Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Finally a WOLF hunt!

although I'm not holding my breath.

It looks like we might finally get a wolf hunt here. Anybody making specific plans to get after them? I heard that the season will open Sept. 15 although the regs aren't due out until August. Since Wyoming decided to give me a deer tag I won't be hunting wolves then but plan to hit it hard later in the year.

Any suggestions from those who've done it already? I'm thinking 25-06 or something similar. How would a guy call these critters? Is an electronic call with baying hounds possible? etc,etc... Of course this is all subject to regulation but it's fun to think about right now.

Appreciate any input, Scott

A friend of mine hunted Wolves this past Winter in Northern Ontario. He use a 30-06, and a 270 Win to kill them.
Up there, they drove the Wolves out of the woods. As far as I know, they did no baiting.
Based on what the other guys used for armament up there, I'd probably for with a 7x57 at a minumum.
Wolves are HUGE animals, and I personally would not want one pissed off at me. Their front legs and paws are far bigger that I had originally thought.
Good luck, and Kudos on the Wolves being de-listed and open for hunting...

Just about any caliber you would normally use to hunt big game in Idaho(.270 and up) should work well. IMO I would just try to get lead in the game killers.

When I lived in Alaska folks would use .223s and .22 mags on the low end quite effectively. I�m waiting for the 11th hour law suit that ties everything up with no time to fix it before the season is to start. I wish they�d just sneak and release the tags early to avoid this situation. Then they could say �sorry the tags are already out, too late!�

I know that I am looking forward to the opportunity to have a shot at one, we are up to our ears with them in central Idaho. Folks who do not live here have no idea how many there are in this part of the state.

One thing for sure - since the tag is going to be priced at $15.00 it will make the state F&G a lot of money because just about everyone will buy a tag just in case they see one while hunting other critters.

I expect that the quota will be reached fairly quickly this year because a lot of the dumb ones will be shot, but next year it will be a different story the smart ones will be left and they will be a lot more wary.

There is a pack that passes through my back yard so often that with a little luck I can shoot one from my back deck.

drover

Hose one Drover! and then post us some pics!

Depends on the type of wolf, and where it lives. They can range from 100-200 lbs on the top end, and anything from .243 on up will work just fine. Even a .223 or .22-250 works, but I don't want to be using a .22 rifle when I'm dealing with a lethal killing machine like a wolf. Any deer rifle will work fine on wolf, although it would be a good idea to be confident out to 300+ yards, as the shots can be on the long side IME. If you're hunting domesticated wolves, then the above statement about long-range doesn't apply

$15.00 is a bargain. I fork out $310 Canadian every year for my Ontario license and seal.

I'm worried about the eleventh hour lawsuit as well, but a guy can dream. I think this is the year to shoot wolves because this will be a rude awakening for them. After this year I think we'll be hunting different wolves. I've been in AK enough to know how hard to find "educated" wolves are.
This be the year men. I've seen a pack of nine fairly regularly and hope my buddies and I can run into them again. That would be quite the shoot.
I'm very interested in seeing the proclamation. I wonder if they'll have caliber restrictions because I have a friend thats working up a killer load for his AR and 75 gr. HPBT's.

We'll see what happens. Scott

$15 is a bargain isn't it!

Scott,

That September opening is to early for a nice fur so I wouldn't feel bad about missing it.

I've only shot a half dozen in 50 years but have a friend that has taken 50+ and we agree on rifles.....22 varmint cartridges are a bit light....243 is minimal and your 25-06 would be about perfect in or feeble minds.....I'm currently carrying a 270 WSM when looking for a wolf.

They will respond to varmint calls but seldom is there a wolf density that provides much response. Travel around and listen for howls and start from there.

I've caught a couple wolves sneaking into ravens squawking ...there is a relationship there.

A wolf of the year will probably weigh 60 pounds + with old large males possibly approaching 140#......Frank Glaser [Alaska's Wolf Man by Jim Rearden] was a government wolf trapper and hunter and he mentions a couple wolves weighed in at 160# with one exceptional wolf at Chicken, Alaska that exceeded 200 pounds....

I'd love to smoke one of those big bastages. To a long time coyote hunter they are large game for sure. No experience here, but it would seem a 130 gr. .270 Winchester would be prime wolf poison. I wonder if they would respond to howling better than prey sounds if calling? Maybe a mix of both prey distress and howling?

ScottM: I also am getting excited to Hunt Wolves here in Montana this fall!
I plan on being in position on opening day with my Remington XR-100 in 204 Ruger caliber - as I wish to be the first person to legally take a Wolf with a 204 Ruger here in Big Sky Country!
Of course I was also excited last year about this time when our first "legal" Wolf Hunt was planned for September. The greens and the "anti's" did of course successfully obstruct that Hunt though - I wonder if the head turds at the rmWf foresaw the horror the Wolves have heaped on the Moose, Bighorns, Elk and other game animal herds hereabouts when they went head over heels and financially supported the transplantation of Canadian Wolves to Montana, Idaho and Wyoming?
Dimwits to say the least!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Personally Scott I feel that your 25/06 would be about model perfect!

What kind of quota numbers are they talking?

Lastly, about calling them in. I've called in two different packs now both times using regular old varmint calls. One pack came in while I was calling a bruin and the other pack I spotted set up on and got to tooting.

Either times I could of easily filled the air full of upper cuts on them.

Dober

Dober,

I am not Scott but the answer is 350 statewide in Idaho.

The F&G people I have talked with about are very upbeat with the feeling that it is going to be allowed this year.

drover

Dober, we gotta put in for a tag when MT decides to take the leap!
Ingwe

i'll theow out an optimistic question. any out of stat tags this year? if so where could i get info. thanks

jake

Check with the Idaho F&G dept, I have not checked their website, if there is nothing on it you might make a phone call to them.

drover

As I understand the quotas will be per region. They presented the management plan with each area having an established number they would be shooting for. (Pun certainly intended). Our area, which is southern and southeast Idaho, will be managed for 0-4 packs. Which I take as very few wolves because they were never intended to get this far south (imagine that). I have no idea what central and northern Idaho's management numbers are, but suspect they will have to have more. I only know this because they specifically laid out the proposal at the last F&G meeting I attended. Things certainly could have changed but this was seemingly their final proposal.

Another point of interest that I asked about was the possibility of a point system in the future. I was told they do have plans in place but lack the funding from the legislature to implement it. I was told it is modeled after Nevada's points system.

FWIW, Scott

Wolves are chicken [bleep] but they do die hard.

Scott - your post is clearer than mine, I was aware of the region but forgot to mention it. The 350 is to be a statewide total, I have not checked on a region by region basis.

I am looking forward to it regardless of the numbers.

drover