2006 Elk hunt

[M.T. Pockets]

Brant Buster,

We saw a lot of wolf tracks and not many elk in the drainages we were hunting. When the guide said that wolves came in to his bugling last week it became my opinion that they moved the elk out of the area. If you were an elk why would you stay around ?

I also think it has an effect on why the elk weren't bugling. If you sound off and a pack of wolves close in on you why would you keep bugling ?

I don't know how many elk are killed by the wolves, but I know that 20 miles of travel doesn't mean much to an elk if their home gets invaded by wolves. It definitely affects their behavior. I'm from Minnesota so I'm no stranger to wolves. Here they feed on deer, the deer get more wary, but they don't leave an area. Elk behave differently and I think if wolves move in their area they get the hell out of there.

We were in the Thorofare area in Wyoming, which is on the SE border of Yellowstone. The wolves released in Yellowstone have a good foothold here, I don't know how many are here now. I don't want to sound like I'm blaming the wolves because I didn't get a 350 class bull, but I don't think it's a coincidence why they're seeing 25% of the elk they saw before the wolves were in the area. The moose are way down too, the Fish & Game Dept. says it's because of the dry conditions, but the moose habitat was overgrown where we were. The moose calves are pretty easey prey for the wolves and grizzly bears.

I don't like the wolf reintroduction, it has a much larger impact on the ecosystem and animal behavior than most realize. They've spread way beyond the original area where they were released and if they're not in the area where you hunt, they will likely be there soon. I don't want to open a can of worms on this thread, but wolves do have a significant impact on a hunting area. A much larger impact than most realize.

It was a good, hard, rewarding hunt and I'll be picking the meat up from the locker plant next week. Eating elk meat for the next year is one of the best parts of every hunt.

Hope everyone has a good hunting season wherever you may be hunting.