Wildlife Management is a complicated science dealing with a myriad of species physiology, behavior, habitats, relationships to other species, limiting factors, population dynamics, etc. - and the management practices necessary to maintain these species.  Important to any discussion of a species population dynamics, and of population regulation in particular, are the concepts of "carrying capacity" and "limiting factors".  Carrying capacity of a range for a specific specie is the maximum density of that specie that a range can support.  This concept is further broken into "maximum carrying capacity" - the greatest number of animals that can be supported on a strictly maintenance basis rising during favorable years and falling during poor years and into " optimum carrying capacity", in contrast, involves a relatively stable number of animals that can be supported in good condition on a sustained basis; that is, without damage to or depletion of the range.  As a corollary to the idea of carrying capacity, it follows that a specie cannot increase indefinitely.  Specie numbers are regulated by various "limiting factors".  Examples of limiting factors are food supplies, weather, and predation.
 

Habitat is an extremely important key to the survival of wildlife species.  The five main factors of habitat for a species are food, water, cover, space, and arrangement.  Certain aspects of habitat, especially food supplies are the predominant constraint on the numbers of a specie.  Responses of a specie to nutritional conditions have been documented or identified speculatively in many studies.  In general, good nutrition is reflected in animals by (1) good physical condition and above-average body weights; (2) high reproductive rates; (3) high survival rates, especially for newborn; and (4) increasing populations.  Poor nutrition would cause the opposite of these conditions.  Cover, space, and arrangement are also critical to physical and behavioral well-being for most species of wildlife, more so in some than others.
 

Human development and civilization are incompatible with many species of wildlife, therefore result in loss of habitat for these species.  This and the significant reduction of natural predators of many wildlife species has resulted in an imbalance of the predator-prey equilibrium in North American.  This continuing loss of habitat coupled with a reduction in predation without human intervention would inevitably result in adverse impacts on wildlife species.  If populations grow unchecked the remaining habitat is depleted resulting in starvation, disease, high newborn fatality, large population swings, and habitat degradation.
 

One example of over population effect on susceptibility to disease has been displayed by Roosevelt Elk of the Olympic Peninsula and Rocky Mountain Elk of the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming.  Necrotic Stomatitis also known as Necrobacillosis is caused by a type of bacteria called Fusobacterium necrophorum, and produces a variety of diseases, including foot rot, in elk and other animals.  Infections occur in the oral cavity resulting in calf diptheria in younger animals and necrotic stomatitis in older animals.  This bacteria, however, is a part of the normal bacterial flora of many animal's gastrointestinal tracts and is wide spread in the environment.  It is a strict anaerobe, and penetrating wounds are considered its primary route of infection.  Although reports indicate that necrobacillosis is an important pathogen in elk, it is an epidemic disease primarily of herds on overstocked ranges during winter.  Overbrowsing of woody vegetation, stems of hay, the seed of squirreltail, and some other grass seeds or stems cause penetrating wounds of the mouth.  These wounds, which would permit disease organisms to gain entrance into an animals body, are considered the primary source of infection.  In poorly nourished elk protein deficiency would preclude optimal response of body defenses, often resulting in debilitation or death.  Most well-nourished elk, however, already possessed or readily produced anti-bodies against the organism, and recovered.  High incidence of necrobacillosis in an elk herd may be one of the best indicators of less-than-optimal habitat, management, or both.  Where elk population levels are maintained at or below the carrying capacity of their winter ranges, necrobacillosis probably does not play a significant role in mortality.  This is just one example of many, how wildlife species are impacted by uncontrolled population.
 

Hunting is an extremely valuable tool for proper Wildlife management to meet the carrying capacity of a specific range.  The wildlife managers and biologists employed by the fish and game departments across this country are far more qualified to make decisions regarding these species than the so-called "Animal Rights Activists".  As to the so-called "Animal Rights Activists" it would appear that they would prefer these animal species die of starvation and disease vice be properly managed to maintain healthy, productive populations with optimal habitat.
 

Recently in California these groups were successful in misleading the public to pass legislation banning hunting of mountain lion or Puma.  There currently exists a mountain lion problem in Lake and Mendocino counties with population control and may soon be a problem in other counties as well.  This law has set a bad precedent of an emotional, uninformed public making decisions regarding the management of wildlife species vice the state departments qualified to do so.  Unfortunately the real price paid for this mistake will be by the wildlife itself.  As the Puma population grows unchecked, malnutrition, disease, and increasing conflicts with local livestock owners are bound to occur.  This and impact on other species such as the Black-tailed Deer in the same ranges will create problems not anticipated by the misguided public that passed this legislation.  Most of these voters will probably not even be aware that the problems created exist.
 

According to classical game management theory, unhunted species contain a preponderance of old animals.  Since average longevity is high, population turnover and survival of newborn to adulthood are low.  Heavily hunted species, by contrast, consist of younger, healthier animals, with high recruitment of yearlings to replace animals taken by hunters.  Both field studies and modeling exercises have shown these ideas to be generally correct. In regards to the "Animal Rights Activists" insistence that hunting is inhumane, barbaric slaughter of sentient life forms, it would seem to this author that hunting to meet habitat carrying capacity rather than allowing animal populations to suffer starvation, disease, and death is far more humane.
 

Additionally the income generated from hunters licensing, tag sales, and equipment purchasing provides the state fish and game departments with almost their entire budgets thus providing for proper wildlife management to be financed.  No other group cares more about wildlife as both living species and an important resource than do Hunters or Sportsmen.  Hunting after all is not about harvesting animals, but rather is about wildlife management, enjoying the outdoors, learning about the world around us, and who we are!