Predation of Game Species
Click here for our new WOLVES AND HUNTING fact sheet pdf Elk are a prime food source for wolves. While wolves are impacting elk in a few hunting districts, these are the minority, as elk populations throughout the tri-state area remain high: Wyoming1
- 120,000 elk estimated statewide, 50 percent above objective
- The state of Wyoming continues to manage for a reduction in elk population
Montana2
- 150,000 elk estimated statewide, 14 percent over objective
- Montana has the second highest elk population of any state
Idaho
- Estimated population: 101,100, slightly below objective3
- 23 of the state’s 29 game management zones have elk numbers within targets or above4
Some hunters in the Northern Rockies have reported that it is harder to find elk since wolves have returned to the region, but this is not because there are fewer elk. For example, Montana’s elk herd has grown from 55,000 in 1978 to 150,00 today. Rather, as documented by researchers and experienced by sportsmen, wolves cause elk to change their behavior on the landscape. Since the return of wolves to the West, elk tend to linger less in open areas, often move to higher altitudes, and may even leave one valley to seek out more hidden locales in a nearby valley. While changes in elk behavior may create a more challenging hunting experience (for wolves as well as people!), elk populations throughout the region remain high. Wolves help keep elk herds strong and healthy by preying preferentially upon the most vulnerable, sick or old animals.5