The Predator Problem In The West

Is it Time to Start Aerial Predator Culling in the Bob Marshall?

Ok, so we’ve recognized that elk herds are at historical lows in the Bob Marshall because of predators. Between wolves, black bears, grizzly bears, and mountain lions, elk numbers have been declining down to very little. Recently, according to studies FWP is counting less than 300 elk in a 50 mile winter range corridor of the South Fork of the Flathead River drainage. This is a 50 year low! I go over the specifics of these claims in the video link below. The same goes for moose and deer in the same locations. The answer is to kill predators. How do you manage such predators in such a remote location? Logistically it is very difficult so it’s going to cost money. There are no roads and it is wilderness. But there is an ANSWER! Alaska. Yep that’s right. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has been culling predators from helicopters for many, many years. 

You see, the predator and prey model is very simple. Do you want deer, elk or moose? Or do you want predators? You can’t have both. Deer, elk and moose populations aren’t declining because of climate change. They aren’t declining because of overhunting by humans. And they’re surely not declining because of less than ideal habitat in the Bob Marshall. The Bob has several burned areas from over the years that have created some of the best unused habitat you’ll ever see for elk and deer that just don’t have any animals.

Enter the Alaska model for predator management for the Mulchatna Caribou herd. According to Alaska Fish and Game, this herd consisted of nearly 200,000 animals in 1997. At that time, the herd provided more than 4,700 animals for 48 local communities. Now, there are only 13,000 animals left in the Mulchatna Caribou Herd which has been closed to hunting since 2021. Calf survival of this herd has declined by about 94% since 1997. Beginning in 2023, Alaska Fish and Game has become proactive on culling predators on critical calving grounds. That year, 94 brown bears, five black bears, and five wolves were killed from helicopters. Following the 2023 removals, staff documented an increase in calf survival through the fall with a caribou cow-to-calf ratio of 44 calves per 100 cows which is nearly double the 10 year average of 23 calves for every 100 cows. 

The numbers don’t lie. THIS IS SCIENCE. Culling predators is the answer. Just imagine what kind of herds we could grow if we implemented some of these same strategies on the calving ground in the Bob Marshall. Bring back the moose, elk, and deer! 

For more information check out the video Eastmans’ produced on this topic by clicking HERE