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Skeet, Your figures are off a little. The 20,000 head of Yellowstone elk have dwindled to less than 5,000. And we are supposed to believe it is caused by "too much hunting" and the wolves in Yellowstone. I wasn't aware we could hunt in Yellowstone. (I am also tired of some folks blowing smoke up my jumper). IN the late 60s, the NPS was shooting elk in Yellowstone because there were too many. The BLM in Colorado took about 300 head and placed them on Waugh Moutain north of Cotopaxi and there are huntable numbers there today.
The BLM in Rawlins has placed hawk nesting structures in areas where the hawks had little nesting success because they were nesting on the ground. Where the nesting structures were installed the nesting success went up dramatically for a short time (2 to 3 years) and then plummeted because the hawks ate all of the prey animals. More playing God.
It has been pointed that the Mexican raven is protected and recent research has shown the Mexican raven is predating about 2/3 of the sage grouse nests. But we don't dare touch the ravens , and the official reason for sage grouse levels is the impacts of oil and gas drilling. More smoke up my jumper.
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