Jim Beers: How Much Do Wolves Eat? Mar 30, 2011

How Much Do Wolves Eat

Question: Do you agree with these numbers?

Numbers vary regarding how much a wolf eats each year. During one USGS Study
in Yellowstone Park, 24 wolves were observed for 1 month in 1997 and 57
wolves were observed for 1 month in 1998. A total of 81 wolves were observed
for a one month period and 114 kills were observed. This included 106 elk, 6
moose, 1 mule deer, and 1 bison. The average kill rate was 1.4 elk per wolf
per month. That study indicates that 1 wolf will eat 17 elk per year. It
would require 44 deer to equal the same body mass as 17 elk. At that rate,
100 wolves will eat about 1700 elk or 4400 deer per year, and 1000 wolves
will eat about 17,000 elk or 44,000 deer per year.

Answer: No, I do not agree with this mathematical wizardry.

First, there is the shifting back and forth between "kill" and "eat".
Wolves do not eat all of any large animal that they kill. A pack may, but
were they "observing" packs or pairs or lone animals or some of each?
Wolves may "eat" part of what some other animal "killed", was this part of
this so-called "Study". The point here being that you might measure how
many animals were "killed" by "A Wolf" or a pack of wolves but how that
relates to "How Much" they "Eat" is an entirely different matter. Perhaps
comparing the two and then placing them in context with other data might
tell you something BUT with wolves invading new territories, expanding their
numbers and distributions and with game animal population dropping and
livestock availability becoming more or less vulnerable - comparing a
snapshot in time as something predictive is silly, unreliable and good for
nothing but propaganda. What do I mean by "context"?

Second, when were these wolves observed? Were there bitches feeding pups in
some den (killing animals but only bringing home portions)? Were there
wintering packs in heavy snow over long periods where calorie burning was
high? Were there wintering packs observed catching wintering big game in
heavy snow or livestock in snowy and untended pastures wherein wolves kill a
lot (so-called "thrill-killing") and eat until full but "full" is a lot less
than what was killed? Were these all "summertime and the living is easy"
observations? Were the wolves in abundant feed areas within a few years of
arrival or were any "observed" in Dead Wolf-Food Zones like Yellowstone is
today, especially in winter? Was it bad (cold, wet, snowy, etc.) weather or
nice weather when calorie-burning was low and lounging around nibbling fleas
and ticks was the extent of calorie-consumption?

You might try and estimate how many animals a wolf killed in a year just as
you might try to estimate how many (pounds) of beef or elk or dog a wolf
consumed in a year. Other than being a basis for a best-guess estimate
about how "much" or how "many" (fill-in-the-critter or critters) wolves
consumed whenever the "study" was made and what MIGHT happen next year, this
has little value. Expanding out all this like "At that rate, 100 wolves
will eat about 1700 elk or 4400 deer per year, and 1000 wolves will eat
about 17,000 elk or 44,000 deer per year" is something worthy of Joseph
Goebbels. The numbers are almost certainly higher and will vary with a lot
of factors, not least of which will be the availability of wolf food
suitable to catch and EAT (not "release") by wolves.

Unbiased vets or researchers (are there any left?) might estimate calorie
needs over time through stresses and exertions and temperatures, etc. and
come up with a "calories-needed" figure and convert that into how many
pounds of steer or sheep or elk or moose or (??) meat that converts into a
minimum food demand per wolf but what have you then? Competition from other
wolves, bears, and cougars; plus the likelihood of finding more food soon;
and the well-fed, "frolicsome" wolf tendency to kill 30 sheep they find in a
pasture or 20 deer in deep snow in some wintering yard make such estimates
when applied to "how many they (will, did, or might) kill" totally
meaningless.

What USGS (formerly the USFWS "Research Division") is doing here is using
"science" to put a lid on claims such as "the Lolo wolves killed XXX elk or
cattle last year" by citing their "study" that "shows" wolves "ONLY" eat
YYY elk or cows per year and their (worthless) wolf census numbers show
that there are "ONLY" BBB wolves in the Lolo Zone.

And thus are non-scientists and non-believers put in their place by
"scientific' gurus descended from Druidic priests that would throw virgins
into volcanoes whenever they could find a volcano.

Jim Beers
30 March 2011

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Jim Beers is a retired US Fish & Wildlife Service Wildlife Biologist,
Special Agent, Refuge Manager, Wetlands Biologist, and Congressional Fellow.
He was stationed in North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York City, and
Washington DC. He also served as a US Navy Line Officer in the western
Pacific and on Adak, Alaska in the Aleutian Islands. He has worked for the
Utah Fish & Game, Minneapolis Police Department, and as a Security
Supervisor in Washington, DC. He testified three times before Congress;
twice regarding the theft by the US Fish & Wildlife Service of $45 to 60
Million from State fish and wildlife funds and once in opposition to
expanding Federal Invasive Species authority. He resides in Eagan,
Minnesota with his wife of many decades.

Jim Beers is available to speak or for consulting at jimbeers7@comcast.net