Sorry, swbuckmaster, but I have to disagree. There is truly no "balance" in nature. The prey controls the predator. That might seem backwards, but as long as there is something to eat, the predator does fine. As the prey numbers go down, way down, only then will the predator numbers follow. It is a boom and bust cycle, which affects the quality of winter grounds and about everything else. Too much over grazing, not just from wildlife, but livestock, then throw in a bad winter, and there's a crash. Man has the brains and ability to at least help flatten the roller coaster a little bit. The big question, will he! Pressure from ranchers, pressure from hunters, pressure from anti-hunters, modernization of hunting, loss of habitat,... the list goes on and on. Every action has a consequence, be it good or bad. We've all had this discussion before. Years ago we controlled coyotes by using poison, and any other means that would work. That was one of the main reasons deer numbers were strong. It doesn't matter how many we kill, there will always be some to continue, when it comes to coyotes. Deer, elk, and moose have enough going against them without throwing in wolves. Man has a way of sometimes really screwing things up. But without good management decisions based on biology, not politics, I'm afraid to even think what it would be like. Ignoring a problem, doesn't make it go away, it only festers.
