Are you referring to this article?
http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/pdf/2014/BitterrootElk.pdfCurious where you get the 70% number for unknown predation?
36% due to lion predation
24% unknown causes
14% unknown predation
11% bear predation
8% natural, non-predation causes
5% wolf predation
2% human-related causes (such as hunting and fence entanglement)
It's a good article IMO, and a damned important study. Kudos to those groups that opened up their wallets. Also, glad it mentions this, but most will gloss over it. Statute? Legislators, and their emotions determining wildlife decisions? Sounds like California.
Required by state statutes to lower elk numbers to more closely meet objectives outlined in the state�s elk management
plan, FWP responded by increasing cow harvest quotas.
Yep. Thats the article. My 70% figure was wayyyyy off due to pre-caffiene posting
Still, the important figure in the study was 5% by wolf predation...and 38% by unknown causes or predation.
And FWP increasing cow harvest quotas....are you by chance from Montana?
They increased the number of cow tags in order to generate revenue, and for no other reason. When numbers are down, why would they raise quotas?
And Im still curious as to why so many wolves had elk remains in their scat when they only took 5%.... 61% of them did....they must have been dining with the lions or the 'unknowns'....
