Few things are as predictable as a wolf’s taste for big game and livestock.

Farmers, ranchers, hunters and conservationists know that left to their instincts, wolves will gobble their way through moose, elk, deer, cows, sheep and domestic animals. However, wolf critics and defenders don’t agree on the danger that wolves pose to wildlife herds.

The detractors are ready to blame wolves for any mysterious death of an elk or deer in the woods. The backers contend the wolves are part of a circle-of-life balance now playing itself out in the wilds of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Not only do some conservationists say the predators have a right to co-exist with more popular wildlife, but they’ll sue to defend them. In response to a request by Idaho officials to protect elk in the state’s north-central region by culling wolves, the Predator Conservation League, based in Montana, has indicated it would do just that.

The alliance’s David Galliard said: “If you want to invite lawsuits, if you want to tarnish the image of sportsmen, go ahead with this proposal.”

Science, not advocacy by one side or the other or even public opinion, should be the basis for making the decision on the approximate 60 wolves in the Clearwater River region. Preliminary evidence exists that the predators have had an impact on the once-renowned elk herd. If it can be proved that the impact is significant, the federal government should grant Idaho’s request to kill up to three-quarters of the wolves. After all, the reintroduced wolf population elsewhere in the state has exceeded expectations, and the federal government owes Idaho some consideration after forcing the wolves on the state 11 years ago.

Advocates claim the state’s program to kill wolves would be expensive and ineffective. That other factors are involved in reducing the elk herd. That the wolves would quickly recolonize after the program of lethal control ended in five years. They’re right on all three counts. The program will be expensive. But the importance of the elk herd to the state’s economy and quality of life balance that expense. The loss of wildlife habitat is another important factor in the decline of the herd. Finally, wolf numbers will grow throughout the state and rebound quickly in the test area, if the program is approved. So the wolf isn’t in danger.

In 11 years, the 35 wolves transplanted in Idaho have swelled to a population of 512. The program has been so successful that the federal government is on the verge of taking the wolves off the endangered species list. By contrast, the elk herds in the Clearwater and Lolo basins have dwindled from a population of 16,500 in 1989 to about 4,200 today. Those falling elk numbers should be a major concern to anyone who truly loves wildlife.