It's not all avid hunters, it's just hunters who choose to ignore the science and data. Plenty of hunters love wolves and want to see them on the landscape, myself included. It's also important to note that they were not returned to the state via human introduction, but rather through natural population dispersal.

This topic is a huge pain in the ass because it's so divisive. Take a look at the comment section. Folks love to reference the Yellowstone wolf story but also love to leave out any other environmental factors that led to greater QA regeneration in the GYE. Folks love to spin the lie that WDFW introduced mutant wolves that have been running roughshod through deer and elk herds while simultaneously depleting cattle ranchers of their livelihoods. Others think that it doesn't matter what ranchers want, because they shouldn't be allowed to raise cattle anyway. Some think that wolves on the landscape means that kids will be getting picked off on their way to the bus stop.

There's a middle ground somewhere in this mess, but it's incredibly difficult to get both sides to come to the table when both sides can point to utter bullshit being peddled by the other side.

Sorry for dumping all of this in response to your genuine question. I just can't reply to every comment.