10/21/2026
The importance of predators
It seems like there is a very vocal portion of the population that sees no value in apex predators. We study history so the same mistakes won’t be made. Here is a history of predator management in the US.
In 1906, Teddy Roosevelt was president and he was one of the most conservation minded presidents we have ever had. He designated several national parks during his tenure and he wanted to create a great deer herd on the Kaibab Plateau just north of the Grand Canyon. This plateau was unique as it was surrounded by deep canyons which effectively isolated animals on the plateau. New animals could not come in or leave the plateau easily.
In 1906 there were about 4000 mule deer on the plateau. He commissioned hunters and trappers to kill every predator on the plateau. Over the next 10 years, they killed thousands of predators. Thousands of mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats and wolves were killed. The mule deer population rose exponentially to the point where everything from grasses to aspen saplings were browsed to nothing. (Reports of an excess of 100,000 deer). Deer would stand on their hind legs to reach remaining branches on larger trees creating a wasteland. The winters of 1925 and 1926 were severe and more than half of the deer died. Some reports of 60,000 deer starved.- The ecosystem was severely damaged and it took decades for the vegetation to grow back so it could sustain a population of browsers and many more mule deer died. This has been used as a teaching example of how apex predators are needed for balance in nature.
The second example is Yellowstone National Park. Wolves were exterminated from Yellowstone in the early 1900’s. Elk populations that have been bolstered by human feedings since the late 1930’s had grown to unsustainable levels. There was a cull program in the late 60’s to reduce the cow elk population and take pressure off the land. Elk migrate from the mountains to the valleys in winter to get to a more moderate climate. As they gather by the thousands in the valleys, humans brought semi loads of hay into the valleys to sustain their populations. Without predation and an ample food supply, elk populations exploded to all time highs. They severely damaged their summer range and aspen and willows were decimated. Without willows along stream banks, stream erosion increased and many smaller animals lost their habitat. There were few aspen and cottonwood saplings as they they were overbrowsed. The ecosystem was severely damaged. Wolves were reintroduced from Canada and the impact was immediate. The elk population was reduced and willows and aspen started growing back. The elk and wolf populations were stabilized and the ecosystem was balanced and healthy once again. Wolf packs are much larger out west(12 average vs 3-4 in Wisconsin) as the larger herbivores they eat provide nourishment for more mouths.
A third example involves wolves and moose on Isle Royale. This island in Lake Superior is too far from shore for other animals to swim to. Wolves eat moose exclusively here. The island has been studied for almost 70 years as the perfect predator - prey relationship. Wolves and moose co-existed for almost 50 years until the wolf population dropped to 2 due to inbreeding 10 years ago. 19 wolves from the Superior Forest were introduced as the moose population ballooned to 2000 animals. Balsam fir, the moose’s favorite winter food, was overbrowsed and wasn’t growing back. The wolf population grew and moose population is now at a sustainable level.
Wisconsin’s wolf increase can also be attributed to a better balance with the whitetail deer. In the late 90’s the deer population in the Ceded territories reached a peak. A few mild winters and years of baiting and feeding had artificially built the deer population to the point that deer were everywhere. I remember walking down South Bay road and seeing 40 deer every morning. Feeding had allowed the deer population to survive winters that they normally didn’t survive. This rise came to a crashing halt when feeding was deemed illegal. At the same time their was little logging. Logging opens up the forest floor to sunlight and growth of deer food like maple and aspen saplings and berry bushes and other forbes which provide quality browse for deer. Deer were forced into unsuitable habitat with little food and everyone shot deer over bait. Deer hunting habits also were molded by TV shows that glamorized hunting over huge quantities of bait or food plots. Suddenly, no one made deer drives or walked in the woods mid season. All that was needed was a blind and a corn pile.
The reality of northern Wisconsin deer herd is that it has now been balanced by the predator population of wolves, coyotes, bear, bobcats and even cougars. Deer exist in clumps of great habitat. They aren’t living in marginal areas without food. Now back to “normal” food sources deer move constantly as the seasons provide varying food sources. Summer greenery leads to acorns and grasses in fall and browse in the winter and then spring new growth.
Hunting methods for most have not evolved. They still sit in the same stands they did decades ago and wonder why the results aren’t positive. Faced with fewer sightings, the wolf is blamed for the extermination of the deer population. People stopped coming up north to hunt. There is virtually no pressure on deer during the season. With the date of hunting season start occurring after the rut, there is little daytime deer movement. Logging has increased in recent years so there will be more deer food in the north. Success will be determined by how hunters adapt to the changing conditions.
