Wolves helping grouse?

[Birddogz]

I wonder if the wolves by killing raccoons, coyotes, fox, etc. has helped grouse? Anyone have any idea? In the upper MW I am talking.

[Birddogz]

Buddy of mine lost some bear hounds this year to Wolves.

[Mountaineer]

Maybe, if you had only a few raccoons and no deer plus a lot of wolves.
As is, the odds are with the timer fed masked bandits.
Would not be surprised to discover that Chevys kill more raccoons than wolves.

[Birddogz]

Wolf packs kill a deer a day, at least that is what I have read. If they are eating their weight in other animals, it would be fairly significant. I don't know what % of their diet is racoons, etc. I'm sure vehicles kill more raccoons than any other factor.

[44magnum]

Wolves are opportunistic hunters so grouse eggs and grouse would probably make their list as well as fox, raccoon, coyote, etc.

[cpinkert]

A little late to the party on this one, but I spent a lot of time in the woods this fall and it definitely seemed there was a negative correlation between wolf sign and grouse in the area. The best hunting I found was in areas that were completely devoid of any wolf sign. Areas where there was wolf sign had significantly less birds in my experience.

-Chris

[Ruffshooter]

If wolves are moving the over populations of Coyotes out then that helps grouse. Maybe, I think this calls for a blue ribbon commision to pontificate, postualte and what ever scholars do to find out things. Oh yeah spend money.

[yellowdog]

That's a great question. I've wondered the same thing. I've posed the same question to the Wisconsin DNR to see if there are any scientific studies to support the hypothesis. In Wisconsin, we're experiencing and increase in grouse numbers for the past 2 years- while we are "supposed" to be on the downward trend of the cycle. At the same time, we are experiencing increased numbers of wolves. Anecdotal- but it validates the question.

I'm new to this forum, and although I'm not a wolf lover- it's disappointing to see fellow hunters jump on the wolf bashing bandwagon with no evidence when you post a valid question like this. Have you found any evidence to support your hypothesis?

[yellowdog]

Here is some info I got when I posed a similar question to a wildlife ecologist who works for the Wisconsin DNR

This is actually known as the "Mesopredator Release Hypothesis," and there's good evidence for such interactions. For example, coyotes actually benefit ground-nesting birds in many areas, as they displace red fox and may regulate numbers of 'coon, 'possum, and other medium-sized predators. Predators are known to play an important role in ecological processes, and the introduction/reintroduction of predators into a community can have a rippling effect through the prey community right down to the vegetation. The reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone, for example, has led to the development of more lush stream-side vegetation, as ungulate (elk) numbers are held at a lower level. Fish benefit from the presence of wolves! Great stuff.
As for our grouse, though, this isn't the case. Grouse cycle largely in response to an influx of raptors during years when hares crash in the boreal forest. The dip in last year's grouse survey data is probably explainable by the very warm weather we had in April 2010. Radioed males in Minnesota stopped drumming, even though they were alive and well. So, our slight dip last year probably didn't reflect the beginning of the trough phase of the cycle, but reduced drumming activity due to unseasonably warm weather. This is likely our peak, and I'd bet my farm that we'll see a dip come next spring.