Wolf hunts in Idaho

[Tater]

Not sure if this is the best spot for this but I couldn't think of anywhere else. Anyway, Idaho finally set the harvest limit for wolves at 220. Let's see if it does any good. Story from the Idaho Statesman:

Hunters will be able kill a maximum 220 wolves in Idaho this season. Idaho Fish and Game commissioners set the limit for the state's first wolf hunt at their meeting Monday in Idaho Falls. The quota represents 25 percent of Idaho's wolf population.

The commissioners voted 4-3 for the hunter harvest limit of 220, rejecting a plan that would have allowed hunters to take up to 430 wolves.

Wolf hunting seasons are scheduled to begin Sept. 1. Tags are scheduled to go on sale Aug. 24.

Defenders of Wildlife said in a press release that it plans to file an emergency motion to suspend the hunts and temporarily place wolves back on the endangered species list.

Last month, wildlife officials in Montana voted to let hunters shoot 75 wolves starting in mid-September

[M.T. Pockets]

Good deal. Here in MN we have more wolves than the entire Yellowstone ecosystem and nobody has even brought up the topic of a hunt.

[multibeard]

Every time we think that we might get to actually control the wolf population in Michigan some bunny hugging judge puts them back on the endangered list.

There was a thread on another site about the Idaho wolf hunt. Can't remember the number of tags that were sold. It was over 10,000 if my feeble mind remembers right. Shows you how many sportsmen want to help control the problem.

[Tater]

I'm not sure how many tags were sold but the harvest limit was set somewhere around 220, which is about 1/4 of the total population. A total of 4 have been taken legitemately and one dumba$$ poached a female. The judge said that he's not making a decision right now but think that, in the future, he will probably side with the environmental groups on suspending the hunts. I know that the area I used to hunt elk is now almost devoid of elk because of the wolves. I've also talked to several friends who are now looking for new spots to hunt deer and elk. The wolves are really getting out of control but at least the gov't is doing something about it, even if it is about 3 years late. We'll have to wait and see how this first season goes.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

It's unfortunate that wolves are being controlled in the courts, instead of in the outdoors, as they should be. Michigan residents voted several years ago for "sound scientific management"......that turned out to be a crock of B.S. after the recent defeat of our dove season and the current wolf fiasco! As long as there are large populations in big cities that are fed and believe the 'bambi' version of wildlife (where all the little animals dance and sing in the forest on a bed of pretty flowers), we will have those that feel that NO animals should be controlled....they'll do it themselves. The resulting calamity of up and down cycles will be catastrophic. The fact that MI's DNR tries to play down the amount of deer taken by wolves with propaganda from the antis doesn't help matters either.
....but in the mean time, wolfs will continue to eat all the elk, domestic dogs, and eventually children....but that's O.K. as long as they are able to 'dance and sing'.

I don't think anybody wants to see wolves eliminated from their areas, but to reintroduce a species without a plan for the eventual population boom that will most likely occur due to federal and state protection is not only stupid, but criminal.......and, sadly, typical of most government run programs.