[joshua bergan]

As an angler living in the region, I can tell you that I am legitimately scared of bears (bear-anoia). It limits where I will fish (especially in YNP, but other areas as well), even with buddies and pepper spray. To be constantly wide-eyed and alerted by every odd sound takes some of the fun out of it. If you’ve got the stones, there are some excellent fisheries not getting as much pressure due to this. Call me a wimp – I think it’s prudent. I’m probably in the minority, however.
As for the impact of wolves on the food supply – it’s an interesting thought and not illogical as far as I know. It will surely add fuel to the massive bonfire built by ranchers and hunters who already oppose wolves. If there’s any merit to it, it might be the last straw for wolves in the area, which would be sad, imo.
Question (I didn’t have time to read the whole Slate article and I don’t recall from other media coverage): Aside from the Cooke City incident where the bear was apparently foraging, was the other bear determined to be killing for food? The stories I recall from the time implied that the hikers surprised the bear, and it was reacting to the “threat”.  

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