http://www.idahostatesman.com/...fe-agents-shoot.html


Federal wildlife agents shoot 14 wolves

The Associated Press

Posted: 7:30am on Feb 23, 2012; Modified: 11:55am on Feb 23, 2012






LEWISTON, Idaho — Federal wildlife agents report they have shot and killed 14 wolves from helicopters in northern Idaho as part of an effort to help restores the elk population in the Lolo zone, an area long considered home to the best elk herds and habitat in the state.

The three-day operation was carried out earlier this month at a cost of $22,500 by agents with the USDA Wildlife Services and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Wildlife managers believe that a sustained reduction in wolf numbers will allow the Lolo elk herd, which has been severely depressed since the mid-1990s, to rebound. State wildlife officials have long had a goal of reducing wolf numbers in the area along the upper Lochsa and North Fork of the Clearwater rivers, once renowned for its elk hunting.

"We'd like to see one of Idaho's premier elk populations recover as much as possible," said Jim Unsworth, deputy director of Fish and Game.

The wolf population in the area has also been diminished by hunters and trappers in recent months. Through Wednesday, the state reported sportsmen had taken 22 wolves from the Lolo, while another six wolves were shot from helicopters last spring, bringing the total of known wolf kills to 42.

Before the start of the hunting season, the Lolo zone wolf population was estimated at 75 to 100, with additional animals crossing back and forth between Idaho and Montana.

Biologists said the biggest problem for Lolo elk herds was a long-term change in the habitat. But state officials also blame growing numbers of bears and mountain lions. Hunting seasons on those predators were liberalized and managers expected elk numbers to slowly climb. But as the herds continued to shrink and blame was placed on the increasing number of wolves moving into the area.

Recent studies by Fish and Game researchers now show wolves are the primary cause of death in female elk in the Lolo and of calves more than 6 months old. Researchers have said the habitat is capable of supporting far more than the 2,000 elk estimated to be in the area.

Statewide, Fish and Game officials report that hunters and trappers had killed 318 wolves since the public hunting season opened last fall. Most hunting and trapping seasons end March 31, but wolf hunting will be allowed in the Lolo and Selway zones through June.

The department has a goal of reducing the number of wolves in the state, but has not set a target population or limit.

That whole article is great news.
Did they run out of bullets?
Why did they stop shooting them?

Bravo! If they had shot a few PETA/HSUS nut jobs in addition to the wolves it would have been the perfect weekend!

A function that of course we all know shouldn't of had to happen in the first place, but more to the point should have been a revenue source for Game agencies via lottery and permits for trapping/ hunting the wolves instead of spending $22K on gov. expenses.

Seriously, we/ they couldn't find 1 or 6 private citizen trappers in N Idaho willing to make the effort to reduce the wolf herd? Yea yea, I know they could, they just wouldn't.

Hunters have killed 11,trappers have caught 11
6 were removed this spring and 14 more make 42!!
doesn't it just warm your heart
Good partner of mine was on the chopper
Said they hung collars on 8 more including one he called 160 Lbs.
sent me a pic, I'll ask if I can share.

Here ya go, One big Fuggin dog

Now if they'd only do the same for PETA members we could restore the rest of the west.

That's a pretty good start. Hope the concept of control in this manner continues.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:
A function that of course we all know shouldn't of had to happen in the first place, but more to the point should have been a revenue source for Game agencies via lottery and permits for trapping/ hunting the wolves instead of spending $22K on gov. expenses.

Seriously, we/ they couldn't find 1 or 6 private citizen trappers in N Idaho willing to make the effort to reduce the wolf herd? Yea yea, I know they could, they just wouldn't.

That one is easy! If they offered more tags, or hunts, or allowed private trappers to do the dirty work...they'd probably have to deal with more BS from the bunny huggers or whatever, PITA . If a government agency does it, they can tell everyone else to pound sand, done deal.

What a majestic animal. Regardless of its nature.

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:


Here ya go, One big Fuggin dog

14 wolves for 22,500. Definitely Government at work. Now, if they'd let a bunch of hunters at em, there might be some positive economic benefit to be had here.

Grizz

I think that's the nicest wolf I've ever seen!!

yes, big, fuzzy, furry and best of all D E A D !

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
yes, big, fuzzy, furry and best of all D E A D !

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:
Hunters have killed 11,trappers have caught 11
6 were removed this spring and 14 more make 42!!
doesn't it just warm your heart
Good partner of mine was on the chopper
Said they hung collars on 8 more including one he called 160 Lbs.
sent me a pic, I'll ask if I can share.

Will u ask your friend what they shoot with from the helos?

Perry

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
yes, big, fuzzy, furry and best of all D E A D !

Umm, not dead. Appears he's getting a new necklace.

Impossible to please everyone but seems to me that with a liberal season and tags/permits available they still weren't able to reach their goal of wolves taken by sportsmen so they took matters into their own hands, which I think is GREAT!!!! If for $22k we can see a rebound in the elk numbers then I for one think it is money well spent!!! I think ID F&G deserves a lot of credit for taking the initiative with such a sensitive issue. Well done!!

Regards,
Scott

I think the 22k was for the 14 dead
AND the 8 collared.
Bout 3 days flying work.

Perry
3.5" 12 gauge auto

wolf in the pic was collared and released.
Look at the foreleg on that wolf!!!
Man in the pic weighs 190#

I used to hunt the lolo for elk, I would say it's a good start. at 500$+ a non resident tag it isn't too much if Elk hunters come back. After all 63% of their money comes from outside the state.

Good to see.

Elk in the Lolo zone started tanking long before the wolves got there.
Used to hunt in the area in late 80's early 90's

One fall we found dozens of winter kill elk in one area.
Ironically the lack of logging and century of fire fighting hasn't helped either.
It's a rainforest in the lolo area. clear cut areas grow back pretty thick.

Back when I hunted the area (pre wolf) you'd find the elk in the clear cuts and sometimes in teh dark timber.
It's a beutiful area, but hunting can be tough especial in the dark timber.
there is something about those big cedars that is pretty enchanting.

The season is still open thru the end of march. No shortage of tags.

Looks like the feds shot almost as many in a couple days as hunters and trappers took in 6 months.
I'm sure access would be tough with all the snow.
Hopefully the elk will begin to rebound from the 20 year skid. Having wolves take out a good chunk of the calf crop sure doesn't help.

Peta and bunny huggers in Northern Idaho???
Hmm, you walk into a c-store in Orofino with camo and a side arm and you won't get a second look. Now if you are wearing a BSU shirt that may raise some eyebrows.

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
That whole article is great news.

How is this great news? It's actually sickening.

Our government spent over 22,000 of OUR money on "solving" (short term) a problem that shouldn't have existed in the first place and in the second place people would have bought tags and paid to hunt them.

If there was any justice to this story it would be great news in the since it would be the proof needed to convict and jail those responsible for the whole shameful event. How does willful mus-use of federal funds sound?

I believe the State of Idaho spent THEIR money.
Came off pretty cheap too IMO
22k for 3 day of chopper,fuel,ground crew bioligists,federal shooter,recovery, and capture/collar/release of 8 other wolves.
We can find an angle to bitch about just about anything but AT LEAST SOMETHING is being done to reduce the numbers and impact.
The LoLo is TOUGH country to hunt and trap and the public did all they could do.

Hard to kill too many wolves. Fewer is better in most places.

That was my thought.

If sport hunters and trappers aren't taking the required numbers of wolves or any game species then adjust the quotas, fees, seasons, methods of take accordingly. White tail deer and snow geese are obvious examples. Bighorn sheep have had that unlimited tag area in Montana for quite a few years and what? Hunters are required to call in evry 24 hours or some darn thing to check on the closure?

If the USFWS had so much extra money they had to come up with new programs like wolf re introduction they should have considered a tax cut.

Idaho

You know, the more I look at that pic, the more amazed I am. I've spent a fair amount of time around wolves in a captive setting and while some of the males got pretty big, they weren't anything in comparison to that bugger being collared!!

His legs are huge but his head is absolutely enormous!!! Guy's wearing a helmet and it's still dwarfed in comparison.

Must be photoshopped

Great pic!

Regards,
Scott

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:

If the USFWS had so much extra money they had to come up with new programs like wolf re introduction they should have considered a tax cut.

Scott
You obviously don't know how public service budgets work. Spend it all and if your not short and begging for more because of the shortfall you haven't ran your department correctly. If your budget doesn't need to grow every year you will be replaced with someone who knows how to do it.
Create programs (like Wolf reintroduction that not only cost money then they need more money to manage and eliminate problem wolves) that continue to cost everyone more money every year.
Perfect political science. If you were self employed and tried the same business tactics you wouldn't last the year.

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by Scott King:

If the USFWS had so much extra money they had to come up with new programs like wolf re introduction they should have considered a tax cut.

The problem with that, Mr. King, is that they robbed millions of dollars from the Pittman Robertson funds to do that wolf introduction and have never payed it back. According to Jim Beers, a USFWS retiree, the amount may approach $70 million!

quote:

Originally posted by reddy375:
What a majestic animal. Regardless of its nature.

Agreed. By far the nicest wolf i've ever seen.

Does anyone need a hunting partner for the next wolf season? I'd love to have a rug for my trophy room

quote:

Recent studies by Fish and Game researchers now show wolves are the primary cause of death in female elk in the Lolo and of calves more than 6 months old. Researchers have said the habitat is capable of supporting far more than the 2,000 elk estimated to be in the area.

If the wolves are the primary killers of cow elk and calves, how the hell will the elk return to sustainable numbers without knocking out little fuzzy.

Look, I worked for a furrier in Reading, Pennsylvania from 1985 until 1986. Coyote is one of the coolest coats for a man. Wolf coats should be just as elegant.

I think I see a market.

I'll be satisifed when wolves are extinct in the lower 48.

Sincerely,

Chris Bemis

quote:

I'll be satisifed when wolves are extinct in the lower 48.

Then you are pissin in the wind...

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:

quote:

I'll be satisifed when wolves are extinct in the lower 48.

Then you are pissin in the wind...

Beautiful wolf. Should make a nice coat, if you can find about four to five others, too.

Yeah, they used to say that about President Reagan, when he said he was going to wipe out the USSR.

We'll see.

Sincerely,

Chris Bemis

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:

If the USFWS had so much extra money they had to come up with new programs like wolf re introduction they should have considered a tax cut.

Scott
You obviously don't know how public service budgets work. Spend it all and if your not short and begging for more because of the shortfall you haven't ran your department correctly. If your budget doesn't need to grow every year you will be replaced with someone who knows how to do it.
Create programs (like Wolf reintroduction that not only cost money then they need more money to manage and eliminate problem wolves) that continue to cost everyone more money every year.
Perfect political science. If you were self employed and tried the same business tactics you wouldn't last the year.

You've got me pegged.

There is a hell of a lot of good news in this report. First the taking of 318 wolves so far this year is a big increase over last year. I believe last year was around 240. If the population estimates are correct of around 1000 wolves in Idaho then the taking of 318 is close to 1/3 of the population. We should see some decrease in total numbers at these rates. I was concerened that we couldn't control the wolf population with sport hunters and trappers but it now looks like it might be possible.

465H&H

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:
There is a hell of a lot of good news in this report. First the taking of 318 wolves so far this year is a big increase over last year. I believe last year was around 240. If the population estimates are correct of around 1000 wolves in Idaho then the taking of 318 is close to 1/3 of the population. We should see some decrease in total numbers at these rates. I was concerened that we couldn't control the wolf population with sport hunters and trappers but it now looks like it might be possible.

465H&H

Sorry, none of my business I know, but I wonder if you guys can encourage your dept of fish and game to be as flexible as possible regarding methods of take.

I was thinking, if the harvest goal was "X" and you hadn't made it to a set percentage of "X" in the first days or weeks or months of the season, you broaden the method of take to include something more liberal like electronic callers. If you still didn't get your percentage by the next calender point you increase the bag per permit to 2 or 4 or 6. As I mentioned before like the snow goose hunts that have now been liberalized in many different ways.

Just thinking outloud.

Scott,

The IDF&G has been very forward thinking on regulations. This year they added electronic calling and trapping to the legal methods of take. That probably accounts for the increase in take over last year.

465H&H

They need to have the same "rules" on wolves that we have here in Texas on coyotes and mountain lions.
No tags necessary, no closed season, no bag limit. You can shoot them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with artifical light, and bait.

Even with all that we stoill have a bunch of mountain lions and a BUNCH of coyotes...

BUY they are not a big factor in our wild game populations.

If you think taking out 1/3 of the population is going to reduce it you're wrong. Taking 30% of wolves only maintains the current population, you need to take above 30% to affect numbers.

NE450, That is what Wyoming wanted to do and that is why Wyoming isn't hunting wolves yet! Unfortunately you have to play by the rules and that is by managing the wolf to keep a certain number around so they don't go back as a Endangered species.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
They need to have the same "rules" on wolves that we have here in Texas on coyotes and mountain lions.
No tags necessary, no closed season, no bag limit. You can shoot them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with artifical light, and bait.

Even with all that we stoill have a bunch of mountain lions and a BUNCH of coyotes...

BUY they are not a big factor in our wild game populations.

With those rules they would be back on the endangered list in a heart beat and there wouldn't be any hunting at all.

465H&H

[QUOTE]Originally posted by calgarychef1:
If you think taking out 1/3 of the population is going to reduce it you're wrong. Taking 30% of wolves only maintains the current population, you need to take above 30% to affect numbers.[/QUOTE

Based on research done in Canada and Alaska, it is generally accepted that if humans achieve a harvest rate of 20%, it will stabilize a wolf population. That is the best data available at this time. For the lower Rocky Mountain Region it may be a little above or below that rate. Only time will tell. It looks like the total harvest for this year by sport hunters and trappers will be around 330 to 340. Add to that the number of wolves taken by government trappers and shooters and we approaching a harvest rate of 40%. If the estimated pre-season Idaho wolf population is indeed around 1,000. The wolf population will definitely be reduced this year. Parvo is starting to show up in some wolf populations which will add a further mortality factor.

It was questionable as to whether we could stabilize or reduce the Idaho wolf population by using sport hunting and trapping. That question appears to have been answered. The 30% figure given above includes natural mortality along with the human caused mortality.

465H&H