Keith: I live in Cody, Wyoming, and I, along with most of the hunters here, greatly resent the number of wolves and grizzly bears we have to contend with. They are overunning the place.
The problem is that large, furry predators are idolized, promoted, and defended by clueless, urban people who have no real knowledge of these animals, and won't allow any natural consequences to occur. If predators eat up all the elk (or house pets), we are supposed to stand by and say nothing. If a griz decides he wants an elk we have shot and tagged, we are supposed to let him have it. If a bear kills a human inside the bear management area, there will be no consequences because it is "just being a bear."
Most of this stuff is spear-headed by the Sierra Club, but is also tacitly supported by the anti-hunting groups, since limitations on big game hunting in "bear areas" are beginning to be talked about. Just what PETA wanted all along.
The problem isn't so much the predators themselves, but all the political baggage they bring with them. You may not have such difficulties in Alaska, but around here it's a real mess.
CoyDog