The Predator-Prey Relationship

Wolves Keep Prey Populations Healthy

The challenges of hunting prey

‍To eat, wolves hunt large game which is a hard job when your only weapon is your mouth! Even working together in a pack, catching prey takes skill and is perilous. Wolves may be injured or even killed by the kick of a hoof, impaled by an antler, or stomped. Consequently, wolves look for prey that are easier and safer to hunt. As the older, weak, injured and sick members of the herd are thinned out, the prey population becomes stronger, healthier, and more resilient.

The role of wolves in disease control

‍Research suggests that by killing infectious members of the herd, wolves help to limit the spread of disease. Like mad cow disease in cattle, chronic wasting disease (CWD) is caused by an infectious prion that affects the brain and spinal tissue of deer, elk, and moose. CWD is fatal to animals and there are no vaccines or treatments. Because an animal can be infected without any outward symptoms, diseased animals may be difficult for hunters to identify. Public health officials warn against humans eating infected meat.

Wolves as allies

By targeting sick prey, wolves are a true ally in preserving healthy game animal populations and in preventing the human consumption of infected meat. Hunters should recognize wolves as nature's best defense against CWD and seek to protect them instead of destroy them.

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Wolves Are Not Decimating Deer and Elk

To justify the killing of wolves, hunters overstate the impact of wolves on elk herds. Studies have shown wolves are only successful between 5-15% of the time they hunt. Those are pretty good odds for a prey animal! There are plenty of deer and elk hunting opportunities today:

• According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the 2020 statewide elk harvest was the sixth highest of all time and the second highest in the past decade. It marked the seventh straight year Idaho hunters harvested more than 20,000 elk.
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• The statewide elk objective in Montana is 92,138 animals. The estimated population in 2021 was 141,785 (165% over objective). Ranchers are finding the abundance of elk are eating too much of their grass and haystacks. As a result, elk hunting seasons in Montana are actually being extended.
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• According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 175,667 deer were killed by hunters in 2021 during the nine-day gun deer season.
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• Wyoming has been a “Decade of the elk” for hunters. Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported for the 2020 hunting season, the bulk of the state’s elk herds are 32% above population objective.

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Elk and Wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains

The elk population in the Northern Rockies has not declined since wolves were reintroduced in 1995 and elk harvests have been steady or increased.

Figure 1.
Post-hunt elk population sizes in northern Rocky Mountain states since wolf reintroduction. Note the elk population estimate was determined after the hunting season, and it represents the number of elk available after the hunt. Data compiled from state wildlife agencies. Source:Colorado State University

Figure 2.
Elk harvest in northern Rocky Mountain states since wolf reintroduction. Data compiled from state wildlife agencies. Source:Colorado State University