Wolf-Bison Interactions in Yellowstone National Park. Wolf/Predator Interactions. Habituated Wolves in Yellowstone. Www.wolfandwildlifestudies.com/downloads/inhumanityofwolfmanagement.pdf. Of Hobbits, Elves, Elk, Ecology and Wolves. By Bob Ferris My wife and I are fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
For us that meant that we recently re-watched the extended versions of the three movies and also spent time watching the special features disc associated with each film. The former was still great and the latter was revealing in so many ways. One of the things we learned on the special features disc was how some of the special effects were accomplished both during shooting and with post-production wizardry. Pretty cool stuff. One interesting element of this was how they were able to deal with the size differences between the smaller hobbits and dwarfs and the larger humans and elves. This whole episode got me thinking about wolves and why what is so obvious to those who have had ecological and biological training just may not be that accessible to others without the same grounding.
That examination begins with looking at the long term elk population trends in Yellowstone’s northern range. Study: Wolves Don’t Cause Elk Drop. Even they know that wolves are NOT the culprits… June 21, 2013 1:22 p.m.
Any hunter who’s spent time in wolf country can attest to the predators’ influence. We see wolf tracks, find old kills, and often times we spot fewer game animals. But exactly how wolves affect big-game populations is still greatly unknown. Yeah, wolves eat elk. Like this: Like Loading... Predator Research. Impact of Wolves on Deer in Wisconsin. Impact of Wolves on Deer in Wisconsin April 2, 2013 by wolfpreservation This information is from the 1980′s and 1990′s but gives all of you stat lovers out there some great facts.
As you can see, clearly hunters have the greatest impact on deer populations. Enjoy! Appendix E Impact of Wolves on Deer in Wisconsin. by Ronald N. “Many hunters continue to be concerned about the impact wolves may have on deer populations. Yellowstone National Park. Editor's note: The following story was produced by the University of Wyoming communications staff.
The mere presence of wolves, previously shown to affect the behavior of elk in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, is not potent enough to reduce the body condition and reproductive rates of female elk, according to new research published Tuesday. The research, led by recent University of Wyoming Ph.D. graduate Arthur Middleton, provides the most comprehensive evidence to date refuting the idea that wolves are capable of reducing elk calf recruitment indirectly through predation risk. The findings were published in the scientific journal Ecology Letters. “Elk respond to wolves, but less strongly and less frequently than we thought,” says Middleton, who for three years closely followed the Clarks Fork elk herd west of Cody, Wyoming, along with the wolf packs that prey on it. Working as part of the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit -- a U.S.