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Logcutter,

You can kill a wolf that's attacking livestock or dogs on Federal land, but you're right, you'll be dealing with the Feds after the fact. There are certainly more hoops to jump through dealing with the Feds.

On any other state and private lands you'll now be dealing with the state game & fish (according to the revised rules).

This is one of the reason why delisting is so important - it turns all management over to state authorities outside of the YNP boundaries - the locals make the call.

I suck at Idaho geography, but I�m thinking the Clearwater area you mentioned is the Lolo Zone?

Bring a gun, leave the leash, bells at home
Guest Opinion - Priestley, IFB

The Idaho Fish and Game Department sent out a news release June 12 advising residents how to keep their dogs from being ripped to shreds by wolves.
F&G warns pet owners that other canines are intruders in "wolf habitat" and if you take your dog into the backcountry wolves may eat him. In addition, because of the Endangered Species Act, there is nothing you can do except scream and yell if wolves attack your pet on public land.
These warnings come on the heels of a wolf attack near Grangeville wherein a bear hunter lost two dogs, paid several hundred dollars in veterinary bills to repair a third dog and nearly became a victim himself. Hunter Scott Richards wrote about the attack in a first-person account. According to Richards, when he came on the scene of the attack he attempted to scare the wolves by screaming and yelling, resulting in one of the wolves turning on him. If not for a counterattack from his dog, Richards believes he would have been taken down. When he found his second dog, her stomach was ripped open and she had more than 60 bite marks over her body.
"It's very difficult to describe the type of death these dogs were handed," Richards wrote. "It was easy to see that the wolves want to cripple their prey, torture it and then kill it. I have never seen any worse way for an animal to die."
In another recent incident, children watched as two wolves entered a backyard in Troy and carried off their dachshund. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, an investigation could only confirm "that wolf tracks and scat were within 150 yards of the house."
In a third recent incident, a Sun Valley couple stated in a public meeting that initially they supported wolf reintroduction, but since their dog was killed by wolves, they changed their minds. Similar reports have come from Mountain Home, Challis, Leadore, Salmon, Stanley and Council.
An increasing number of incidents coupled with the Idaho Fish and Game department's press release warning us about entering "wolf habitat" with dogs begs the question where is wolf habitat? Is it in the backyard?
The F&G news release further warns us to keep dogs on a leash because "dogs running loose, away from people, may attract wolves." And "if the dog runs loose, bring a leash to restrain the dog if wolves or wolf sign are encountered." Further F&G advice is to make noise or put a bell on your dog's collar "to alert wolves that humans are associated with the dog."
According to the U.S. FWS report, Scott Richards' dogs were wearing bells and Richards was screaming at the wolves when one of them lunged at him. In our opinion, the Fish and Game's advice is about as much good as a chicken wire canoe.
Along with declining big game herds and livestock losses that are sucking the life out of many small towns, we now need to take extra precautions to protect our families and pets. Along with the millions of dollars our government is spending on wolf management, these are some of the costs associated with living with wolves. Here's some honest advice that our F&G officials overlooked; if you recreate in the backcountry with your dog, take a gun and leave the leash and bell at home.
By Frank Priestley, president of the Idaho Farm Bureau.