"Guy, I read your article "The Predator Death Spiral" and could not agree with you more. I spent 36+ years as a district wildlife biologist in Washington state (retired in January) and have seen the very thing you are talking about occur in Idaho. Some state wildife agencies are hiring many biologists that do not hunt, and, in fact, are "anti-predator hunting". At an agency meeting approx. 8 years ago, a program manager asked a group of 30 biologists, "how many of you support hunting predators?" Guess how many raised their hands in support of hunting predators: 3 out of 30! Our diversity division (non-game program) is in charge of wolf "management" and put on a "wolf training session" for agency biologists and wildlife agents about 3 years ago in Spokane, Wash. Do you know who the diversity division partnered with to put on this training session: Defenders of Wildlife! The very group that files lawsuits to stop the delisting wolves, I once heard one of our head program managers make the statement that predators are like Native Americans, they get their deer/elk first, before hunters. I have also heard a district biologist state that deer/elk are wolf and cougar food, and if there are none left for hunters, so be it. Our big game herds are in more trouble than hunters realize, and by the time they wake up it may be too late! There is significant resistance in some wildlife agencies, especially in non-game programs, to manage predator numbers, it is not "politically correct!" Like many political issues the predator management pendulum swings to far one way (bounty days), then too far the other way (predator protectionism). Sound, common sense predator management seems to be strongly resisted in some wildlife agencies. Keep up the good fight!" -Name Withheld for Obvious Reasons.

Mountain Lions