulations.

Sometimes they kill pets and livestock.

That is a very understandable reason for a person to dislike them.

All the more reason for FWP to hold wolf hunting seasons to

regulate their numbers.

However, there are numerous instances

where people have abused/starved/beaten to death pets, etc. — some

of them right here in Lincoln County.

Perhaps people and wolves are more

alike than we care to admit.

— Bill Peterson

Troy