Kill wolves on private land

Regarding Ron Reed’s Dec. 13 op-ed: It is obvious he has never had to depend upon raising or selling cattle to make a living. I do believe that wolves play a valuable function in an enclosed ecosystem, such as Yellowstone National Park or Glacier National Park. You can make an argument for wolves on federal property even though they certainly have a negative effect upon game populations.

Whether the tree-huggers like it or not, a lot of us do believe that hunting is an American heritage. Wolves on federal land also have a negative effect on ranchers who run cattle on that land. These ranchers have helped provide a relatively stable food source for this nation.

When wolves get to private property, they should be dead. It is not just the killing of cattle that has a negative impact on the rancher. When wolves are present, cattle are nervous and weight gain drops. A rancher depends upon weight gain for his living.

If the wolf-huggers want wolves on private property, I would suggest they set up a fund to pay ranchers $100 per animal unit per year to compensate ranchers for their loss. Also, next time wolves are trapped for transplanting, hopefully a few can be dropped in Reed’s backyard.

John Haabberstad

Rathdrum