02-20-2008, 11:15 PM
I wouldn't doubt there were 60 wolves killed in Wyoming last year. 43 wolves were killed by the government in Idaho in 2007. There were another 7 killed by ranchers protecting their livestock. Another 26 were died of natural mortality, poaching, road kills, etc. Keep in mind there were likely many other wolf deaths that were not reported.
Even with this much mortality in one year the wolf population in Idaho is still growing at an exponential rate. The current population estimate is 730 wolves. That is just an estimate. The actual number could be much higher. Currently there are 43 confirmed breading pairs. Again, the actual number is likely higher. The goal was 10 breading pairs.
Unfortunately our fishing/hunting license dollars are going to be paying to manage wolves when wolf management is turned over to the state. IMO wolves should be managed close to original goal of 10 breading pairs. Wolves should also be limited to onlyn areas of the state where they have enough space to roam so there is less human/wolf conflicts.
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Even with this much mortality in one year the wolf population in Idaho is still growing at an exponential rate. The current population estimate is 730 wolves. That is just an estimate. The actual number could be much higher. Currently there are 43 confirmed breading pairs. Again, the actual number is likely higher. The goal was 10 breading pairs.
Unfortunately our fishing/hunting license dollars are going to be paying to manage wolves when wolf management is turned over to the state. IMO wolves should be managed close to original goal of 10 breading pairs. Wolves should also be limited to onlyn areas of the state where they have enough space to roam so there is less human/wolf conflicts.
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