Are wolves the culprits?

I have lived in Pend Oreille County since 1978. I am an avid hunter and spend at least three months in the woods every year. Over the last three years, the deer and elk populations around us have been devastated. Where I used to see a lot of elk, they are all but gone. Around my place, which used to be the best deer hunting in the county, the deer are down to the lowest level ever.

The cause, I believe, is the expanding wolf packs. We started seeing wolves around our place three years ago in the Diamond Lake area. If you go up into the woods now, you will see wolf tracks behind every elk, moose and deer track in the snow. Talking to many other hard-core hunters in the area, they all agree that the wolves have taken a heavy toll on the wildlife.

Another three years of this and you can kiss the elk population goodbye. Perhaps the Fish and Game Department could address this issue before it is too late. Maybe trap some of the wolves here and send them over to Olympia.

Paul Carter

Newport, Wash.