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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIdaho lawmakers: $2M aimed to kill more than 500 wolves
BOISE -- Republicans promoting Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's* proposed $2 million fund to kill wolves say they hope the cash helps reduce Idaho's population of the canine predators by more than 500 animals, to just 150 wolves in 15 packs.
Rep. Marc Gibbs of Grace and Sen. Bert Brackett of Rogerson on Monday told the House Resources and Conservation Committee money set aside with Otter's proposal will bolster Idaho's predator arsenal.
Idaho now has about 680 wolves, according to Department of Fish and Game estimates.
Brackett says the priority is to keep wolves delisted, even with these proposed killings.
http://www.ktvb.com/news/politics/Lawmakers-2M-aimed-to-kill-more-than-500-wolves-242291431.html
* - His real name!
PumpkinAle
(1,210 posts)until all wildlife is eradicated.
Chuuku Davis
(564 posts)One adult wolf eats a deer every 10-12 days
I go (went) there to take wildlife photos for years
Not enough photo ops now to make the two week trip
Beringia
(4,314 posts)Elk mortality factors included hunter harvest (52 percent), mountain lions (30 percent), wolves (7 percent), malnutrition (7percent), and unknown predation (4percent).
Deer mortality resulted from lions (32 percent), hunter harvest (18 percent), accidents (14 percent), unknown causes (14 percent), wolves (9 percent), roadkill (9 percent), and malnutrition (4 percent).
In addition, deer numbers are limited in the region by habitat condition and weather both of which can significantly impact deer populations.
Lukens, Jim. "Idaho, eleven years with wolves: what we've learned." News release, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, April 25, 2006.
http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=114947
bhikkhu
(10,708 posts)Their impact on deer is far less than road kill. If you wanted to talk about elk, that would be a different story; over the last 15 years there has been a 20% reduction in the Idaho elk herds - from 103k to 125k. . Some would say that's a reduction down to a manageable number.
If you go out and don't find any animals to photograph, wolves aren't necessarily to blame. I work with some avid hunters, and every year hear an abundance of hunting stories. Most people who fill their tags are just happy and proud, most people who didn't fill their tags find something to blame, the last few years its either wolves or Obama (though neither frequent our region).
PumpkinAle
(1,210 posts)This is from Wisconsin but could easily apply to Idaho:
According to the Wisconsin DNR, "Each wolf kills about 20 deer per year. Multiply this by the number of wolves found in Wisconsin in recent years (630), and approximately 13,000 deer may be consumed by wolves annually.
This compares to over 40,000 deer hit by cars each year, and about 450,000 deer shot annually by hunters statewide. Within the northern and central forests where most wolves live, wolves kill similar numbers of deer as are killed by vehicles (about 13,000), and about 1/10 of those killed by hunters (127,000 in 2008). Wolves are a factor in the deer herd, but only one of many factors that affects the total number of deer on the landscape"
Here is a good article from the Montana Pioneer - http://www.mtpioneer.com/2014-January-Top-Yellowstone-Expert.html
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)Plenty of deer, stray dogs, and feral cats to eat here.