Kill them all. Poachers and wolves.

I am sure there is plenty of that going on.

The only animal I've ever seen kill for the fun of it and could take down something that size is dog's. I've never heard of either wolves or yotes killing just to kill.

I have seen coyotes kill 10-15 axis fawns in one night that they did not eat. Killed more that they ate parts of. Killed 7 fawns in a 75-100 yard straight line. Did not eat any of them, just killed them to kill them. Axis were terrible about grouping fawns together in large numbers in one spot. Easy pickings for yotes once they figured that out.

Wolves and coyotes both kill just to kill. Killing is their favorite thing to do. It is in their instincts. They usually only kill what they can get with the least effort and settle for a meal. Dealing with livestock, they don't usually stick around long enough to take more than a meal because they know it's a matter of time before they get caught and killed. But dealing with herds in the wild, sometimes they get lucky, and they don't stop till the luck runs out. Especially in areas with little or no presence of hunters!

Maybe I am backwards but I would think that "just Killing them" is the wrong thinking.

Im not saying you dont want to control the predators because I am all for hunting and taking a wolf. But wiping them out because they killed a few elk is unethical.

17 elk can die from cold or starvation or disease. No laws were broken so who cares. The wolves are just doing what wolves do.

MY point is that this has been going on for a millenia and 17 elk is just not that big of a deal.

I pretty much agree, if anyone read up on it (links I posted and others on Google), then it is obvious Wyoming blew it with lax regulations and management, giving merit to the lawsuits and outcome of the courts ruling. Maybe if they didn't have a financial gain incentive (tags sales), balls to the wall wolf season, they could have kept numbers in an area without default. Just my thoughts anyway.

Interesting little reads...
http://isleroyalewolf.org/node/42
https://livingwithwolves.org/portfolio/3933/
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2009/11/do_wolves_kill_for_sport.html

A point brought up that is missed by most people is that the wolves likely would have returned to feed on the downed elk for a prolonged period of time.

Yes, I read that as well, just like yotes will revisit a kill site. As cold as it is there right now, they could chew on that pile for a month, if it wasn't put in a pile for a photo op, guess they will have to kill more!

Wolves also kill to train their young pack members. Training kills are carried out on easy targets like elk calves congregated at a feeder. Would not surprise me if this was a few mature wolves training last summer's pups. Totally normal behaviour with lots of precedent.

It is the same principle we apply when we take our kids to the range to hone their shooting skills.