Wolf Sightings Sought by Idaho Fish and Game Biologists

Idaho hunters are urged to contact the Idaho Fish and Game Department with any sightings of wolves. Hunters are encouraged to report wolf pack activity, including numbers, color and location. Once a report has been made, biologists will attempt to verify the pack and then place a radio collar on at least one wolf within the group to monitor the pack's movement and activity. Gray wolves can be recognized by their long, low howl, broad snout, and round ears. A full-grown wolf is two and a half feet tall, five to six feet long and weighs between 80 and 120 pounds. Coloring can vary from black to white but are most often gray. According to Steve Nadeau, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game wolf program coordinator, "Central Idaho has a well established wolf population , and our ability to monitor these new and existing packs and maintain a decent population estimate depends a great deal on the public reporting sightings in a timely fashion." Currently Idaho has more than 40 documented packs well distributed across the forested areas of the State. Once wolves are delisted from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the State wolf plan requires that a minimum of 15 packs of wolves be maintained in Idaho, and once delisted Fish and Game plans on managing wolves as a big game animal similar to bears and lions. Public assistance in monitoring wolves now and in the future is critical. The more we know about the state's wolf population and distribution, the better they will be managed. To report a sighting, visit the Idaho Fish and Game website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/wildlife/wolves/report.cfm, or call your local Fish and Game Office.