Wolves are the culprit

[stuckintherut]

I have hunted the same area for 5 years. It is so remote that I have never seen a single hunter in the area. It has been a family secret and I have had great success in there with huge montana bulls each year. The last two years though, I have had nothing but disappointment in there. The largest bull disappeared from the herd and At first I thought another hunter had found my honey hole until I found the bulls carcass with nothing but wolf sign around.

I already hated wolves but this has really aggravated me. In so many of my areas wolves have driven elk and moose out. Has anyone else experienced any of the same disappointment?

Stuckintherut

 

[cowboystl1]

yes in the selway of idaho i feel your pain brother

 

[Montana_BackCountry]

Likewise in the bitteroot mtns east of the selway. Practically devoid of game anymore.

 

[Bullhunter]

McCall zone Idaho is starting to get like that. More wolf sign then elk.

 

[MT_Nate]

The crazy vocal bulls that used to light up the Coeur d'Alene Mts on the Idaho/Montana border in the in the 1990s/2000s have been comparably silent in the past 5 years or so - they still get vocal here and there, but about 5% as much as they used to.  Man do I miss those days...and of course, even with wolf and lion tags in my pocket, I cannot seem to help the elk win the fight and feel free to play the way they used to.