Wolves in WY

[Oak]

You would think that Wyoming would be interested in getting wolves delisted rather than continuing to hold up the process.

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) -- Wolves are reducing cow-calf ratios in elk herds in parts of northwest Wyoming, according to a report by the state Game and Fish Department.

The report finds wolves are affecting cow-calf ratios in four of the eight elk herds where they are present.

In the report, department biologists analyzed statewide elk population data, which the department has collected on an annual basis from 1980 through 2005. There are 35 herd units across the state and 21 of them had sufficient data for statistical analysis.

Wolf reintroduction began in 1995, when the federal government released 14 wolves in Yellowstone National Park. At the end of 2006, there were an estimated 36 packs in Wyoming, including 311 individual wolves.

"We have seen a downward trend (in cow-calf ratios) in many of Wyoming's elk herds over this 26-year period," Jay Lawson of the Game and Fish Department's Wildlife Division said in a news release. "That trend is likely due to long-term drought and other habitat-related factors. But in half of the herds occupied by wolves, we saw a significantly greater rate of decline after wolves were established compared to herds without wolves. We can't attribute that increased rate of decline to any factor other than wolves."

Game and Fish biologists have set a minimum ratio of 25 calves per 100 cows in order to maintain hunting opportunities and have said there is "little opportunity for hunting" when the ratio falls below 20 calves per 100 cows.

The four elk herds in Wyoming that have wolves present and are experiencing declines have dropped below 25 calves per 100 cows, and two of those herds have fewer than 20 calves per 100 cows.

All four herds had declining ratios before wolves were present, but the rate of decline increased significantly after wolves came into the area.

 

[Washington Hunter]

Maybe there's a positive side to this reduction of elk populations. Does anybody think that less elk could mean more mule deer? Or, are wolves killing mule deer as well? I never seem to see much about wolves affecting mule deer populations.

 

[BigHornRam]

W. H.,

There was a good article on a mule deer/elk/wolf/cougar study in Fairchase magazine several issues ago. Maybe someone can find a link. The conclusion was that wolves tended to push elk into cougar habitat, so more elk were being taken by cougars, reducing the cougars impact on mule deer. The limited wolf kills were more than offset by the reduced cougar predation. So indirectly there is a positive mule deer affect due to wolves. The best part was where the researcher stated that this is what he is finding to be true today. 10 years from now the results could be totally different. Rare to find honesty like that in the agenda driven research field.

 

[Washington Hunter]

BHR, that would be interesting to read. Mule deer need all the help they can get.

 

[BigHornRam]

I did a google search on the Ph. D. student Todd Atwood and found this reguarding his study. I'm not able to find a link to the article in the Fall 06 Fairchase magazine found on page 30 titled "The Big Dogs are Back".

Todd Atwood - 2004
Conditions Affecting Limiting Factors for Mule Deer in Southwestern Montana

Todd Atwood received a grant to assist his study of on Conditions Affecting Limiting Factors for Mule Deer in Southwestern Montana. Todd is a Ph.D. student at Utah State University working under the direction of Dr. Eric Gese and in collaboration with Dr. Kyran Kunkel. Todd received his B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from Purdue University. As an undergraduate, Todd studied sex- and age-specific patterns of mineral lick use and preference in whitetail deer. His Master’s research focused on the spatial and behavioral ecology of coyotes relative to anthropogenic activity. Current research interests include understanding the complex relationships between physiological stress, anti-predator behavior, and intra- and inter-specific competition.

Todd will apply his grant to his investigations of the behavioral and physiological responses of mule deer and coyotes to re-colonizing wolves in southwestern Montana. The effects of poor condition on prey vulnerability to predation may be direct (e.g. impaired evasion capabilities, physical debilitation) or indirect (i.e., state-dependent risk taking) and ultimately facilitate predation by either coursing or ambush predators. Direct effects due to poor absolute condition should be readily perceived when prey-food availability is limited and prey fall below the severe malnutrition threshold. In contrast, in systems where food is not limiting, condition-sensitive predation probably acts indirectly upon animals otherwise considered to be nourished adequately. Thus, a primary goal of this research is to relate relative body condition to forage/vigilance rates, thereby addressing the critical enigma of the linkage between relative condition and risk-sensitive behaviors. This is particularly important to document in systems where prey are not food limited because the majority of prey populations probably are held below levels of food limitation.

 

[1_pointer]

Mule deer need chains, lots of chains and the ability to use them!

 

[Washington Hunter]

Mule deer need chains, lots of chains and the ability to use them!

What about fire?

 

[1_pointer]

That can work as well, but in many of the places I deal with work still has to be done to rehab an area after the fire. This is due mostly to the presence of cheatgrass. I just want to chain because it isn't done very often on green trees.

Another thing that could help mule deer are domestic sheep! Good sheep range makes for good mule deer range.

 

[Washington Hunter]

Another thing that could help mule deer are domestic sheep! Good sheep range makes for good mule deer range.

Sheep? Don't they eat everything and leave nothing for the deer?