By Mike Koshmrl, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will post signs in the Gros Ventre Range warning people to stay away from wolf traps as it begins today to monitor the area’s population.
The state agency isn’t certain where in the Gros Ventre it will set the live traps, Game and Fish carnivore specialist Mark Bruscino said in a phone inter-view from Cody. That will depend on distribution and wolf signs in that part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Hikers and others should follow the instructions on the signs, he said.
“It is critical that members of the public heed these signs and do not venture into posted areas,” his agency said in a statement.
Trapping will continue through June 15. Maintained “system” trails would not be closed, Bruscino said.
There are several reasons the agency doesn’t want people to get too close to traps, he said, including the danger to pets.
“There is a possibility for dogs to be caught,” he said.
Another worry is humans could scare off wolves. Finally, a captured wolf needs no additional hassles.
“We certainly don’t want to cause any disturbance to a wolf that is trapped,” Bruscino said. “The calmer they are the better.”
The effort to trap wolves, collect data on them and place radio collars on some is part of an effort that’s been ongoing for 17 years. Since wolves were restored to the ecosystem in 1995, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been conducting similar operations annually.
Now, with Wyoming responsible for managing the population, the state must report regularly to the federal agency about numbers and genetic diversity. The Endangered Species Act requires the coordination.
The state also needs information as it shapes its own management parameters, including hunting seasons. Trapped animals are immobilized, processed, released on-site and monitored in accordance with standard wolf capture and handling techniques, Game and Fish said.