Montana & Idaho Wolf Situation

[IdahoHombre]

So it appears that all these MT ranchers caught wind of my great idea of instituting wolf bounties, and are running with it!

Isn't this the second county in MT that's attempting it?

What's going on over there guys? You think they can really pull this off?

Meanwhile, Gov. Otter has been in D.C. asking for money to assist IF&G's wolf management program. I wish at some point he would just call it quits entirely in this respect, and find alternate ways to fund the management and reimbursements to ranchers. But anyway, that's what's up.

 

[shoots-straight]

They can give money for wolf kills in the form of a bounty, but they have to be legally killed animals. A lot to do about nothing right now. If it goes to the state level, we go back on the list. Game over.

 

[IdahoHombre]

Thanks. Interesting. So does MT have a date set for the opening of the next wolf season?

 

[fowladdict]

\Meanwhile, Gov. Otter has been in D.C. asking for money to assist IF&G's wolf management program. I wish at some point he would just call it quits entirely in this respect, and find alternate ways to fund the management and reimbursements to ranchers. But anyway, that's what's up.

I read that article today. The statesman claims hunters and trappers have "wiped out" 1/3 of the wolf population last year. I'm curious as to how many of you think the Idaho fish and game wolf counts are reasonably accurate. If we "wiped out" 1/3 of the population that means we only have 900 wolves. AND that doesn't include what was shot by ranchers, agents and through the aerial gunning. I don't believe there are 5,000 wolves in Idaho (like some of the anti-wolf people do), but I do have a hard time believing that hunters and trappers have put a dent in 1/3 of the population.

 

[Big Fin]

Thanks. Interesting. So does MT have a date set for the opening of the next wolf season?

Yup. First Saturday in September.

 

[IdahoHombre]

I don't believe there are 5,000 wolves in Idaho (like some of the anti-wolf people do), but I do have a hard time believing that hunters and trappers have put a dent in 1/3 of the population.

I have a pilot friend who used to take IF&G biologists around to count wolves back when wolves were still listed. I don't think he's doing it anymore, but he said that wolf counts are "educated guesses." And they are definitely finding out that in N. Idaho that there's more wolves than they educatedly guessed; that's pretty much admitted.

I think your statement is probably rightly balanced.

 

[shoots-straight]

Yup. First Saturday in September.

But that would be for archery only, and it's not cast in stone yet. We have to go through the tentative process in a month or so. I think they pretty much know what they are going to do. Everything except snares, and short of shoot on sight. I hope they decide to stay open at least to mid March.

 

[Elkmagnet]

I read that article today. The statesman claims hunters and trappers have "wiped out" 1/3 of the wolf population last year. I'm curious as to how many of you think the Idaho fish and game wolf counts are reasonably accurate. If we "wiped out" 1/3 of the population that means we only have 900 wolves. AND that doesn't include what was shot by ranchers, agents and through the aerial gunning. I don't believe there are 5,000 wolves in Idaho (like some of the anti-wolf people do), but I do have a hard time believing that hunters and trappers have put a dent in 1/3 of the population.

Did they happened to mention that by the end of this breeding season the population will be the same as it was before the hunt if not larger?
I have already told the idaho statesman that 1 of the biggest reason I did not renew their paper was there biased under educated reporting on the wolves. I would encourage others to call or write the idaho statesman everytime they wright pro wolf crap like that. Everytime somebody who is neutral about hunting read an article like that an anti hunter is created. Remember all it takes is ignorance and emotion.

 

[trevore]

Fin:

Did they decide to reduce the non-res price on the wolf tags? Or is that still up in the air?

Did they set the end date? Going to be Feb-March of '13?

Thanks

 

[devon deer]

Fin:

Did they decide to reduce the non-res price on the wolf tags? Or is that still up in the air?

Did they set the end date? Going to be Feb-March of '13?

Thanks

You pipped me to the post there, when we applied for our NR Elk/Deer combo tag during the week we considered the wolf tag, but not at an additional $350, $35 maybe.
So if we come across a wolf on our hunt we will give it a wave instead of some lead!
Cheers
Richard

 

[Big Fin]

Fin:

Did they decide to reduce the non-res price on the wolf tags? Or is that still up in the air?

Did they set the end date? Going to be Feb-March of '13?

Thanks

Nothing has been finalized yet. Tentative proposals will be announced in May and put out for public review. The final proposals will be adopted at the Commission meeting in June.

All things within Commission purview will be paart of that proposal. Many items are outside of Commission powers and will need legislative change.

I doubt the tag fee issue will be part of that, as in Montana, all fees are set by the legislature. Our legislature will not recovene until January 2013, so change before then is unlikely,

Lots of people are ticked at the Department of FWP for the high Non-resident fee. They had ZERO control over that. The legislature set the price and FWP has no choice but to follow the legislature.

I am sure people reading these recent threads are starting to realize just how much interference the MT legislature can cause in the task of wildlife management in Montana.

There are hunter/angler groups working their tails off right now to see that we swing the pendulum back toward the middle and slow the legislative impacts. It will never cease, but hopefully we can get them to understand that wildlife is too important to have "armchair biologists" who are elected, not trained, making these decisions after nothing more than a half-hour of legislative committee hearings.

The mantra among MT politicians is that we need less government. I tend to agree with that. I only wish they would follow their own words when it comes to fish and wildlife issues.

 

[tjones]

The final proposals will be adopted at the Commission meeting in June.

.

Finaled in July, I think. Hell I may be wrong.