Thanks.
We as trappers notice the population of lynx or rabbits exploding and crashing within a short period, but most dont get enough time on earth to see the bigger animals population rise and fall.
I happened to witness it here. Withe both moose and beaver, and of course rabbits and lynx and even wolves.
Me and my old trapping buddy used to sit and drink coffee as we pondered the secrets of mother nature, and we concluded that this area would be ideal moose habitat, with no thick conifer forest it was all willow, alder and cottonwood. We wondered why no moose were here at all. We all had to travel 100 mile or more upriver into Indian country to hunt moose, (they didn't like it much)
They closed moose hunting here for five years, and the moose started showing up. I dont think it was the closure itself that brought the population back it coincided with a big fire upriver and some of the moose I believe migrated here.
Now we have so many moose its just a afternoon day trip to go moose hunting, no one even bothers to camp for moose anymore its too easy.
We can take a ten mile ride and see 100 moose now.
A concept I promoted when I was on the BOG was this: Trappers need to realize that biologists are not simply over-educated idiots and their macro-level concepts are sound and rooted in science. And, likewise, biologists need to realize that trappers have FAR more intimate knowledge of population dynamics on their specific traplines!
I don't think I convinced enough people of this truism.... but it was fun trying!
Pete