Convince me to hunt Wolves

[RockAndSage]

There is not much else that a hunter can do to help the animal populations that we like to eat, except predator hunting.

Wolves are not easy to hunt and will test you more than you will believe.

Hunting predators definitely makes you a better hunter, especially when they're smart and hard to hunt. And, well, it's time hunting...

 

[Wrench]

Just remember that for the direct damages like @Ross posted there are far more indirect damages. Wolves run the herds and they will suffer deaths in the following days/weeks due to the stress.....and hydatid.

The indirect damages are the real menace.

 

[North of 60]

It seems the better question is, if you can, why not hunt wolves decimating elk and deer?

 

[Silveroddo]

I don't know about the mountain west, but it seems to have already been eluded to and I've noticed it here in MN. If you see packs that large, you're in a game rich area, once they reduce the prey population to where it doesn't sustain that large of a pack, they disperse into smaller groups, or move on to better areas. We had packs of 6-7 with multiple packs within 10 miles of each other a few years ago, we had a great deer herd at that point. As time went on our Deer numbers keep going down, it was groups of 2-3, to this year its lone wolves and our hunting is at a low point. Guys 100 miles away are seeing these bigger groups in units where you can harvest/get tags for 2-3 deer. Our doe tag draw went from 2000 to 1000 last year. This is all anecdotal, but if I was seeing that many and could legally harvest some of them, I would do so without hesitation. Trapping would be a far more effective way to put together numbers, but if you think you can get them with a rifle, have at it.