Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Wolf lovers threaten lawsuits to protect them

A while back the Idaho legislature enacted a law aimed at reducing wolves in Idaho by 90%. Seems that the Sierra Club, HSUS, and others don't like that. This is mainly about MT but includes ID and WY, too.


Billings Gazette Feb 7, 2024

Ten conservation groups notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a Feb. 7 letter they intend to sue the agency over its decision last week not to protect gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains under the Endangered Species Act.

The groups cite aggressive wolf hunting and trapping regulations in Montana and Idaho, as well as Wyoming's law that classifies wolves as predators in 85% of the state where they can be killed at any time with no license required.

The environmentalists also claim methods used to estimate wolf populations are inaccurate and that low wolf populations threaten their genetic health, especially since wolves dispersing to new areas are more likely to be killed.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service failed to recognize how the harmful methods that Idaho and Montana have implemented will drive down wolf numbers drastically,” said Nick Gevock, Sierra Club field organizer for the northern Rockies, in a press release. “The regimens these states have pursued are reminiscent of the 1800s effort to eradicate wolves, and they have no place in modern wildlife management. No other species is treated this way, and it's reversing what was a great conservation success story.”

In 2021 the Montana Legislature passed a law requiring the state Fish and Wildlife Commission to reduce the number of wolves in Montana while maintaining their population at “a sustainable level.” The use of snares, extended seasons, higher bag limits and, initially, the removal of quotas near national parks were allowed.

So far this season, 246 wolves have been killed in Montana. The statewide quota is 313. Last season, 258 wolves were killed.

Wolf populations in Montana peaked in 2011 with an estimated 188 packs and 1,259 wolves. As of 2022, the state estimated 181 packs containing 1,087 wolves.

Although the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service denied protections for wolves, the agency said it would work on a first-ever national recovery plan for the species across the country. The agency expects to complete work on the plan by December 2025.

The conservation groups promising to sue include the Center for Biological Diversity, the Humane Society of the United States and Sierra Club.

A 2023 survey showed Montanans tolerance of wolves has increased but support for hunting and trapping remains strong.

The wolves are being seen over as far as powder river country in Montana at this time, the wouldn’t be there if there were plenty of room back in the west.
Wolves generally show up in new locales because over population in old locales forces the move/dispersion. The western states are doing things right as is as far as apex predator management.

Osky

Well, that's just a big shocker...These are the same type of people that want to flood the country with illegals, and keep them on the Endangered species list too so we don't shut down the border, and ship them back to where they came from.

Trap our excess wolves and release them in the headquarters building of any crying for their protection.

Then trap the rest of the packs and put them in Central Park. Plenty of deviant individuals there for them to prey upon.

These groups sign on to management plans, agreeing to population ceilings, and then sue when that number is attained and controls are to be implemented.

Given their initial sign offs, they should held to their original contracts.

The near elimination of wolves required decades of poisoning, trapping, and aerial control efforts across all manner of public and private grounds. Such will not happen again, and one can rest assured that sportsmen will never be able to exert that level of control.

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Lawsuits and paper court documents are no match for people who just shoot the wolves anyway.

Bingo,

goes for all sorts of things,

like horses and logging.

We almost had those SOB killed off and they thought that
nice puppy dogs were so cute they should be protected.

SSS is what I think!

Dumb azz flatlanders with no clue about wolves. MT has a 6 month season and hunters and trappers can get 20 tags.

Here in Idaho its about the same.

With all that the quota still are not filling. So a dumb azz "SSS" comment makes no sense.

Your dumb azz opinion makes no sense

Just this morning I read an article that California is up to 7 identified and named wolf packs. Wish they'd import a species that ate Mexicans, 'cause we have an abundant food supply available.

$50,000 reward offered for information leading to the arrest of those who killed 3 wolves in Oregon.

Osky, we have noticed the same thing in Wisconsin. In NW Wis. where I have land there are so few deer there now that we believe they migrated into central Wis. where there are far more deer. My cousin shot a deer and didnt think she hit it quite right and left it for the next day.. She found the deer skinned like a butcher came and turned the hide inside out and the deer was all but gone. We seen another this gun season too. She said " Aint now way that was a dog or coyote. The stride was very long. it wont be long and the fantastic deer hunting in central Wis. will be diminished to a fraction of what it is today , and it is already heading down hill.

That would require actual balls.

Idaho's season is year round in most units and there's no limit on tags. They cost about $11 for residents. I think the only reason we even need a tag is because the feds require a monitoring system and if you tag one, you're required to take it a IFDG office for recording.

SSS still fits easily.

They did the same thing when the original quota was reached in Yellowstone and the wanted more.I have heard more than once, Tutchton,who is on the CPW Commission was part of that. You can bet they will do it in Colorado when the projected 150 wolves is reached

Speaking of wolves I was just ogling over this magnificent piece of taxidermy in the works.

All this wolf stuff is just nuts...They weren't even supposed to release wolves in Colorado on Federal land until they completed studies which would have taken years to complete, but they got around that by releasing them on State land. Nevermind they can migrate to Federal land.

You can bet when they are overrun with wolves the Liberal Judges and Lawyers will push for those same studies to be conducted before they delist the wolves and allow them to be hunted, and it will take years.

The Governor and his boyfriend wouldn't allow Game and Fish to hold Seminars nor educate the Public on Wolf Re-ntroduction before the vote to re-introduce them. It might have changed some of the yes votes to no and it was a really really close vote....It cost millions in tax payer money to release these dang dogs and manage the destruction they cause for ranchers. That information alone could have changed some of the uneducated public's minds..

The Liberals are just about kicking hunters, ranchers, and outdoorsmen's arses on every front with this wolf reintroduction/ non- management crap...It's time to go on the offensive.

Congress wrote the law, passed it overwhelmingly, Nixon signed it, handing the watermelons and their bureaucratic allies an amazing gift.

There are studies showing that once wolves establish in an area, they take 85 percent or more of the "production." And guess what, the Greens think that's a wonderful side effect because they don't like hunting anyway. No, let the "ecosystem regulate itself into balance without interference."