Hunters money and dedication throughout the 20th century is the only reason we have both game and non-game species in the numbers we have today. We are the only group that has heavily and generously contributed to protecting and building wildlife populations in North America. Anti-hunting groups have spent incredible amounts of money fighting the only group of people, which are hunters, trying to protect the wildlife. There is a huge problem with this picture.
I was very involved in fighting against wolf reintroductions by the anti-hunting groups trying to educate and unify hunters against this rediculous idea. Unfortunately many hunters sided with the anti-hunting crowd allowing wolf reintroduction. Anti-hunting groups had heard for years that hunting is required to control wildlife populations that we have built up through the years because of the lack of large predators. So they come up with the brilliant idea to introduce one the most prolific predators in the world to control these populations so hunters can not argue that point anymore. Therefore hunting is not required because there is now natural predation on our game animals.
I correctly identified all the future problems associated with wolf reintroduction 20 years ago and few hunters would listen. Now it is unfolding exactly as I predicted. Big game populations in Yellowstone park and all areas in surrounding states around Yellowstone are being decimated by the wolves. We are losing Bighorn sheep, moose, elk and mule deer hunting opportunities at an alarming rate. The wolf populations are increasing at a tremendous rate feasting on populations of big game animals which have lost all natural and instintctive defenses against wolves over many decades. History is an amazing thing, we can learn a lot from it to be sure we don't make the same mistake twice. Our forefathers eradicated the wolves for a good reason. All hunters and interested individuals need to do the right thing and stop the slaughter now before it is to late.
It is already to late for my life time because it would take to many years to rebuild the damage already done. But please help start turning it around in the right direction for furture generations. Hunters need to search out where the wolf packs are located and put heavy hunting pressure in those areas. When you see a wolf please do the right thing. We don't want to hear about it and your friends don't. Just do the right thing and forget about it afterword. If you want to protect your hunting rights all the hunters in past generations have contributed to giving us then quickly and efficiently eradicate every wolf you see.
I have traveled the Yellowstone country for over 30 years and it was a blessing in past years to see the moose, Bighorns, elk and deer. I have not seen a moose or bighorn in Yellowstone now in several years when they were once easy to find. I noticed Yellowstone officials removed the signs identifying the most popular moose veiwing area. I haven't seen a moose there since not long after the wolf reintroductions. The first pack developed in the area and quickly and efficiently eradicated the moose which was a pleasure for tourists including myself to photograph for years. I can not believe the BS the park service is still trying to put out about the wolves and brainwash the kids with little stuffed wolves and and BS literature about them. They learned well from Mcdonalds advertising for sure.
Sorry so long winded but I could write several books on the subject and tell the truth and not the BS the Fish and Widlife Service and Yellowstone are pumping out. I have a masters degree in Ecology and Wildlife Biology and have followed this closely since the first talk of reintroductions.
I would just like to close with this. All of you hunters down in Colorado and Utah wanting to protect those big wildlife herds hunter's money has provided through many years. You are not safe and very soon you will begin to lose those tags and animals we have lost up here in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Unless we as hunters do the right thing and begin stopping it now! I welcome all non-resident hunters to come up to Wyoming and help with this problem. Thanks for reading. I hate to be so straight forward, but if a lot is not done very soon I don't know if the problem can be reversed.
