Killing Wolves in the Canadian West has Proven to Help Bolster Caribou Numbers

Despite achieving what they set out to do, Canadian wildlife managers today are in a tight spot. With incredible data to back it up, a recent study has credited our northern managers with increasing woodland caribou populations by over 50 percent since 2020.

And just how did they achieve such a feat?

By killing the very thing that is killing caribou.

And the very thing that is killing the caribou, is wolves.

And therein lies the rub.

Without any wild caribou left in the Lower 48, the Canadian and Alaskan herds are about all we have left of these majestic ungulates. As Canadian caribou populations experienced a precipitous drop of more than 50 percent since 1991, Canadian biologists have been working diligently to buck this alarming trend. In addition to improving local habitat, biologists made one big and bold recommendation that has since proven to help bolster caribou populations in western Canada.

That bold recommendation was centered around the concept of culling local wolf populations and was only labeled as such given the complete lack of common sense surrounding wolf management in North America today.

As it turns out, the very idea of sacrificing one over-populated group of predators to save another struggling population of animals is a preposterous one to even suggest. With wildlife advocacy groups blowing the whistle on any and all forms of wolf hunting or trapping, it ain’t easy being a science-based and data-loving wildlife manager these days.

As we watch common sense get stripped away through a variety of other displays of political theater, it’s not hard to imagine that this same fallacy is now affecting wildlife, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts alike. 

The fact that caribou populations have rebounded to the tune of 52 percent since 2020, the proverbial proof is in the pudding.

"If we don't shoot wolves, given the state of the habitat that industry and government have allowed, we will lose caribou," said Clayton Lamb, one of 34 co-authors of a newly published study in the journal Ecological Applications.

In an all-or-nothing approach that is an all-too-familiar method of flexing their muscle, animal rights groups have lobbied for wolf sterilizations and even the removal of other animals such as moose and deer from the landscape to protect their beloved wolf - none of which have since proven to be effective.

The truth is, the only way that reducing moose and deer populations would help caribou would be if they were removed all together. A move that would undoubtedly upset hunters and the indigenous communities that depend on those animals for sustenance.

In addition to the wolf culling, Canadian officials also helped caribou with supplemental feeding areas along with maternal penning practices. In tandem with killing wolves, penning off pregnant cows and providing extra food for caribou only helps fan the flames of population growth.

"Wolf reduction was the only recovery action that consistently increased population growth when applied in isolation," the report stated. "Combinations of wolf reductions with maternal penning or supplemental feeding provided rapid growth."

The province of British Columbia has spent over $10 million and has killed nearly 2,000 wolves since the program was implemented back in 2015. Watching as overhead helicopters rain down fury on wolf populations has naturally ignited a fair bit of hatred from conservation groups. As they continue in their resolve and clamor on about alternative methods of management (read: ones that don’t work), these groups are blaming human development on the issues that caribou are facing today.

While this sentiment may very well hold some merit, so too does the data that suggests that wolves are taking a bigger bite out of populations than we as a group ever could. Despite the data, a survey of BC residents compiled in 2021, still showed that the majority of respondents remain opposed to predator reduction for caribou recovery.

As of right now, the wolf cull is scheduled to continue into 2026, removing 244 wolves from the landscape each year until then. Which begs the question, at which point will the general public have enough resolve to accept a little give and take when it comes to managing our wildlife and natural resources?

It sounds as though, when it comes to wolves, our wildlife managers are set to remain in the middle of a difficult situation. Between balancing public opinion and using science-backed research to do what they were hired to do, it’s not an easy job and is most definitely one we, as hunters, ought to support.