Some things no one has mentioned:
How did the moose and elk survive before the white man got here and the elk and moose had no "protection"?
Was the number of Elk and Moose "when I used to hunt them" the right number, or just the number that was there?
What does the browse/graze look like now that there are fewer herbivores?
Are any of you hunters younger and do any of you hunt harder than you did in the good old days?
I believe I can address two of your questions. Before the white man came the game animals lived on the prairie for the most part. The prairie afforded them one major advantage that they don't have now. That is much less snow pack to contend with. Now the wolves are super predators in the deep snow in mountainous country.
Regarding the vegetation, it is one of the major talking points of the pro wolf crowd that the stream side grasses and browse has improved now that the wolves are present. I have fished Slough Creek and the Lamar River in YNP for 45 years, which is ground zero for wolves, and I can tell you without hesitation that there's little to no difference now versus the 1970's and 80's. They speak with a forked tongue.
