It isn't ignorant, just an observation. Thanks to critics like you good people leave this site.
Maybe "traditional winter range" isn't really traditional.
You're right, maybe naive or shortsighted is better? I'm not really sure you had a point but if we follow your logic then maybe shouldn't do any management and just let the animals adapt to whatever the [bleep] we feel like doing and maybe they adapt and survive and maybe they don't?
Where elk lived 200 years ago is not really pertinent to this discussion. We live in the here and now and their current winter range here in CO, and all across the west, is ever shrinking.
I'm no expert and I'm sure their are plenty of wildlife biologists who might contradict me but all the ones I've known will tell you habitat loss is usually the biggest factor in wildlife health and survival. With plenty of good habitat, winter and summer, the better a population can maintain and support it's numbers and the better it can weather various storms like predators, disease, hard winters, etc.
So I guess my point is what's your point? Other than regurgitating facts most on here already know and trying to make mudhen, someone who I can almost guarantee has more wildlife bio/management experience then you do, look like a he doesn't know what he's talking about?
