Kamaile DeLong
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) proposed a new gray wolf hunting regulation that will allow the killing of 58 wolves in 2018.
According to large carnivore biologist Ken Mills, the WGFD manages the wolf-hunting season based on efforts to maintain the same target population from year to year. The current target population outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation is 100 animals and at least 10 breeding pairs. A breeding pair is defined as a male and a female that live in a pack and raises at least two pups in a season.
According to a WGFD news release, “The total minimum population of wolves in Wyoming living outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation at the end of 2017 was 238, with 198 in the Wolf Trophy Game Management Area.”
Even with the mortality limit of 58 wolves, the estimated remaining population of wolves will be around 160, which is well above the target population of 100 animals.
Wolves are monitored using radio collars to gain an understanding of pack territory and movement.
Hunting seasons only apply to wolves in trophy areas; wolves can be killed at any time and for any reason where the WGFD manages wolves as predators, Chris Colligan, from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, said.
In addition, hunters will be responsible for checking the current mortality numbers prior to hunting in controlled areas, as well as reporting any kills the same day.
Wolves impact big game population numbers but have a much greater behavioral impact than anything else, Colligan said.
“The agency has some concerns, but in general, hunting opportunities in big game populations are still adequate,” Mills said.
Other concerns of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department:
According to the WGFD Laramie Wildlife Coordinator, Corey Class, chronic wasting disease is a prevalent and fatal disease that occurs in white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, reindeer and moose. It was first documented in 1985 but is believed to have started in or near the Laramie region in the 1960’s. This disease is spread by prions that can exist in the soil for several generations. Animals can get infected by eating plants growing in contaminated soils, as well as through direct animal-to-animal contact.
CWD causes a sponge-like appearance in brain tissue as nerve cells die due to abnormal protein growth. This disease spreads rapidly, and there is no known treatment or cure. Class said that management focuses on decreasing the prevalence and slowing the spread of the disease.
Elk are the main prey of gray wolves, but there are other animals, including livestock, that fall prey to the predators. In areas where wolves are managed as trophy animals – even for part of the year – the WGFD is in charge of investigating the cause of death amongst livestock and compensating livestock owners if a wolf caused the death. The areas that are managed as predator populations for part of the year and trophy populations for the rest of the year also have compensations for livestock killed by wolves year-round.
Contact information:
Written comments are accepted at all Department sponsored meetings, by standard mail at: Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Regulations, 3030 Energy Lane, Casper, WY 82064, or on the WGFD website at: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Get-Involved/Public-Meetings. Comments may not be submitted via email, fax or telephone. All written comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m., June 4, 2018.