Idaho Digs a Deeper Wolf Management Hole

By Ken Cole On January 17, 2014 

 

 

Idaho’s wolf management has opened a lot of eyes in the past month. With the recent coyote and wolf killing contest that killed 21 coyotes and no wolves, the hiring of a trapper by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to eradicate two packs of wolves in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness (9 have been killed by the way), the lawsuits in response, a packed Idaho Department of Fish and Game Commissioners meeting, and Governor Otters proposal to create a “wolf control board”, there has been increasing attention being paid to Idaho’s draconian approach to wolf management.

Press coverage has been international in scope and many voices, who usually remain quiet, have been raised in response to these actions. Despite this, Idaho Department of Fish and Game yesterday approved its elk management plan which includes aerial killing of wolves and ongoing killing of wolves in wilderness to increase elk populations.

Notable voices such as Dr. Maurice Hornocker, who conducted groundbreaking research on mountain lions in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, and Dr. Jim Akenson, who has conducted years of research on wolves and ungulates from the University of Idaho’s Taylor Ranch in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, have both spoken out in opposition to the government wolf killing in the wilderness.

In an article published in the Idaho Statesman, one of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game commissioners, Randy Budge, admits “My concern is, do we alienate large groups of people that have feelings about wilderness whose support we need for management outside the wilderness?”

But that doesn’t seem to faze one of the newest members of the Commission, Brad Corkill, who told the Idaho Senate Resources Committee that he’d be happy to see all wolves disappear from Idaho and that he supports “a very aggressive program” to reduce wolf populations. It also doesn’t faze Custer County Commissioner Wayne Butts who testified before the IDFG Commission on Wednesday night that “Custer County is looking at putting a bounty on wolves.”

I doubt the scrutiny over Idaho’s wolf management is going to die down anytime soon. It seems we are just seeing the beginning.

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