Wolves: How Many Are There?

At a Kalispell meeting focused on wolves last week, outdoorsmen and ranchers made it clear they want three things: the return of state management, revised wolf population numbers and, in the absence of local control, federal rule changes that better protect livestock in Northwest Montana. For the first, they stated their case to U.S. House Rep. Dennis Rehberg, who hosted the session at Flathead Valley Community College and has drafted one of several bills aimed at delisting gray wolves in Montana and Idaho. For the second, they offered their own statistics, in quantities of lost livestock and diminished game sightings during hunting season. Ranchers argue that many livestock kills aren't confirmed or documented. Hunters say they don’t harvest or see nearly the number of elk and deer as in years past. Larry Campbell told the 12-person panel that he had killed a bull elk for 14 straight years before his streak ended two years ago. “I’ve seen more wolves than I’ve seen elk,” he said. “That’s not a good sign.”...more