[Vision2020] LMT: Wolves

[Art Deco]

Retired wildlife biologist offers a scientific view of wolf management


By DEAN A. FERGUSON
of the Tribune 
BOISE -- Moscow's senator enlisted a retired University of Idaho wildlife expert to inject cool science into hot debate over the fate of Idaho wolves. 

"In the Legislature, much too often we make decisions based on emotion, theatrics and opinion," said Senate Resources and Environment Committee Chairman Gary Schroeder, R-Moscow. "We ought to make decisions based on scientific fact as much as possible." 

Former UI Professor Jim Peek kept the nine-member committee enthralled as he challenged common ideas about wolves and elk. 

"If you go into that deep backcountry and start managing predators you're probably going to do the exact opposite of what you want to do," Peek said. 

Peek's research suggests Idaho elk herds were headed for a decline even without wolves, which were reintroduced in the mid-1990s, when there were record- high numbers of elk. 

"High-density populations just lose productivity for a number of reasons and then they're just likely ordained to decline," Peek said. 

When cows get old, they produce fewer calves. Wolves kill old cows and leave younger, more productive cows. In the long run, even with calf losses to wolves, the herd becomes healthier, he said. 

Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, said elk hid in the trees when he was hunting last fall. He wanted to know if wolves were running elk ragged, keeping them from food. 

Peek dismissed the idea, saying, "It's pretty hard to make the case that wolves spooking an elk causes problems with its energy." 

And it doesn't mean much when hunters report seeing more wolf tracks and no elk, he added. Wolves range 900 miles and travel 25 miles a night. 

"No wonder everybody is seeing a lot of tracks out there," Peek said. 

Elk have also changed their habits. Hunters who look for elk in the same old spots, just won't find them there. 

Sen. Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, told the Lewiston Tribune he respects Peek but disagrees with his views. 

Siddoway, a sheep and elk rancher, said wolves are a hot topic in his legislative district that covers Lemhi, Custer, Clark and Fremont counties. 

"There are some people that enjoy wolves but I'd say the overwhelming majority don't like wolves at all and I am one of them," he said. 

Siddoway doubted some of Peek's conclusions about wolves. For instance, if food gets scarce in the backcountry, he expects wolves to head to town for "lamb chops and T-bone steaks." 

Schroeder said most committee members thanked him for bringing Peek, an internationally known wildlife biologist. 

"At least one of them said we ought to listen to him more than we do," Schroeder said. "He (Peek) is not afraid to follow the facts when drawing conclusions." 

It may not be long before Idaho gets a chance to manage wolves. A spokesman for the Idaho Governor's Office of Species Conservation has predicted Idaho wolves could be delisted within a year so they can be managed by the state. 

Peek told the Lewiston Tribune his top priority was not to cast doubt on intuitive ideas about wolves and elk. 

"I stand for a more professional approach to wolf management," Peek said. 

When it comes to endangered species, Idaho should turn to scientists, he said. 

"Lawyers are more expensive than wildlife biologists." 
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