North Idaho man kills wolf attacking his dogs
MULLAN, Idaho — A Shoshone County man says a pack of gray wolves is getting within yards of his home, and just Tuesday, he shot and killed one, while it was attacking his pet dog near Mullan.
The wolf’s body is still where it was shot, a black mark in the snow. It is the first wolf shot in North Idaho that’s been caught attacking a domestic pet.
“This morning they were out again,” says Barry Sadler.
Tucked in the woods of Shoshone County, Sadler’s property is a playground for wildlife.
Barry Sadler: “We’ve seen grizzly here,” he says, “and we’ve seen black bear and stuff.”
While many wild animals are considered dangerous by most, he’s never had to use a weapon to protect his numerous pets or family.
“I’ve never shot an animal,” Sadler says. “Never.”
That all changed Tuesday. Sadler says up to five gray wolves had been circling his home, coming within yards of his front door, and was now attacking his dogs.
“Three of them stayed on the dog that’s tore up,” says Sadler. “They kept biting her from the back.”
Sadler fired his gun once, saving his dog, but killing one wolf. Idaho’s Fish and Game Department says it was likely the first of what could be many, legal killings.
“Definitely, wolf activity is on the increase,” says Josh Stanley with Fish and Game.
Stanley says the gray wolf population in North Idaho is up roughly 30 percent since last year. And this time of year, they can be particularly aggressive, as the females are about to deliver their pups.
“They’re very territorial, wolves are,” Stanley says. “Guard dogs are territorial. If there are canines in the area, the likelyhood there will be a problem is very high.”
Sadler fears that with several dogs at his home, as well as other livestock, he’s only asking for more problems unless the wolves are removed. In the meantime, while Fish and Game looks for a solution, adler says his opinion in the debate over hunting gray wolves has changed.
“I was always the one that liked gray wolves,” he says. “I said they just kill to eat. But they don’t kill to eat, they’re glutten killers. They kill to kill.”
Of course, Sadler would like these wolves trapped, and shipped out of the area. Fish and Game, though, says it hopes to put radio collars on these wolves so it can track their movement