Circle of life provides meals

CHRIS PETERSON / Hungry Horse News

Last week columnist Larry Wilson described a wolf kill up the North Fork where at least six deer were killed near a residence.

Why wolves kill multiple animals at once might seem, at first glance, a waste. The wolves certainly didn't immediately consume the deer and there's also a likelihood that they never will.

But do they really go to waste?

I'd argue that there is no waste in nature.

I saw those deer dragged out into a field by the landowner and the first thing I noticed was that a raven and a bald eagle were feeding on the carcasses.

Those two bird species, as well as magpies, rely heavily on carcasses in winter and early spring for sustenance. I seriously doubt that anyone would construe that a bald eagle feeding on a carcass is "waste."

It's anything but.

I hate to sound corny, but it's the proverbial circle of life. The wolf kills the deer. The remains of the carcass go to feed others. And in the winter, when the carcass is stuck in snow, it remains frozen and comparatively fresh.

Eagles, magpies, ravens will visit carcasses until they're literally picked clean to the bone. The mice then eat the bones.

It is also true that a fair number of grizzly bears roam the North Fork hills all winter long, feeding on kills from mountain lions and wolves. They don't hibernate or they hibernate briefly.

A friend was once skiing down the Inside North Fork Road and as he came down the hill there was a grizzly bear sitting on several carcasses. It was all he could do to stop from running into the griz, who wasn't too happy to see him.

Wolverines also get their meals from carcasses in the winter time, though admittedly, in Glacier they feed primarily on dead mountain goats and sheep. The carcasses, nonetheless, don't go to waste.

The problem with the incident Larry speaks of is that it happened close to homes. If it happened in Glacier no one would have said boo.

There are still plenty of deer in the area where the wolf kill happened. I had to stop from running into them as they crossed the road and I'd hazard a guess that I counted at least 30 in a 200-yard stretch.

Having said what I've said, I have no qualms about de-listing wolves. By all accounts, I'd agree they are recovered and the state seems to have a reasonable plan for management.

But the next time a wolf kills a critter and leaves it, think of it not as waste. Think of it as a meal passed on to a host of other creatures we covet.

Chris Peterson is the photographer for the Hungry Horse News.