After being hunted to near-extinction, wolves were reintroduced to the northern Rocky Mountains a decade ago. More than 1,200 now live in the region. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to start removing Federal protections from gray wolves in Montana and Idaho in the next few weeks.
A couple of weeks ago Idaho’s governor, C.L. “Butch” Otter, announced he will support public hunts to kill all but 100 of the state’s gray wolves after the Federal government strips them of protection. Gov. Otter has stated that he wants hunters to kill about 550 gray wolves in his state. That would leave about 100 wolves, or 10 packs, according to a population estimate by State Wildlife officials. The 100 surviving wolves would be the minimum before the animals could again be considered endangered. The wolves are seen as a threat to the state’s big game hunting industry. State Wildlife managers have advised the governor to allow a few more than 100 wolves to survive so they don’t go back on the endangered species list if a few of the 100 should get hit by cars, or fall prey to poisons or harsh winters and the number falls below 100.
If you’d like to get on a petition opposing the hunt, Click here
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just let your mind wonder a bit and think Wolf as you are meditating the subject.
my brother has been watching it happen.
Sorry RD, nothing is ironic about the way wolves kill. Sorry more misunderstanding people can not live around them and really see what this killing machine is capable in doing. I know it is not seen by all, so they need to keep out of the conversation until they spend time on their own watching and seeing what happens
I’m back, as the commercial says “one less”
3 tags filled, deer, elk, and of course you know!
rd says:
October 30, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Ah…it’s been awhile. The ’sport killing predator’ line is pretty ironic. Are you referring to the ’sport’ of killing?
Spoken like a true liberal. If the hunters were “sport killing” wolves like the wolves have been proven to kill other species, the hunters would have to eat the back-side out of the wolf and leave it to die. Since it’s illegal to leave any big game you’ve shot in the field, the answer would be, no, he wasn’t referring to the sport of killing.
Unfortunately I still have my tag. The area just north of me only had 5 wolves allotted for harvest, and they’ve already been harvested. Time to break out the map.
Idahomie
Good some still understand the non-ironic messages and get to the meat of it. Like your post, says it right down the line the way it is.
Congrats to you Elk Hunter
Its interesting to see how the elk are coping with the wolves. Once where they used to graze in the meadows, out in the open, they now stay in the deep thick areas of the forest. They hear any sound and they will move away slow and steady, trying not to make any noise they can be tracked by. They now stay quite and rarely talk to each other as in the past, trying not to give a dinner call.They have gone to a stealth mode for survival.
The elk can manuver around in the steep,dark stuff better than a wolf and stand a better chance of survival than out in the open – smart – The big problem for wolk hunters is trying to catch them out in the open now. Oh yes I forgot to do that now we just have to watch the cattle for a chance for a wolf. Up on a ranch where wolves are chasing cattle instead of elk, they are getting the easy meal. But are being taken. 129 of 220 today, over halfway there.
Harvest Information
Last Updated: November 4, 2009
Please call 1-877-872-3190 1-877-872-3190 for the most up-to-date information on harvest limits and closures.
Wolf Zone Harvest Limit Number Harvested Limit Remaining Status Season Dates
Panhandle 30 8 22 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
Palouse-Hells Canyon 5 2 3 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
Lolo 27 5 22 Open Sept 1 – Mar 31
Dworshak-Elk City 18 13 5 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
Selway 17 4 13 Open Sept 15 – Dec 31
Middle Fork 17 11 6 Open Sept 15 – Dec 31
Salmon 16 2 14 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
McCall-Weiser 15 14* 1 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
Sawtooth 55 23 32 Open Sept 1 – Mar 31
Southern Mountains 10 5 5 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
Upper Snake 5 5 0 CLOSED Oct 1 – Dec 31
Southern Idaho 5 — 5 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
TOTALS 220 92 128
* One killed illegally before season opened.
Wolf zones close when harvest limits are met.
This story has a lot of misinformation. Wolves were not “hunted” to near extinction. They were poisoned and or trapped. Hunting alone was not enough.
The second paragraph is pure propaganda. We have over 1000 wolves in Idaho and only 220 will be hunted. The population grows around 26% a year.
As the wolves have depleted the game in the wilderness they have expanded into the wildland urban interface and are impacting rural communities.
Humans have been part of nature since we started walking on two feet and habituated wolves ended up either in the cooking pot, domesticated or warm clothing.
Wolves need to be managed – they belong in the wilderness – but not in our “villages”.
You sure dont hear anything on the TV anymore from the wolf lovers and their lawsuit. It’s gotten to be a forgotten cause I think. Or maybe ?? they see the true reason for the wolf hunts???? I sure do miss them :) :0 I see we have taken (reported) 98 with 122 left to fill the quota. One of my rancher freinds says the wolves are finding out their not the top of the food chain anymore and are fewer and farther apart. Has anyone heard how the Montana hunt is going?
http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/planahunt/wolfStatus.html
Wolf Hunting Season Status
Status updated: November 13, 2009
Updated weekdays by 1:30 PM. For weekend updates call 1 (800) 385-7826 1 (800) 385-7826.
Wolf Management Unit Quota Number Harvested Number Remaining Status
1 41 31 10 Open.
North Fork Subunit 2 2 0 Closed.
2 22 18 4 Open.
3 12 13 0 Closed.
Harvest
Harvest Information
Last Updated: November 9, 2009
Please call for the most up-to-date information on harvest limits and closures.
Wolf Zone Harvest Limit Number Harvested Limit Remaining Status Season Dates
Panhandle 30 10 20 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
Palouse-Hells Canyon 5 2 3 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
Lolo 27 6 21 Open Sept 1 – Mar 31
Dworshak-Elk City 18 13 5 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
Selway 17 4 13 Open Sept 15 – Dec 31
Middle Fork 17 11 6 Open Sept 15 – Dec 31
Salmon 16 3 13 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
McCall-Weiser 15 15* 0 CLOSED Oct 1 – Dec 31
Sawtooth 55 25 30 Open Sept 1 – Mar 31
Southern Mountains 10 6 4 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
Upper Snake 5 5 0 CLOSED Oct 1 – Dec 31
Southern Idaho 5 — 5 Open Oct 1 – Dec 31
TOTALS 220 100 120
It sure is quite, I have a new song for the wolf lovers. It uses the music from “Where have all the flowers gone”
Where have all the huggers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the huggers gone, long time ago?
We know where all the wolves have gone.
Idaho is going to extend its season in a number of units to insure management of the wolf is succesful.
A great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up.
Wolf Harvest Information
Last Updated: December 1, 2009
Please call 1-877-872-3190 1-877-872-3190 for the most up-to-date information on harvest limits and closures.
Wolf Zone Harvest Limit Number Harvested Limit Remaining Status Season Dates
Panhandle 30 12 18 Open Oct 1 – Mar 31
Palouse-Hells Canyon 5 4 1 Open Oct 1 – Mar 31
Lolo 27 6 21 Open Sept 1 – Mar 31
Dworshak-Elk City 18 18 0 CLOSED Oct 1 – Dec 31
Selway 17 6 11 Open Sept 15 – Mar 31
Middle Fork 17 13 4 Open Sept 15 – Mar 31
Salmon 16 3 13 Open Oct 1 – Mar 31
McCall-Weiser 15 15* 0 CLOSED Oct 1 – Dec 31
Sawtooth 55 26 29 Open Sept 1 – Mar 31
Southern Mountains 10 8 2 Open Oct 1 – Mar 31
Upper Snake 5 5 0 CLOSED Oct 1 – Dec 31
Southern Idaho 5 — 5 Open Oct 1 – Mar 31
TOTALS 220 116 104
* One killed illegally before season opened.
samuel
What does that have to do with wolfies.
Nothing, This cause has been lost. We are now managing our wolves as we see fit in Idaho, and the rest of the world is now off in another direction on another cause. You dont see or hear anything anymore about the wolves.
That’s the way it should be. Guess there are a few die hards around, though.
This look like pretty good Wolf control on the state level instead of the state level. Fed leave us alone we are able to take care of our problems. you have no idea what goes on out here in the West because you are to lazy to get out of your cozy little castles back east.
Wolf Harvest Information
Last Updated: December 14, 2009
Please call 1-877-872-3190 1-877-872-3190 for the most up-to-date information on harvest limits and closures.
Wolf Zone Harvest Limit Number Harvested Limit Remaining Status Season Dates
Panhandle 30 13 17 Open Oct 1 – Mar 31
Palouse-Hells Canyon 5 4 1 Open Oct 1 – Mar 31
Lolo 27 7 20 Open Sept 1 – Mar 31
Dworshak-Elk City 18 18 0 CLOSED Oct 1 – Dec 31
Selway 17 6 11 Open Sept 15 – Mar 31
Middle Fork 17 14 3 Open Sept 15 – Mar 31
Salmon 16 4 12 Open Oct 1 – Mar 31
McCall-Weiser 15 15* 0 CLOSED Oct 1 – Dec 31
Sawtooth 55 30 25 Open Sept 1 – Mar 31
Southern Mountains 10 9 1 Open Oct 1 – Mar 31
Upper Snake 5 5 0 CLOSED Oct 1 – Dec 31
Southern Idaho 5 — 5 Open Oct 1 – Mar 31
TOTALS 220 125 95
* One killed illegally before season opened.
According to IF&G I can buy another tag on Jan 1st and shoot another wolf for 2010. Two trophies for my wall.
Statesman editorial analyzes wolf regs and other wildlife issues in 2010. http://www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/1022594.html
Here is a good web page for the wolf lovers.
Also for hunters that want to be informed.
http://mainehuntingtoday.com/bbb/2010/01/06/two-thirds-of-idaho-wolf-carcasses-examined-have-thousands-of-hydatid-disease-tapeworms/
Wow, IDAHO, thanks for the eye-opening article! I’ve been following the debate for quite a while now…this would’ve been nice to cite for my college paper on this subject! What now hippie pipe-dreamers! Wolves are now carrying a silent biological weapon. It scares me enough to go out in the woods and have to look over my shoulder for the big bad wolf, but now I know I have to be careful! I’m glad to see the enthusiasm the great State of Idaho has for controlling the wolf populations. It’s about time we told Judge Molloy to STFU! And I realize many of you tofu eating, Prius loving hippies think Idaho is “white trash” (cited from an earlier poster, john?)…think again mofo. I’m 20 years old. I’m a girl, and I go to college. My education is proudly paid for by timber dollars and by my parents own HARD WORK. Idaho has the most loyal, hard working people in this nation. I’m surprised it hasn’t seceded from the union. Unlike the rest of the United States, we take care of our problems. While our “FABULOUS!” president (he doesn’t deserve a capital P for President, mind you) Obama is banning texting for truck drivers, or solving petty issues that do nothing to help our economy or national security, we’re solving our major issues. Thank the Lord that we aren’t as stupid as some of the world. We’re happy in or little corner of the Earth, we’re happy living our simple, peaceful lives, and we’re happy with the way we go about our business! Now, I know you can’t just back the hell off, because hippies are rather annoying and bothersome, but as I said before in this blog: Leave us alone. We leave you alone, don’t we?
Good shot UIDAHO, A PERSON AFTER MY OWN HEART
As I said before don’t “Calinornicate” Idaho, we can run our state the way it should be ran.( Not like Arnold)
Also as I said before:
All the blissful people( tree hugging, whale loving,Subaru driving, wolf lovers) need to worry about their own state not ours!!!
you better be watching out for the westsiders of Washington along with the Californians. I think they are making a sneak attack and people in Idaho and Eastern Washington do not realize it. BEWARE
Noooooo, wolves don’t eat people…. Did you guys see this story? I like how they say it’s the first wolf kill in recent times, “the first known fatal wolf attack in the U.S. in modern times”, and then mention another one in the middle of the article. “The only known previous fatal wolf attack in North America over the last 100 years occurred in 2005, when a young geology student was attacked and partially eaten by a pack of wolves in northern Saskatchewan.” Three paragraphs later it’s back to denial, “But we don’t have any other case on hand that we’re aware of where someone was actually killed by a wolf.”
Gotta love the lib media, if people die after taking enough crack to kill ten elephants and then the cops have to Taze them after they have actively resisted arrest for 15 minutes, it was the Taser that killed the crackhead. Had nothing to do with the crack despite the common knowledge crack kills and tens of thousands of donut eating cops have been tazed while certifying to carry tasers with no known side effects.
If a body is found chewed up surrounded by wolf tracks, there was no video so the wolves didn’t do it because they’ve never killed anyone before.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-wolf-attack13-2010mar13,0,4711796.story
Hey rd, thanks for the link to the Statesman article. I really enjoyed the comments the readers made.
188 taken for 2009, lets see what they set for limits for 2010.To maintain a controllable number because of births this year, I assume there will be another hunt this fall. It sure has gotten very quite here, the wolves are off the radar for now but it will liven up when the new hunt is announced. I love hearing what all sides have to say, wheather it makes sense or not. So all you blissful people, we await your thoughts.
Signed: One person, one opinion, one Idahoan, one hunter, and one trophy.
The wolf hunt has been announced for 2010, looks like another good year for hunters!! They might have a 2 tag limit per hunter.
Anyone that thinks the “gray wolves” were EVER endangered has been duped by the misinformation that was spread about wolves. Those lies were spread so the Feds could bring in a NON-NATIVE species of wolf. Why? So “folks” could have a chance a seeing those “marvelous creatures” and hear their howling without having to go to much trouble or expense, that’s why. It was a tourism scheme from start to finish and the business is doing quite well. Your tax dollars paid for it.
This misguided idea was, at best, just well intended foolishness or possibly an outright criminal enterprise. Its hard to say for sure. Most likely a blend of both as seems nearly anything the Feds get into.
The feds broke plenty of laws as well as their own regulations to bring those non-native wolves to America. Lets be clear, it was NOT a “reintroduction program” at all. They brought a non-native species here and created an ecological disaster within a year or two of getting it underway. That is what the Canadian Timber Wolf INTRODUCTION program has become, a disaster!
It is unlikely that they can be exterminated now by any/all combination of techniques discussed herein. If the wolves were moved to the UNPROTECTED list (like coyotes) they would still be there 50 years from now just like the coyote. A predator that is as capable as the Canadian Timber Wolf needs no help from man. With every man’s hand turned against them they might be able to be brought under control. Short of that kind of effort only the roller-coaster cycle of disease will do the job. Even then they are here to stay. The real question is how bad will the situation have to get before people are willing to “do the right thing” about the wolves.
The Canadian Timber Wolf should never have been brought to the lower 48. Now that they ARE here, the truly native Rocky Mt. Gray Wolf really is threatened. The two species can not exist together in peace and harmony. The Canadian Timber Wolf is the superior animal by far. Guess which species will soon be extinct!?! The same one all this nonsense was supposed to “save” in the first place, that’s which one!
If you [reader] don’t understand the truths I just wrote here then there is a lot about wolves that YOU don’t know.
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will meet Monday, August 16, in Idaho Falls.
Commissioners will consider proposed season dates, harvest limits and methods of take on gray wolves
Another legal chapter in this ugly battle. States lose the right to manage wolf populations. Wolves put one in the win column:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38583831/ns/us_news-environment/
I own a cabin in I daho and have hunted, fished, hiked, rafted, skiied…basically ejoyed all the wonderful outdoor activities that Idaho has to offer. It is a beautiful state and all the rest of the country would benefit by spending some time there. The “reintroduction” of the wolf is a misnomer. The species introduced into Idaho is not and has never been native to the area. it is the much larger and much more social Canadian Timber Wolf. The wolf population has now exceeded the goals set at the time of the “reintroduction.” I personally have witnessed the destruction of whole herds of deer. Mule deer are becoming extinct, moose that were common in our area, east central Idaho are now nearly gone. I have not seen a moose in about 3 years. And the elk herd have been decimated as well. When my wife and I were there the first of August, we had to help drive some of our neighbors cattle back up the road as they were nearly on the highway after having been chased by wolves. One calf was dead, one cow was crazed and couln’t be handled. It’s real people.
I understand the “Dances with Wolves” mentality. The romance of the lone wolf howling on a mountain side. But we are way past that.
The wolves are not native, they are destroying native species and desrupting peoples lives as well as killing domestic animals. The wolves are not endangerd. They need to be hunted and managed. They would not be welcome in New York, Kansas, or California…why not let Idaho run Idaho?
I was up elk hunting last week and did not hear a single wolf as I heard many last year. The reason was not endangered or over managed, they just moved on because there was nothing to eat left in the valley. But as Butch says – if you or your property are endangered by wolves- protect yourself and your property and then let thr feds figure it out.
Wolves are not killing-machines. Wolves kill simply just to eat and survive! Maybe the killing-machines are us humans, why do we hunt for sport? Entertainment? Why do you think killing something is entertaining? Wolves do not kill animals for entertainment, also humans HAVE NO RIGHT to control a population. Wolves do not kill livestock because its entertaining! Wolves may only do that because the hunters take all the elk away, so the wolves are forced to eat the livestock. Wolves do not attack humans either, that is RARE! Wolves are not demons, wolves are native to the world, everything is native to the world. And maybe the deer that are disapeering are being hunted by humans, so shut up about its ALL THE WOLVES fault. Maybe its just are own. Also Mike Molter shut up about wolves messing up peoples lives. How about not the wolves move, WHAT IF YOU STUPID HUMANS MOVE! Wolves were there first. Save the wolves!