Submitted by Rocky Barker
If you want to see the logical progression for Idaho’s wolf management look north to Alaska.
Idaho is hoping to reduce wolf numbers in the Lolo region through the use of aerial gunning and hiring trappers to kill wolves. Alaska has already gone there even allowing wolf pups to be gassed in their dens and hunters to shoot wolves from airplanes.
Now they want to increase snaring of grizzly and black bears and even use aerial gunning to help improve the moose population. The new “intensive management “ program is too much even for some hunters, reports Kim Murphy in the Los Angeles Times.
Watch for animal rights groups to begin national campaigns and lawsuits against Alaska. It also might trigger a state-federal stand-off over using the practices in wildlife refuges, which covers mllions of acres of the state.
Right now Idaho hopes to be able to manage wolves through hunting and trapping in most areas of the state. Hunter so far have killed 190 and trappers have taken 49.
Its not the slaughter that wildlife groups feared but it has exceeded the last full season’s take of 188 in 2009-2010.
The Idaho Trappers Association pushed Fish and Game to require trappers to take a course before trapping to ensure that a bunch of amateurs didn’t catch their neighbors’ dogs or even kids.
“We that trap all the time don’t want a black eye,” said Pat Carney, president of the statewide group.
Trappers are getting good results but we will have to wait and see how many conflicts come up. The trade that goes back to the frontier days of the West is a tough sell with many in modern society.
But most people would prefer private trappers help manage wolves compared to aerial gunning and gassing pups in the den by government agents.
Still the big question will be whether they kill the wolves where they are the biggest problem, namely the Lolo. Curt Mack, who manages wolves for the Nez Perce Tribe knows that area very well.
“It’s really difficult to hunt wolves in that area,” Mack said.
Overall, the state’s wolf population has stabilized, he said.
Fish and Game suggests there are about 1,000 wolves in the state. Hunters think it’s more.
Mack, who probably knows as much as anyone about Idaho wolves comes down on the lower side.
“There’s probably not as many wolves as people thought,” Mack said.