The last 20 years have been bad. But there is a balance beginning to happen. Wolves were introduced into a buffet of elk here, where some of the best elk hunting in the world used to be. The wolf population swelled due to unlimited food source. It didn’t take long to eat 13,000 elk, only a few years really. When there was no food source left, the wolves starved and killed each other over territory. Today packs are smaller and more spread out here. I have not seen any wolf sign this hunting season when normally I would not be able to avoid it. There are more elk than I have seen in past years, and 6 bulls were killed in Taylor Fork opening week.
I have noticed much the same progression here in NW Wyoming also, and the elk that have adapted seem like hardier survivors, and some really nice bulls are showing up on the meat poles and in the panniers.
