LETTER – ‘Wolf whacking’ contest is about controlling predator populations

Re: EDITORIAL – ‘Wolf whacking and other wars on predators should be banned’

Although it may seem that this contest is just an excuse to go out killing for the sport of it or even a “thrill kill,“ what it truly is all about is the control of the population of the wolves, coyotes and mountain lions. I have moved here from the Sunshine Coast where we an a population of deer on our islands around the area of Pender Harbour/Powell River areas in particular go from abundant to almost completely decimated in a shockingly short period of time.

Now that I have been in the Thompson-Nicola region for several years I have seen the areas I have hunted here in the last two years go from abundant in certain areas to non existent but there is an abundant wolf population. What you will find happen is that the wolves will wipe out the deer, moose and small amount of elk that have been starting to make a comeback.

They will be decimated and the wolves will move onto the next area and do the same thing there. What that means to the Thompson-Nicola region is that the hunting community that comes up from the Lower Mainland on weekends or for two week trips with all their buddies (groups of up to 15 people) that spend large amounts of money in Kamloops and Merritt will go elsewhere.

Being that the previous owner of the Powder Keg Sports in Merritt is a good friend of mine I know just how much they would spend in his store alone. Not to mention the groceries, gas, diesel, ATV parts etc.

So maybe before taking such a hard stance on these contests you should think about the economic affect the exploding wolf population is going to have on the region. If not that maybe look into the reason for the caribou decimation but don’t go attacking the gun clubs for attempting to prod the hunting community into helping control the wolf population.

As a hunter I fully understand the need to have a population of predators but let’s make it a healthy population now an over population.

MIKE POCKRANT 

P.S. just an interesting note for you. I worked on Vancouver island for most of my 20-year timber falling career. Vancouver island has the highest population of mountain lions in all of North America and in my travels up and down the logging roads of the island I saw a lot of cougars. I have seen more cougars in the Thompson-Nicola region in the last seven years than I did in the 20 years on the island.