I know from firsthand experience how the elk and deer herds have been decimated in that region of the country, and in fact have been cut by more than 50% in the region I've hunted over the past decade. This dramatically shortens the season for us and also means we haven't been able to take any females for years now. We've also been tracked and surrounded by them on a few occasions, and I challenge anyone who enjoys watching them on YouTube to feel the same way after you've heard their chorus of howls completely surrounding you in dark timber. I'm talking about deep instinctual fear . . . it's sobering.

I think the article does a poor job of describing the hunting process, it's not like you just kill wolves and tell Fish & Game about it later. You have to hunt in season using certain weapons or traps and you have to apply for tags beforehand. The success rate is extremely low, I know the first year it was open in Idaho the projected rate was 20% but the actual rate was 0.3%. Turns out wolves are extremely hard to hunt.

Having them off the list is a huge improvement though because the ranchers and hunters are working in cooperation instead of opposition to the authorities. There used to be a real S.S.S. attitude among the old timers (Shoot, Shovel, Shut up), now they are going to be giving good data back to the authorities who will be better able to adjust the numbers in favor of all the species that share the ecosystem.

For context, the first wolf killed during the legal season in my area was stuffed and mounted in the local sporting goods store . . . 7 feet nose to tail and probably north of 140#. Not what you want to meet in the woods, and especially not when there are two dozen of them.