10-20-2010, 05:13 PM
From KTVB today:
BOISE -- Gov. Butch Otter is warning Idaho hunters not to shoot wolves they see chasing elk, a reversal of his stance just a day ago.
On Monday, he announced Idaho was relinquishing wolf management duties in protest of the federal government's refusal to allow a public hunt.
After a press conference in Boise, Otter told The Associated Press that federal laws allow hunters to shoot wolves they saw pursuing elk or moose. But he clarified his position Tuesday.
Otter still believes big game are Idaho's "livestock," and that residents should be able to protect them like any livestock owner.
But actually shooting a wolf would likely be a violation of federal law.
Otter is still hoping for federal permission to kill dozens of wolves in northcentral Idaho's Lolo region he blames for reducing elk herds there.
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BOISE -- Gov. Butch Otter is warning Idaho hunters not to shoot wolves they see chasing elk, a reversal of his stance just a day ago.
On Monday, he announced Idaho was relinquishing wolf management duties in protest of the federal government's refusal to allow a public hunt.
After a press conference in Boise, Otter told The Associated Press that federal laws allow hunters to shoot wolves they saw pursuing elk or moose. But he clarified his position Tuesday.
Otter still believes big game are Idaho's "livestock," and that residents should be able to protect them like any livestock owner.
But actually shooting a wolf would likely be a violation of federal law.
Otter is still hoping for federal permission to kill dozens of wolves in northcentral Idaho's Lolo region he blames for reducing elk herds there.
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