Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire bill to reduce Idaho's wolves

Right now they're classified as game animals. This bill would change it from game animals to predators in most of the state. The exception would be a large very rugged mountain area in central ID. As predators, they could be hunted from motorized vehicles, planes, etc. I would expect this to pass but you can bet that there will be lawsuits. They hope to reduce the wolves to about 500 which is closer to the number of breeding pairs in the original introduction plan.

One problem I can see with this is dropping the requirement for tags. The IDFG is funded almost entirely by license and tag sales. If this is implemented, they'll lose the tag sales. As it is, tags are priced very low, about $11 for a resident, and many hunters buy one just in case (me included). They would lose a source of income yet they would still be required to manage the wolves. That management has to be paid for somehow and it would be made up by pulling money from game animal management.


KEITH RIDLER Associated Press
BOISE — A house panel on Tuesday introduced legislation allowing the use of snowmobiles, ATVs, powered parachutes and other methods to hunt and kill wolves year-round and with no limits in most of Idaho.

The House Resources and Conservation Committee cleared the way for a public hearing on the proposed law backers say is needed because Idaho has too many wolves.

Wolves could be hunted year-round in the state with no limits in all but a rugged area of central Idaho extending from about Challis to Grangeville. Specifically, the legislation reclassifies wolves outside of that area from game animals to predators.

“When you make that reclassification to a predator, you still have to have a hunting license to shoot that predator, but there are no seasons, no limits,” said former Republican Sen. Jeff Siddoway, filling in for a senator who is out with COVID-19. He said wolves could also be hunted from helicopters and airplanes.

Siddoway said the plan is to reduce Idaho’s wolves from about 1,500 to 500.

The legislation says that once 500 wolves or fewer remain in the state, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission would be authorized to review wolf management policies to make sure there are at least 500 wolves and 50 packs.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game tracks wolf numbers using various methods, including cameras, and listed the 2020 population at 1,556 wolves, about the same as in 2019.

Wolves were protected in Idaho under the Endangered Species Act until being delisted in 2011.

Wolves are managed by Fish and Game under its Idaho Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

Challis to Grangeville... Discrimination...


Jayco👍

I recall wolf proponents saying 360 wolves for the entire NW would be enough..

Liberal greenies always LIE. always.

They knew before they started that 360 was a fake number that would be ignored.

I don't think it has changed much, there are those that just take care of business when it involves the wolves especially when there killing there pets and horses and in the so called protected area... Wolves are smart, I don't this bill would do much..


Jayco

Agreed, hunting does very little to control the numbers. More hunting won’t make much difference, other than attracting more out of state hunters for “opportunities” to helicopter hunt wolves, and other “exciting” ways to kill a wolf. One out of state license replaces a lot of $11 tag fees.

Last I looked, a non-res hunting license was a shade over $150 and a wolf tag's about $30. Many non-res hunters buy a wolf tag just in case as $30 doesn't bankrupt them.

They started bringing them here in Colorado. You can see the difference in the herds already. Good bye elk.

Condense it for me, I'm from Rio Linda, are the wolves going read and abide by this bill?

Gee, I'd hate to see less funding for the Idaho Fish Gestapo. How would they afford more remote control deer and tracking devices for people's vehicles.

Bb

Drones and Hellfires.....

They must really be cutting in to their Out of State hunting revenues. That's usually the thing that wakes up politicians.

Anything that kills them off is fine with me. They are smart SOB's - doubt it would even be possible to kill them off again without poison.

So use poison, a dead wolf is a good wolf how it got there doesn't matter much.

This. Idaho is pretty much hunting them non stop now. I am fine with this bill, but I don't think it will create a significant increase in wolf harvest.

The answer to the wolf problem is easy and inexpensive.

Aerial bombardment of wolf habitat with poisoned meatballs.

Agreed. I hope for the sake of the wildlife in your state, you are able to get their numbers reduced.
Our wolf numbers here range from 3000 to 10000 depending on who you talk to. I hunted deer in
Emily, MN this past fall. Emily is in North Central MN. Plenty of wolf tracks. They're heading South,
and no unelected bureaucrat in the MN DNR is going to do a damn thing about it.
We don't have a wolf problem. Yeah, right.

My close friend trapped one his first year living in Idaho.
I'm 0 for 3 on my last wolf tags there...but I'm trying.

My good friend (and neighbor) got two local Idaho wolves last month....there's no shortage.

You can thank buzzh and his pro wolf agenda for getting wolves in Colorado