Will the number of wolves killed on private lands (the new year-round policy) be reflected in the 2014-2015 harvest totals that are supposed to be updated weekly?
Answer:
This response is overdue and I apologize for that - it was my own oversight - I let it get buried and didn't get back to it until today.
Year-round hunting on private lands was in effect in 5 of our 13 wolf management zones during 2014. All wolves killed by hunters and trappers are included in the harvest totals on the web, and later in the annual report. Since you've waited so long for this answer, I thought it only reasonable to try to provide you some insight that I suspect you may be seeking. In looking at the 2014 wolf harvest data through early December, I come up with the following,
172 wolves have been taken through hunting and trapping from the start of the year through December 9th,
102 of these have been taken by hunters
13 were killed during the period when only private lands are open to wolf hunting (April though late August).
These numbers are tentative until the database is proofed at the end of the year, but I really don't expect the numbers to change very much beyond December harvest yet to come. Anyhow, I hope this clarifies and hopefully gets to the gist of your question.
Sincerely,
Jim Hayden
Staff Biologist
Answered on:
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 - 7:00 PM MST