Wolf Report: Wolf Managers Meet

On the same day that state and federal officials gathered in Boise to discuss the status of wolves and wolf management in Idaho, federal agents shot two wolves near Cascade. On December 20, the federal U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services removed two members of the Gold Fork Pack, shooting them from a helicopter east of Cascade. The wolves were killed because of repeated depredations on cattle and sheep throughout the past year, most recently in November. The adult gray male's carcass was delivered to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in McCall. The carcass of the second wolf, an adult, gray female, recovered later because of thin ice on a nearby creek, also was turned over to Fish and Game. Control took place on private land. Meanwhile, Idaho wolf managers and agency representatives met in Boise on December 20 to review status and management of wolves and discuss coordination, pending delisting, and other issues. Fish and Game wildlife managers also are working on hunting and population control plans in anticipation of removal of wolves in Idaho from the endangered species list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to announce the start of the delisting process later this month. In 2006, wolves in Idaho killed 27 cattle, 195 sheep, and four dogs - three hunting hounds and one guard dog. A total of 68 wolves were killed - seven were killed by livestock producers, eight were killed illegally, 13 were killed by other cause and federal wolf managers killed 40 wolves involved in livestock deaths and injuries. Wolves in Idaho have been listed as an endangered species since 1974. In 1995, a federal reintroduction program brought 35 wolves to Idaho. Today, officials estimate about 650 wolves in 70 or more packs, and 41 or more breeding pairs inhabit Idaho. Breeding pairs are defined as an adult male and female raising at least two pups through the end of year. Fish and Game staff members continue to work on aerial counts of radio-collared wolf packs across the state. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's weekly wolf reports can be viewed at http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/.