I have read all these posts with extreme interest. I work in nuisance wildlife removal. While my area doesn't have wolves or grizzlies,, we do have black bears. Yet,, thanks to the tree hugger types,, it's dern near impossible to get regulations changed to allow proper, BALANCED controls to where the animals AND people can coexist.
The same goes for the wolves.
I grew up and the idea of an elk hunt or a moose hunt out west was a big dream. Almost impossible except for the rich or the lucky few who lived there & knew the areas very well. The populations of elk, mule deer, moose etc were so low in so many places,, it was beyond the imagination of this young eastern hunter. Heck, even the whitetail deer was almost mythical in it's abilities to evade hunting. Plus,, bag limits were very restrictive.
Thanks to a few things,mm much of that changed as I grew.
Due to the FACT that there weren't any predators,, combined with strict bag limits,, whitetails were able to seriously repopulate all over the country. This allowed more people to hunt,, and bag more deer. It has HELPED us get others to support hunting and gun ownership. Hunters who could care less about AR15's do care about their favorite deer rifle. This is a good thing.
Elk, Mule deer, Moose,, enjoyed similar strict protections & hunting opportunities to where they too have expanded their territories,, allowing more people to hunt,, and again, put more money into the economy and support gun ownership. One of my dreams when I was much younger was to just go on an elk hunt. I've been fortunate enough to have not only hunted them, but to have bagged elk. Plus,, I've participated in the relocation of elk back into NC. (Along with the RMEF.) Something I'd never even considered until the late 1990's. Now we have wild native elk living in NC.
But let's look at the wolf issue.
I recall the long & hard fought battle over re-introducing them into Yellowstone. The tree hugger types CLAIMED they only wanted a specific target number to be there. They agreed to allowing controls over the wolf population once the targeted number was met. Yet,, once it was met,, they refused to accept it,, and fought to keep the wolves protected. The numbers greatly exceeded the targeted projections for the carrying capacity of the park. Some wolves moved out of the park. Elk, deer, moose & other animal populations have declined.
What happens when that happens?
Fewer hunters who are allowed to hunt areas,, for elk, deer etc.
Fewer hunters means less money for the PR act fund.
BUT,, the tree huggers are HAPPY,, because they want to eliminate hunting altogether. They do NOT care if the wolves or bears overpopulate the initial release area,, knowing they will move out of those areas in search of food. When they reduce the elk, deer, moose etc population, hunters also give up hunting and fail to help us fight for our gun rights.
I'm NOT against wolves, bears etc. But as mentioned,, the KEY is to BALANCE things.
Locally, we have Buncombe County where the black bear population is extremely high. High enough to where bear/human encounters can & do happen. Back in the summer,, a local guy was jogging,, and was attacked by a sow. While not life threatening,, he was injured. I have a customer who is kin to the jogger. We've also had several cases of dogs attacked & some killed by bears. And while still rare,, we've even had a woman killed by a bear. The point is,, we do not have a balance of the population. Heck,,, in Buncombe County,, there is a group called; "Save Asheville Bears" that fights against controls & accuses "hunters" of injuring or trapping bears. (The NC Wildlife Commission says otherwise.) Residents feed bears,, & do all kinds of things to prevent controls. And I've even had one lady admit to me that if she could she'd have all the hunters killed & keep the bears.
The point is,, releasing wolves,, or other apex predators in any place,, WITHOUT any defining & pre-set controls to prevent overpopulation in areas when the carrying capacity is reached is just stupid. Yet,, it's another tool to back door remove hunters from the ability to hunt,, which is also part of the tree hugger types goal.
We need hunters, self defense types, patriots & all we can to fight against gun removals & the elimination of the Second Amendment. These tree hugger types say they just want to restore the land to how it was before man eliminated animals in an area is a commendable idea. Yet,, they do NOT want to restrict the animals from going anywhere & doing what they do in nature. Which is kill animals to eat.
On a smaller scale & why I have a job. Several species have been re-introduced into NC & my area. Beavers, otters, come to mind. Now I get paid to fix the problems. Coyotes,, while not re-introduced,, have migrated in, (searching for their own territory & food,) causing problems. And now NC has the Red Wolf re-introduction program. They are putting them in the eastern coastal areas. Yet,, a few have already been tracked outside their "expected" territory. Problems will arise.
Animals need space & food. When they clash with humans,, it becomes a problem. Yet,, many urban or city types do not care or are far removed from such areas,, and they do not see the damages.
Balance is the key. Man can screw that up quite well. Especially the types that are educated by Disney & do not live on the land.
