RALLY: Ode to elk and deer

Besides devastating our elk herds, killing livestock and now limiting our hunting seasons because of the shortage of animals, what has the wolf population done to be “honored?” Give me a break.

This year is the first year my son will be able to hunt big game in Idaho, something I have done for years and look forward to sharing this experience with him. Now with our herds being devastated by the relentless pressure from the wolves, our hunting seasons have been severely shortened and the cow elk season has been cut completely in some units. We depend on the meat we harvest every year to help feed our family like many others do.

To say that “science clearly shows that a healthy wolf population is critical for a healthy environment” is crazy. Idaho has done just fine without them for many years and our elk herds were in much better shape before they were re-introduced compared to now. Maybe we should be having a rally to honor the thousands of elk and deer that have been slaughtered by wolves instead. I can’t imagine that their deaths were pleasant, either.

JIM HOFFMAN

Coeur d’Alene