Re: The future of our wildlife management plans.
Originally Posted by
bownut
Interesting, I wonder if there is too much focus on the cougars and not enough on the wolves. The cats turn their eyes from primary to secondary prey and the wolves don't distinguished between the two.
I have looked at wolf vs elk/moose studies to some degree and youtube is full of reports with all that's going on down south, but haven't read much on wolves and deer.
Wonder how all the burns have effected the deer numbers, if we were to focus on the wolves?
I am fully aware on how a Mule deer use the open line of sight for defence , I have been hunting them for 40 years. Still not convinced that it will help them much when you watch the tactical moves that wolves can perform in open country on Elk and Moose.
My hunting partner watched Wolves drive a Mule Deer herd right down to the lake only to circle back up and wait until dark. The next morning there was a clean kill near the lake shore.
How often is this happening with the amount of food that a pack needs?
SO many factors to think about isn't there?
There were very few wolves in the PD'O at that time.
What that research showed is that wt deer pops hold cougar pops up and cougar are hard on mule deer particularly in ingrown habitat because they are far easier to kill when the habitat doesn't support their ecology.
It's as complicated as you want to make it.
Species do best in ecosystems similar to what they evolved in. That applies to mule deer, elk, moose, cougars, or wolves.
Blow down and lines of sight match up well with mule deer ecology; the same applies to moose.
Suggest you google mule deer evolution and mule deer ecology. Should help frame up your understanding of where they came from and how they deal with habitat/predator avoidance etc.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Mandela