Wolf Report: Guide Kills Wolf

On September 25, an Idaho hunting guide in the upper Lochsa River in the Clearwater Region killed a wolf he said was harassing his stock in camp. The incident is under investigation. Under federal law, licensed outfitters who use livestock to operate their business on public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and have a valid permit, may protect livestock on federal public lands. They may, without prior approval, kill a wolf in the act of attacking their livestock. The outfitter, however, must provide evidence that his animals were attacked, and the incident must be reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 24 hours. Elsewhere, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services, October 12, confirmed that wolves killed five ewes on a Boise National Forest grazing allotment on Horse Heaven Creek, northeast of Idaho City. Because of the number of deer hunters in the area, however, no traps were set. On October 7, Wildlife Services confirmed that wolves killed a calf on private land just west of Sheridan Reservoir, east of Kilgore. Traps have been set with the intention of killing up to two uncollared wolves. On October 10, Wildlife Services could not find enough evidence to confirm a report that a wolf had attacked and injured a guard dog and killed a ram and a ewe on a Sawtooth National Forest grazing allotment on Bluff Creek near Fairfield. The investigator determined it a probable wolf kill. In Idaho, the mid-year wolf population estimate was for 788 wolves in 75 packs with 41 breeding pairs, which is up from 2006 with 673 wolves in 69 packs and 40 breeding pairs. This year, 36 cows and 150 sheep have been confirmed as wolf kills, and 40 wolves have been killed. In 2006, 29 cows and 205 sheep were confirmed wolf kills and 45 wolves were killed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers the wolf recovered in the northern Rocky Mountains and has started the process to remove the wolf from the federal endangered species list. The Fish and Wildlife Service's weekly wolf reports as well as annual reports, can be viewed at http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/.