The Hunter-Conservationist & Wolves

The hunter plays a vital role in conservation. Under the "pay for play" system of American conservation, most state conservation agencies are funded predominantly by licenses and taxes on hunting and fishing gear. Yet the number of Americans hunting has declined in recent decades, placing state conservation budgets in jeopardy, and making it more difficult to control deer and elk populations that have exploded in the absence of wolves and other predators. Wolves don't reduce prey populations indiscriminately: they target the sick and weak, resulting in a more robust herd and better hunting. This is crucial in light of the rapid expansion of Chronic Wasting Disease. This is why we believe hunters are natural allies of wolves. Fewer hunters means less money for wolf conservation. This is why American Wolf Foundation is working to educate hunters on the benefits of wolves and partner with hunters to develop a conservation policy for the 21st Century.

To learn more about the role of hunter as conservationist and the benefits of wolves to prey populations, review the articles below. To work with us, please Contact Us.

Todd Wilkinson, The Undeniable Value of Wolves, Bears, Lions and Coyotes in Battling [Chronic Wasting] Disease (Dec. 11, 2017)

Collegiate Times, American System of Conservation Funding: Why hunters and sportsmen breathe life into nature's lungs (Aug. 4, 2017)

The Salt Lake Tribune, Number of hunters on the decline, according to new federal study (Sept. 27, 2017)

But see WyoFile, Study: Non-hunters contribute most to wildlife (Nov. 18, 2014) (noting the hunter's role in conservation funding is less significant when federal funding for public lands is considered; however, while this may be true in western states, hunters are still the dominant source of conservation funding east of the Mississippi, in the historic range of the American red wolf, which is American Wolf Foundation's most urgent priority)