How do wild animals die?

It is a very sad fact that all living creatures die, even the giant Sequoia trees of the western coast. The wild animals of our forest and mountains face death every day. It should be no surprise that harsh winters, when there is over 200 inches of snow with 48 inches on the ground for three months is the biggest killer of all.

The severe cold and the deep snow ensures that no wild animal dies of "old age." Many starve and freeze to death. I find this to be appalling but there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it. We cannot stop the snow from falling and we cannot control the temperatures. Mother Nature is not a kind "mother."

The next biggest killer, and it may kill more animals that the winter, is disease. Don't think so? Check out the number of deer and antelope that died in the eastern half of Montana due to "Blue Tongue" a few years ago. Blue Tongue resulted in a very slow death via starvation and suffocation over several days; a horrible way for any animal to die. The deer and antelope populations have not recovered yet and will not for several more years.

Wait and see how many of our deer, elk and moose die in the coming years due to Chronic Wasting Disease. That is another terrible way for these animals to die. We will lose millions of animals before a solution is reached.

Predators are the next biggest killers. In the Swan Valley we have grizzly bears, black bears, mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, cars and trucks. All of these "predators" are killing animals 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Most of these deaths are anything but swift and humane.

Wolves are the least humane, often beginning to eat their prey while it is still alive. Few, if any of the other predators do that. That brings to me the question as to why are the wolves so desirable among the wildlife watches who live in cities? I do not have statistics to support this but I believe wolves kill more deer and elk than all the other predators combined. The wolves range in packs and often literally "kill for fun." No other animal kills dozens of sheep or cattle and leave them otherwise un-touched.

This finally brings us to hunters. Compared to the other ways wild animals die, we hunters actually kill very few. We have established seasons that protect the animals at least 47 weeks of the year. The young and females are carefully managed. If ever hunted, it is to control the population from overpopulating their habitat leading to starvation and habitat destruction. And we hunters do our best to make shots on the animals that result in as quick and humane kill as soon as possible. In other words, a well-placed hunter's bullet is the most humane death a wild animal can have.

Most of what I have said here is not pretty but it is true. We need to know the truth even when it is not pretty.

Philip is a retired Air Force officer where he was an intelligence analyst. He is also a retired law enforcement officer. He has an undergrad degree in criminal justice as well as a master's that is heavily weighted in criminal justice. He has had, in his words, "a love affair" with firearms all his adult life. He also teaches concealed carry classes.