Got my first tag and have a population/predator question

[Gnomepunter]

I wouldn’t overthink it. The price you payed for a NR license is your contribution to FWP’s professionals. NR license sales are 73% of total license dollars collected.

Enjoy your hunt, look for mature animal that makes you happy and don’t feel guilty about shooting one.

If you are hunting an area with a decent population of wolves then you might consider picking up a tag. They’re really cheap and a wolf is an incredible trophy in its own right.

As far a bears or lions hunt them if you want on the merits of them being a game animal not necessarily a predator to be eliminated. They’re a natural part of our MT’s diverse suite of wildlife.

In all reality if you want to put predator control into perspective there’s going to be @ 200,000 two legged predators with rifles in their hands trying to kill deer and elk this year… no tags available for them and shooting is definitely prohibited..

 

[Gnomepunter]

I want to say thank you to everyone! I have always contributed in my home state of Alabama with conservation efforts. I always try to instill in people I have mentored over the last 15 years. Conservation starts behind the trigger but that is not where it ends. Again thanks everyone I really look forward to being a part of the community here. And if any of you are ever down around Mobile AL. I am always more than willing to do some fishing!!!!

 

[Caseknife]

This is blatantly false. I'd love to see one study conducted in the west that illustrates this. Lions kill more fawns and mature animals, hands down, in any study where both animals occupy the study area. Parasites, roadkill, habitat loss, etc all have a much larger impact than bears by a long shot. Most of these factors have a larger impact than predators as a whole.

I wasn't saying that predators are the major problem with our diminishing wildlife populations, and nothing blatantly false about my post.

Biologists were studying the elk herds in the Blue Mountains late 70's and early 80's for many years. They put health birth monitors in the uterus's of pregnant cow elk. What they found is that the majority of the calves didn't make it very long at all due to black bears targeting the new born calves. If you haven't seen them gridding across the hillsides looking for "scent-free" calves, then don't tell me it doesn't happen.

 

[Mountain Mule]

I wasn't saying that predators are the major problem with our diminishing wildlife populations, and nothing blatantly false about my post.

Biologists were studying the elk herds in the Blue Mountains late 70's and early 80's for many years. They put health birth monitors in the uterus's of pregnant cow elk. What they found is that the majority of the calves didn't make it very long at all due to black bears targeting the new born calves. If you haven't seen them gridding across the hillsides looking for "scent-free" calves, then don't tell me it doesn't happen.

 

[nrpate05]

Check out this report by IDFG. The pie chart on page 8 shows what actually kills calves (this is the elk report, so other ungulates aren't included, I assume).

https://idfg.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/idaho-elk-management-plan-2024-2030.pdf

 

[Ben Lamb]

Lions, wolves and bears are challenging, valuable, cool as hell critters and hunting them can be incredibly difficult and a mountain of fun.

Buy the ticket, take the ride and enjoy your pursuits, be they antlered or toothy. That we live in a nation that decided, despite difficulties, those critters matter and deserve to be conserved is to be celebrated, even when we dislike the impacts from time to time.

Go hunt 'em and have fun!