There is no actual proof that these are Canadian super-wolves, and contrary to popular belief, the wolves on NW MT migrated here on their own, without reintroduction. This notion that we've introduced the wrong species is falderal and has repeatedly been proven false time and time again, through both the courts and scientific reason. Bayleat's math is poor at best, and assumes a 100% harvest rate in order to reach his astronomical numbers. As far as his career as a state legislator, he sponsored bills that would have kept wolves on the endangered species list, cost the agency millions in free and reduced cost licenses and he's advocated for the transfer & sale of public land, as well as setting seasons in statute. He's not exactly what I'd call a sportsmen's hero when it comes to his legislative career.
The constitutional right to harvest was a bright spot, but like all things w/ Joe, it took a village for him to have a product he could take credit for.
Elk have changed their behavior over the last 30 years, but to think that it's only wolf driven ignores the mountain of science done by the states of Wyoming & Montana, as well as private researchers like Arthur Middleton. Drought, lack of forest management, long seasons (in MT) and habitat productivity versus high-protein feed in a secure setting (hay fields, etc) play a larger role in that than anything else. In central and eastern MT, we see elk select private lands with limited pressure to avoid being shot. We see the same thing in western MT, but because people also see wolves, then it's the big bad woofs fault, and not our season structure or lack of quality eats for elk on public land. We ignore the predation done by black bears & lions and how predation issues are a symptom of much larger issues that should be addressed, and then we think we can play god by eliminating one species in favor of another when that work will just be more pissing of money down a hole with limited to no long term benefit.
Oh jeez it’s almost like they never we extirpated from the west at one point due to those reasons.
We used every means under the sun to eliminate wolves in the past, especially paid trappers & poison by the barrel-full, which also helped eliminate raptors, songbirds, foxes, rodents, etc. That kind of indiscriminate killing is what some of these people want to return too, because they're afraid of wolves.
The science on canid reproductive rates is out there if people really want to look at it. Increased pressure from trapping and hunting equal elevated estrogen levels in females, leading to increased litters and increased number of females breeding in a pack. It also increases testosterone in male wolves, creating animals more likely to depredate on livestock and increase take of wild ungulates. Pack stability is key when looking to manage critters, but the current matrix for management is one that encourages rapid expansion of numbers and destabilized pack dynamics. If you think hunting gets a black eye for how people think hunters view wolves, wait until we bring back bounties, snaring, poison, etc. Pack stability was reached for a while.
The fear of wolves is ridiculous. It's how some people make money off of you, and manipulate you into doing their bidding. SFW & BGF are masters at it, and they're no better than CBD or PETA in that regard. They just happen to play to a conservative audience, rather than big city libs.
