Draft Wolf Comment Analysis

Idaho Department of Fish and Game Proposal to Reduce Wolf Numbers In the Lolo Elk Management Zone Analysis of Public Comments February 2006Idaho Department of Fish and Game Proposal to Reduce Wolf Numbers In the Lolo Elk Management Zone Analysis of Public Comments Background Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced into Idaho in 1995 and listed as an experimental nonessential population under Section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Thirty-five wolves were reintroduced and by 2005, an estimated 600 wolves (61 packs and 36 breeding pairs) were well distributed from the Panhandle to southeast Idaho. In February 2005, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) modified the 10(j) rule which details State options for management of wolves impacting domestic livestock and wild ungulates. The provisions of the 10(j) rule fall do not allow the state’s preferred management tool of regulated hunting. However, under Section (v): “If gray wolf predation is having an unacceptable impact on wild ungulate populations (deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, antelope, or bison) as determined by the respective State and Tribe (on reservations), the State or Tribe may lethally remove wolves in question. In order for the provision to apply, the States or Tribes must prepare a science-based document that: (1) describes what data indicate that ungulate herd is below management ...