Wyoming recently made adjustments to their Game and Fish’s Damage Claims Regulations in response to complaints from ranchers about elk competing with livestock for grazing land.
Apparently, the elk are so overpopulated that they are eating all of the grass, costing the ranchers money.
This issue is interesting because it seems to directly contradict the common argument of “wolves decimating the elk population”.
On the one side we’re hearing that, “there are too many elk, the elk are eating all the cows’ grass, and the ranchers need to be compensated.”
On the other, “wolves are eating all the elk. There are no more elk.”
Above all else, this really shows the level of influence that the ranching community has over the state government decision making.
But it also raises the question, “Which is a bigger problem for ranchers, elk or wolves?”
Wolves are by far the most publicized issue. But is it the biggest one statistically?
Elk may not fit the stereotypical bad guy role as easily as wolves, but they can do some damage. In addition to competing for the livestock’s food source, they are also known to spread disease, most notably brucellosis.
In 2021, the government payed out $394,000 in compensation for wolf kills. In the same year, they gave out $3.5 million for grass lost to elk and $1.5 million was allocated for losses from brucellosis.
Since wolves contribute very little to livestock mortality, control the elk population numbers, and also reduce disease in the herds, maybe ranchers should reconsider their position of the wolf issue.