Wolves-Griz & Elk huntin in WY.

[M.T. Pockets]

I've hunted the NW part of Wyoming a few times and I'm booked to go back in Sept. '06. I saw a big black wolf trailing a Muledeer in the Spread Creek area in the fall of 2000. Didn't see any grizz though.

Fall of 2003 I hunted further North & West near Arizona Creek, encountered a few grizz but no wolves (not saying they're not there).

I know wolves will travel and spread like a cancer into areas the biologists said they've never go (I'm from Minnesota so I have some experience with wolves). From what I've heard the areas affected hardest are the Northern Yellowstone herds and Idaho, although I know areas East of the winter feedgrounds near Jackson Hole don't hold elk the way they used to.

Like it or not, the winter feedgrounds alter the whole ecosystem, but they're necessary due to man developing all of the natural winter range of these elk. This concentrates the elk into a smaller area in the winter and the wolves can surround them and contain them, I'm no biologist, but I think this will increase the odds of disease. I could talk a long time and get mad, so I think I'll stop.

As far as grizzlies go, I think the State of Wyoming is missing a huge opportunity to sell a few tags and hunt them. If every area got 1 tag a year they could use it to harvest some of the more mature, aggressive bears and put some fear of man back into them. I think this would reduce the number of bears killed in self defense (and nuisance bears killed by the park service) each year by an equal amount and it would have a minimum affect on the overall population. Have a lottery system for state residents for these tags and the department would get a lot of support from the people of Wyoming.

Enough from this non-resident, but I love your state and would hate to see the quality hunting you have now diminished. By the way, you forgot to mention the current status of the moose population.