Idaho’s Wolf Hunting Rules Will Be Ineffective, Illegal
January 21, 2009
I may be putting the cart before the horse here somewhat in anticipation that eventually the gray wolf in parts of this country will be removed from federal protection and put back in the hands of the states. If and when that happens will the current plans to manage wolf populations be effective? In fact, will authorities be able to have any control at all over wolves with the plans they have?
Idaho has some serious problems with their wolf management plans. I suspect that in the next issue of the Outdoorsman, we will all be educated by the editor and publisher, George Dovel, to the extent of which the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has overstepped their authority in creating wolf management plans. (This is all part of dealing with a fee increase being requested by the IDFG Commission.)
I got a bit of a peak into what we might expect in the Outdoorsman and came to realize that Idaho’s rules that IDFG has established for hunting wolves, should the day ever come to pass, will be inadequate to control wolf populations.
According to the information provided by George Dovel, the only wolf management plan the state of Idaho has ever approved is the Idaho Wolf Conservation and Management Plan of March 2002. This plan was approved as part of HCR 134. It is important here to note that on page 24 of the Idaho Wolf Conservation and Management Plan it states that:
IDFG will update this plan periodically and submit any changes to the Idaho Legislature as if it were a new plan submitted for approval, amendment or rejection under Section 36-2405, Idaho Code.
There are some key issues in the Idaho wolf management plan that should be addressed. First, as part of HCR134 it points out once again that the state of Idaho is on record with the House Joint Memorial 5 in 2001 asking the Federal Government to remove wolves from the state.
On Page 4 we are reminded what the Idaho Constitution says:
The Idaho Constitution, Article 1, Section 1, states: “All men are by nature free and equal, and have certain inalienable rights, among which are enjoying and defending life and liberty; acquiring, possessing and protecting property; pursuing happiness and securing safety.” The Governor’s Office of Species Conservation shall begin immediate discussions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to define how the rights guaranteed by Article 1, Section 1, will be preserved and recognized. Without management, conservation is overcome by conflict.
Also on page 4 of the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, it states the following:
If it can be shown that wolves can expand their range without causing unacceptable conflict, they will be allowed to do so. However, population growth is unlikely to be controlled by sport hunting. In general, regardless of their location, wolf packs that are not creating conflict will be allowed to persist.
There are several other portions of the plan that clearly defines the wishes of the state of Idaho. It becomes clear the state is interested in providing a sustainable wolf population but at levels that will not conflict with the Idaho Constitution that guarantees its citizens the freedom to protect property, be safe and prosper.
But for the purposes of this article, the one point I wanted you to pay close attention to is when the Idaho Legislature clearly pointed out that sport hunting would not work in controlling wolf populations. Here is that statement again.
However, population growth is unlikely to be controlled by sport hunting.
I pointed out early in this article that George Dovel, editor/publisher of The Outdoorsman, stated and supports through his own research, that the March 2002 Idaho Wolf Conservation and Management Plan is the ONLY plan approved by the Idaho Legislature and I’ve provided you with fact that that plan states that no changes can be made without the approval of the legislature. This has not been the case.
Dovel points out that on March 6, 2008 the IDFG Commission approved the Idaho Wolf Population Management Plan for 2008-2012, without the approval of the Idaho Legislature. This illegal plan is the one that is being used by IDFG to manage wolves and also in creating rules for hunting, which they say will be used to control wolf populations. (I might also add that this plan is the one the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is using as an “approved” plan as part of their delisting process.) The legislature in the passage of the Idaho Wolf Conservation and Management Plan prohibits fish and game from changing that plan and also states that sport hunting is unlikely to be able to control wolf populations.
In addition to the new and illegal Wolf Population Management Plan, which states that the state will manage for 500-700 wolves, are far cry from the 100 the state was told, fish and game has stripped all means of being able to hunt wolves from those wishing to pursue the animal during a hunting season.
Essentially, those wishing to hunt wolves are restricted to a gun, bow or muzzleloader, period. These are not the same rules used in managing other predators such as bears and mountain lions. These kind of restrictions render the notion of hunting as a viable means of wolf population control useless and reeks of a backdoor attempt at more wolf protection by the IDFG.
In Will N. Graves, “Wolves in Russia: Anxiety Through the Ages“, he writes extensively on methods used over the years in attempts to control wolf populations. Clearly we need to take a few lessons.
Graves discovers in his research into the Russian people dealing with wolves for many, many years that first, it is absolutely necessary to control wolf populations and two, it is extremely difficult to do and has to be done continuously.
He shows repeatedly that when Russia put forth efforts to reduce wolf populations that as soon as they stopped any kind of population controls, wolf populations rapidly bounced back. Graves writes in Chapter 9, page 119: “When one listens to people who want to protect wolves and one does protect them, then soon there are so many wolves that it is difficult to bring their numbers under control. The help of the wolf as a “sanitarian” of nature is not needed, as humans have the experience and means to manage wildlife properly. Humans need and can use the meat that was used by the wolves.”
But there’s more to this than simply stating that we need to control wolf populations. Graves lists in Chapter 10 all the methods employed by the Russians trying to figure out ways to control wolf populations.
1. Drive Hunting with Flags – Large squares of cloth tied a couple feet apart and strung by rope was used to force wolves to specified areas where hunters waited in ambush.
2. Drive Hunting Without Flags
3. Hunting Over Bait
4. Call Hunting – Use of man made calls that imitate sounds that will lure wolves.
5. Scouting for and Finding Dens – This is a method used by natives in Alaska and other parts of the world. Wolves often return to the same denning areas each year. Hunters would locate these dens, remove the cubs and kill them.
6. Hunting With Russian Wolfhounds
7. Hunting on Skis
8. Hunting From Horseback
9. Trapping
10. Using Poison
11. Hunting with Eagles and Falcons
12. Hunting From Light Aircraft
13. Hunting From Helicopters
14. Hunting From Snowmobiles and Vehicles
Combine any and all of the above mentioned methods with times that the Russian government added bounties to the heads of wolves, and still controlling wolf populations was extremely difficult using thousands of well trained hunters and trappers.
Of all the methods used, over time, with proper training and development of skills, the use of light planes and helicopters were the only viable means to control wolf populations. While all this may sound harsh to some people, the realities are that wolves just simply are not some regular game animal that you can hunt the same way we do other animals in order to control populations.
As extremely difficult and time consuming as Will Graves discovered it has been since the beginning of time to properly manage and control wolves in Russia, fish and game departments, like in Idaho, should not be so quick to rule out necessary tools for wolf population control.
Tom Remington
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Thats why two years ago after reading Wills book, I started hunting dens, I have located seven dens, between my home in Sun Valley and Lowman, four of those dens have paid IFG people standing watch at those sites, And Suzanne Stone is one of them..We are paying to have those dens gaurded. Three dens are in the wilderness…Nobody is on them…except me.. If I get my tag, my stuffed wolf will happen…But we will not get to hunt these wolves…This program will crash first, before the public outcry changes the forced re-introduction agenda…As usuall the IFG stats show elk numbers have been maintained for decades….LIARS. Nothing worse than LIARS.
It sure feels like we’re getting slapped in the face while our hands are tied behind our backs. Really makes me feel sorry for the younger hunters that will never know what it’s like to have the hunting we used to have before they dumped the wolves in our lap.
I should have said that Lynn Stone is the female kook baby sitting a wolf pack near Stanley Not Suzanne idiot stoned out her mind while on tunnel vision…
If IFG hs people standing watch over those dens does that mean there paying those people with money from our hunting tags? It’s bullshit if they are. They never asked any of us hunters about bringing them in and now their killing our elk and deer and we’re paying to protect the mutts. Just like the gov. giving to us from the front and theback at the same time.
One way or another we are paying for it…I have heard there is a group of trust funders in my area doing it for free….their terrified the wolves will be shot by some eco terrorist farber bin laden mother fo…haha. To bad my range is 350 miles out in all directions and the scum can’t keep up with me..
We don’t need to do anything except expose the truth…these fools are going to destroy their own mountain of lies themselves..their loving their wolves to death right now, no management, no hunts to cull wolves, wolves kill all the game and wolves starve to death or leave the state….these advocates are dumb shits.
[...] and not so successful methods used in Russia for centuries to hunt and or capture wolves. In an article I wrote last month, I told of those methods and how they might compare to the rules the state of Idaho has [...]
[...] and not so successful methods used in Russia for centuries to hunt and or capture wolves. In an article I wrote last month, I told of those methods and how they might compare to the rules the state of Idaho has [...]
[...] and not so successful methods used in Russia for centuries to hunt and or capture wolves. In an article I wrote last month, I told of those methods and how they might compare to the rules the state of Idaho has [...]
[...] and not so successful methods used in Russia for centuries to hunt and or capture wolves. In an article I wrote last month, I told of those methods and how they might compare to the rules the state of Idaho has [...]
you all are nuts. wolves belong in the eco system. they don’t need you to cull (murder) them. the attitudes expressed here are why people are becoming more and more opposed to hunting. the wolves are not killing the elk as much as you are. here’s the difference, the wolves can’t drive over to the grocery, fill up their cart. you can. you are killing their food for your selfish pleasure about wanting to shoot and kill something. grow up, read about the recovery of the aspen trees in yellowstone since the wolves have been introduced. humans should never try to control an eco-system. every time we have tried we have made a bigger mess. the wolves belong there.
When we lived closer to the land we had more appreciation for the life given to us. We could determine what the weather was going to do by observing the conditions around us. We organized our days by the seasons to plant and gather. To hunt and build shelter
We learned to control our environment as best we could to protect our crops and livestock. In our hears and with our conscience we could be good stewards with the gifts given. ( Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. I will produce thorns and thistles for you. and you will eat the plants of the field By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. Gen. 3: 17-19) Out of necessity man knew witch critters to keep control over . He had to protect his investments to live.
Sadly many , I should say Most have left the land and the closeness to God’s free gifts. And God himself. They rely too heavily on their sin natures to monitor their surrounds. We design and create to try to find easy ways to avoid the thorns and thistles of life and in doing so just create more.
We now have computer models to tell us if it’s going to be cold, How much rain we might get or snow, Even how to dress the kids for the Bus stop in the morning. We have Good Science and Bad Science.
Modern life is consumed with all that we have learned and how proud of ourselves we are. We are replacing God with new man made Gods. Save the Polar Bear, Protect the Wolf, the Whale just to name a few. We know we are not to do this. In all that we do. Glory and Praise belongs to God alone.
I agree that we are expected to be good stewards. To not allow greed to destroy all in pursuit of our own gratification. (How you all doing in our current situation?) How are we doing on our own? I’m sure not happy with the results are you?
If we could all just step back a bit and try to remember what is written in our hearts and consciences. To daily pick up the cross and follow Jesus then we will be healed these problems would be worked out. Our tower of Babble will fall. But in truth, (“Their are none righteous no not even one”). I’m included in this list along with the rest. What sets me apart is my belief in our Living God, and I am not ashamed of that. I despise sin and actively try to keep it out of my life.
Not
Under
The
Spell of environmentalist lies created in the Club of Romes think tanks and implemented in America under the United Nations Charter, Chapter 21 specifically known as Agenda 21, the guidelines for the 21st Century..Sustainable Development, Anti-Declaration of Independence, Private Property Rights..What whack jobs like TERRI would realize if they actually researched and read factual documents from our Congress and the United Nations TERRI would see that she her self is included in the UNSUSTAINABLE for America category included with modern hunting, TERRI do you ski ? Do you like Ski Runs and mountains..? Do you Ski SKATE ? Do you hike on mountain trails in wilderness area’s ? All unsustainable..Do you like to grow your own garden, ride horses ? Again unsustainable ! Do you live in a brick home with steel supports ? Again unsustainable ! Do you have a fish pond ? Thats unsustainable too ! Do you pasture your horse ? thats a no no TERRI, it is unsustainable ! I could go on all day, i don’t have time..to much real researching needs to be done, plus I must ready my package of information which goes with me to a Fish and game meeting next week.. Quite simply TERRI you are lacking in truthful knowledge…WOLVES ARE DESTROYING IDAHO ELK HERDS, and GOATS, and BIG HORN SHEEP, AND DEER…among other animal species…It is the truth..The local News reports support it, Idaho Fish and Game reports support it..and people who actually live here support it.. Wake up TERRI..GET A LIFE TERRI…you are mistaken..
http://www.freedomadvocates.org http://www.greenagenda.com
Oh and Terri, H.R. 875 in the house right now would outlaw your personal garden in your back yard…Thats right, growing vegy’s is gonna be UNSUSTAINABLE…And I really hate to tell you TERRI, but the economy is collapsing, the currnecy will soon fail..and the grocery store ain’t gonna be there no more…You better stock up on grub, and you might want to learn to dig roots, herbs, and hunt and fish…you might want to learn to depend on TERRI for food sources and not the nice grocer man down the friendly little paved road..You might want to get EDUCATED to TERRI….Nuts- Not Under The Spell- of Liars….You better get a clue…
Nuts is a complement thank you..
“We are ultimately responsible for the mess we are in. If my wife and I have to live in my pickup and get ready for work at the community gym, so be it. If we lose our jobs,( I have already lost mine) we will move in with our parents, and he will hunt and I will garden. We have never been on unemployment, welfare or other assistance. We are Americans. Our ancestors fought in the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and I have friends that fought in Vietnam. Our family has faced tougher foes than this economy and Barack Obama. We will do as true Americans do; we will not whine, we will persevere.”
Waste not, want not: Outside of Washington, it’s the renewed American way.
Hey fellas, I just got an e-mail that their trying to pass that HR45 bill thru with all the pork b.s. Has anyone else heard this? Hope the NRA and some other supporters are on top of it. Oh yea, George, keep your chin up bud and good luck with everything. We’re pulling for you.
[...] and not so successful methods used in Russia for centuries to hunt and or capture wolves. In an article I wrote last month, I told of those methods and how they might compare to the rules the state of Idaho has [...]
[...] and not so successful methods used in Russia for centuries to hunt and or capture wolves. In an article I wrote last month, I told of those methods and how they might compare to the rules the state of Idaho has [...]
[...] of what it will take. Past history has shown us that hunting – man with a rifle – will have essentially no effect on the [...]
You know I think things are starting to rock and roll on this site. Finally a place where I can be around normal people, with common sense.
I have been researching non-stop, as we should all be doing about this. Today I ran into an article: Wolves An outfitter’s point of view. It cited two documents about Yellowstone wolves.
One: National Parks Service Document, The Wolves of Yellowtone. Weaver l978
Says wolves rarely entered Yellowstone prior to l913. I need to find these documents.
Homework: Look up information on Yellowstone Wildlife at the turn of the century.
Two: Hornaday, Our Vanishing Wildlife. p 336 Yellowstone Animal Census, Official Government Document. Lists various animals and their numbers. Gray Wolves-Nothing.
All of us need to turn into biology students, and prove that the wolves like Teddy Roosevelt seen, were exactly that; few and far between, and not running in packs.
Does anyone know what Teddy Roosevelt’s book’s name was.
Thank you for Catch a Wolf for your interesting Russian information. I spoke to a Russian doctor when I was back East, and he about died when I told him about our wolf problem. He said I’m from Siberia, every school kid was taught that wolves eat people! That’s terrible, why would they do that to you?
NUTS
LOL! Well, Wolf tags went on sale today and in the same sentence the news radio tells us the enviros bought another MT. Judge. Funny, as usually someone out side of our state makes our decisions for us.
I don’t think it’s just our F&G anymore. Where is our fearless Gov. Otter of Idaho who probably won on the fact of dealing with the Wolf problem. I supported Otter and I’m beginning to wonder about ALL of our politicians in the state of Idaho. The Idaho I remember wouldn’t take this crap for this long in the first place. When is election time for everyone anyways? Maybe it’s time for the hard working common folk to start caring and start voting. I know life gets busy, but come on folks. Whats that saying ” The south will rise again” Maybe its time for Idaho to rise again to what it once was before everyone started migrating here.
If folkes think the management plan is some hunters fililng 220 tags is going to work. They need a dose of reality! Oh! And if you read the F&G web site it says try not to kill (not illegal) the collared wolves. So does that mean we only have 800+ collared wolves and who knows how many uncollared wolves we have? What a joke this has turned into. It’s funny but Alaska and Canada can only” kind of” control their wolfs with Air hunting, trapping, hunting. And our fish and game think 220 tags are going to control animals with the reproductivity like RATS! C’mon SSS
I don’t see what the big deal is?? I can play your game… I wasn’t asked if it was a good OK to re-populate the wolf packs. How do you like it? now I do as I damn well please just like our new government.
Its What you don’t know….
Hunting for food is necessary for any carnivorous/omnivorous animal’s survival. Even humans. But hunting for sport (on a large scale like this)? It makes me want to vomit, cry, and kick your ass all at the same time. The most common rationale I’ve heard for hunting wolves in Idaho and elsewhere – that they are interfering with “your” elk and deer?!?! That’s because they HAVE to to survive!!!! Besides they’re NOT YOUR elk. They belong to the earth. and come to think of it, no part of the planet belongs to you – YOU BELONG TO THE PLANET. If anything, the elk belong to the wolves and other predators, because they are the wild creatures who still exist within the ecosystem. There is a system of checks and balances in nature that for whatever reason humans are always bent on screwing with. Humans (well, modernized ones) have removed themselves so much from nature, any claims of ownership to a group of creatures is baseless and ludicrous. Please re-evaluate why you are compelled to hunt. Is it to be closer to nature? You can appreciate nature without killing it!!! That is the most backwards way to show your appreciation for something I have ever heard of.
PLEASE CEASE AND DESIST IMMEDIATELY. There are people who care immensely about this land and are watching your every move.
You might want to start watching the Russians, Chinese, and those Islamists who hate all Americans, Eventually they are coming calling, their planning to remove all of us, this means you to, steal all our lands, kill all the animals, and cut down all the trees, the Chinese men are very lonely as well, that female shortage in China I guess is a real bitch, then they’ll rape all the natural resources via strip mining and this New Chinese Russian Islamist nation will be the first largest polluter in the world with China and India following..We won’t care because we are all dead, including you, thanks the Agenda 21 of the U.N.C. and that stupid ESA bunkum, along with all the mystical Disneyism crap what screwed up your mind..
Notice how much we and china are turning each others’ economy over to the other. You can google earth and see their port of EXPORTS. Singapore as well. Japan has massive ship ports like china does.
There is a secluded port out singapore-way. a graveyard of cargo freighters out of commission and they may be the ones we don’t use anymore.
China is getting rid of their bicycles, buying cars and realizing money comes from working. Insentive is nine tenths of that law. They don’t have welfare and feel bad for the younger ones in this country, that are being duped over this wolf hoax. No one will read the history, they are too mad set against it – they don’t want to be wrong.
[...] Last January I said that the rules proposed by IDFG to hunt wolves would be ineffective. At that time I acknowledged that the initial hunt might see some success but the more the wolf is hunted the smarter it will become and the more difficult it will be to kill them. If IDFG insists on stripping hunters of tools to hunt the wolf, quotas will never be filled during future hunts. [...]
[...] Last January I said that the rules proposed by IDFG to hunt wolves would be ineffective. At that time I acknowledged that the initial hunt might see some success but the more the wolf is hunted the smarter it will become and the more difficult it will be to kill them. If IDFG insists on stripping hunters of tools to hunt the wolf, quotas will never be filled during future hunts. [...]
[...] Last January I said that the rules proposed by IDFG to hunt wolves would be ineffective. At that time I acknowledged that the initial hunt might see some success but the more the wolf is hunted the smarter it will become and the more difficult it will be to kill them. If IDFG insists on stripping hunters of tools to hunt the wolf, quotas will never be filled during future hunts. [...]