Wolves and Prey
-
Idaho’s wolf management has opened a lot of eyes in the past month. With the recent coyote and wolf killing contest that killed 21 coyotes and no wolves, the hiring of a trapper by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to eradicate two packs of wolves in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness…
-
We now know the true story of the recently deceased 176 sheep near Fogg Hill in Eastern Idaho — frightened into stampede, but not killed by wolves. We have to ask ourselves, have past wolf “massacre of sheep” stories been similarly misreported? Back in 2009 near Dillon, Montana, there was much outrage, but few facts…
-
Todd Wilkinson has written another excellent opinion piece which appears in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. He compares the rhetoric coming from outfitters who complain that wolves are ruining hunting while simultaneously promoting their outfitting services by saying the hunting is better than ever. So who are we to believe – the outfitters who insist wolves…
-
I recently attended the wolf hearings held by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission in Helena. The commission is considering initiation of a trapping season, as well as eliminating quotas on the number of wolves that may be killed. The goal is to significantly reduce the state’s wolf population which currently numbers…
-
Testimony heavily against current hunt levels, but commissioners completely reject suggestions- Boise, ID. Wednesday night (March 21) the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Commission met at its headquarters. In attendance were approximately 40 wolf advocates and a handful who were on the opposite side. 39 people testified. Over 30 were against continuing the wolf…
-
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game issued a press release this afternoon stating that in early February, USDA Wildlife Services killed 14 wolves from helicopters in the Lolo Zone. They say that it was done in an attempt to reduce predation on the elk herd. The press release goes on to say that “[i]n…
-
Beyond 4 wolves in a chase, success falls because of “free riders-“ The idea that big wolf packs menace elk more than small ones when it comes to killing them just isn’t so according to a new study of Yellowstone wolves. Researchers found that hunting success falls beyond 4 wolves not because wolves get in…
-
The sage grouse population of Idaho has been in steep decline for years. It is now getting to the point where hunting has declined to a one-week season where hunters are limited to one bird a day. It seems a bit odd to me that there isn’t more outrage by the hunting community over this…