As more and more states place restrictions on hunters—or eliminate types of hunting like the proposed ban on using hounds to hunt bears and bobcats in California—it is apparent that big predators like wolves and mountain lions are here to stay. And in many areas, they are becoming bigger problems – beyond the well documented decimation of elk and moose in the Rockies due to the wolf reintroduction.
In Washington state for example, wildlife managers recently killed a wolf from a pack that has repeatedly preyed on livestock in a remote northeast region of the state. Those wolves have been killing or injuring cattle for the past five years.
Gray wolves are classified as “endangered” under Washington state law, but are no longer protected in the eastern third of the state under the federal Endangered Species Act. State wildlife biologists have confirmed eight wolf packs within the state and have noted that there could be four additional packs there. Read more….