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A December survey of the northern Yellowstone elk herd shows a 24 percent decrease in just a year.

Not surprisingly, the report cuts right into the hotly debated wolf issue.

Elk in the region have dropped about 70 percent total since the reintroduction of wolves to the area 16 years ago. Fish Wildlife and Parks Biologist, Karen Loveless says wolves are a major factor in the lower population, but there are many more.

"Wolves are certainly one of them, bears are one of them, drought is one of them," Loveless said. And hunter harvest, that's another one she mentioned. That's why FWP dropped a late season elk hunt in the region, from over 1,000 in 2005 to 100 permits from 2006 to 2010. In 2011, those late hunts will be eliminated completely.

The 24 percent decrease in the last year is still puzzling. Hunting pressure is already down due to the limited permits. Also, the wolf population has dropped significantly too in the northern region of the park. There were 94 wolves in 2007. That was down to 37 wolves last year.

Loveless says heavy snowfall may be causing the herd to move differently throwing off the survey figures.
"I do think the herd is down, it hopefully is not down as much as this number reflects," she said.

The report does not convince many local sportsmen and ranchers. Outfitter and President of the Montana Hunting Company Rob Arnaud firmly believes the reason is still wolves.

"We've had droughts before, we've had grizzlies before," Arnaud said.

He believes the state won't have real power to bring the elk population back up without the power to bring the wolf population down.

"It takes a great deal of responsibility to let an apex predator back into the ecosystem and they belong here. We're not talking about eradication, we're simply talking about control," he said.

Loveless said she is concerned about the population, but she does see hopeful signs the elk number is back on the rise.

Still, this endangered status argument continues to move, full steam ahead.

Community News Service Reporter Cody Bloomsburg said Monday the state house endorsed a joint resolution to remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species' List.

That vote was 97 to 2.