The study was conducted in the Garnet Range, east of Missoula, MT. However, a study reported over the last several years in Yellowstone Park showed the same thing, although there it was grizzly bears, not black bears.
If we look over at Idaho, one of the criticisms of Idaho Fish and Game’s “science” in their proposal to reduce the Clearwater wolf population by 80% for 5 years, is the fact they they are already heavily controlling the bear population there. Scientific observation requires that you change one variable (such as number of wolves) at a time, not several.
Read, Study reaffirms bears biggest predator threat to young elk calves. By Brett French. Billings Gazette Outdoor Writer.
As a sidenote, this study has a lot of other interesting aspects, including the effect of private lands on human hunting take.
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He has been a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and also its President. For many years he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
