Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

We won’t know the true scope of wildlife losses till the winter’s snow retreats. I am happy to see the Governor, wildlife biologists and sportsmen’s groups are already working to restore wildlife populations devastated by the perfect storm of a severe winter following years of extreme drought.

As you can imagine, the winterkill animals have been a windfall for predators and their numbers are still strong. In the next couple of months, baby lambs, calves, deer and antelope fawns and elk calves will become the main source of food for the abundant coyotes, mountain lions and wolves. The depleted prey animals will also force wolves and grizzlies to further expand their ranges in search of food.

The term “Predator Pit” describes a phenomenon where predators become abundant and prey animals are in decline, resulting in deer populations never being able to recover. Predator pits have been extensively studied throughout the eastern United States, where limited predator control is practiced.

In every study, coyotes are the most voracious fawn killers. It’s also predictable that many environmentalists would prefer coyotes controlling wildlife number rather than sportsmen, even though hunting allows for more targeted and effective management.

It is in everyone’s best interest to effectively restore wildlife population. The sportsman and rancher alike needs to be concerned about the impact predators will have on our traditions and our livestock.

I hope you’ll join me in educating our Governor, legislators and the general public to understand that reducing number of hunting licenses will not achieve wildlife population goals without predator control and we only have 60 days to protect this year’s wildlife fawns.

Hugh Turk

President

Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming