Wolf Management: Idaho Has a Proven Record

By Gary Power, Salmon Region Commissioner

Wolf delisting is once again on the horizon.

As the Idaho Department of Fish and Game prepares to assume management of this controversial species, groups on either end of the spectrum are doing what they can to forestall the delisting process. Those that support wolves believe that the state is set to eradicate the species while those opposed to the animals just as strongly believe that the state will not do enough to reduce wolf populations.

Both sides give wolves mythical stature and supernatural powers that cast the animal in either a positive or negative light. Such wide-ranging views illustrate how the wolf re-introduction and impending delisting process have been and will continue to be the most highly charged emotional issue facing wildlife management in the state.

Without a doubt, wolves are recovered in Idaho and the Northern Rockies. Their population is growing annually with a total population estimate of 1,645 wolves currently occupying Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Fifty-one percent of these animals live in Idaho. Based on historic production, the total number of wolves will increase to more than 2,100 in the tri-state region in 2009.

This is well above the recovery level of 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs in each of the three states listed in the recovery plan. Idaho's population is estimated to increase to a minimum of 1,100 this year.

Many groups have stated that wolf recovery and management should be science-based. This science-based approach has been used throughout the history of the wolf re-introduction project from its inception to re-introduction in 1995 and 1996, and biological recovery in 2002. Sound science provided the foundation for the first delisting rule published in 2008, but this rule was subsequently enjoined in a lawsuit. The science was recently reviewed by the present administration, and the new delisting rule published on April 1, 2009. While the political administrations changed throughout the process, many of the scientists originally involved with the project remain. World-renowned wolf scientists including Dr. L. David Mech and Dr. Douglas Smith have stated that the wolf is fully recovered in the Northern Rockies and should be delisted. In addition, the Nez Perce Tribe, which has played a major role in this project, has added its support to delisting.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is ready to move forward with wolf management in the state using science-based, adaptive management. The department has been involved on a daily basis with partial management of wolves in its role as a designated agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is now time for Fish and Game to assume full management.

It is in our collective best interests to properly manage wolves along with all other big game animals to prevent the listing or re-listing of any of Idaho's wild animals. In fact, Idaho code requires Fish and Game to preserve, protect, perpetuate and manage all wildlife within the state. More specifically, Idaho code states that "It (all wildlife) shall be only captured or taken at such times or places, under such conditions, or by such means or in such a manner, as will preserve, protect and perpetuate such wildlife, and provide for the citizens of this state, and as by law permitted to others, continued supplies of such wildlife for hunting, fishing and trapping." The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has taken its mandate seriously. More than 30 years of management of mountain lions and black bears illustrate the department's ability to successfully manage large predators as game animals.

Historically, both cougars and black bears were hunted indiscriminately. Idaho had no seasons or limits for either species. In fact, a bounty was paid on mountain lions until 1958. Although the bounty was eliminated, the mind-set remained that cougar populations needed to continue to be reduced for human safety and protection of deer populations.

Ironically, it was cougar hunters that worked with Fish and Game to get legislation passed in 1972 making the big cats a game species. Landmark research conducted by Dr. Maurice Hornocker, provided a scientific foundation to support the legislation. With cougar populations significantly depressed or non-existent in many areas, Fish and Game set seasons, limits, and area closures along with tagging requirements. Cougar populations rebounded, prompting the development of Idaho's first cougar management plan in 1986. The plan used the best science to insure the health of cougar populations as well as their prey animals. Season lengths, limits, and occasional quotas help reduce conflicts with livestock and prey species while maintaining a healthy mountain lion population statewide. Today, cougar populations are flourishing with an estimated 2,000 - 3,000 in the state.

Like mountain lions, black bears have a long history of indiscriminate hunting. Although they became a big game animal in 1943, management began in the 1970s as a result of extensive research efforts. Management objectives were instituted to monitor harvest and insure the health of black bear populations. Season limits and mandatory checks help maintain population objectives. They also allow for extra harvest to deal with conflicts between black bears and livestock, other wildlife, or humans, particularly in cases where bears have learned to associate humans with food. Through good science-based management, the black bear population in Idaho is healthy with an estimated 20,000 roaming the state.

The wolf has already been classified as a big game animal in Idaho. The Commission has adopted the Wolf Management Plan that was developed for wolves and is similar to plans used for mountain lions and black bears. This plan sets management objectives at between 500 - 700 wolves in the state. Regulated wolf hunting, as established by the plan, would occur during the fall. Hunters would be required to have a license, tag, and participate in a mandatory check. Limits would be applied to management areas statewide to include wolf mortality from all causes. As with mountain lions and black bears, harvest limits would be highest in areas with documented conflicts with wolves and livestock, and in areas where prey populations have declined below management objectives because of documented wolf predation.

The impact of wolves on elk varies around the state. Some units and zones show increasing elk populations. Other areas are of concern because elk numbers are decreasing rapidly. The Lolo Elk Zone in north-central Idaho is an area where wolves are definitely impacting prey populations. Long-term research on elk in this zone has scientifically demonstrated that wolves are responsible for 79 percent of mortality on cow elk. Wolves kill 67 percent of calf elk over six months of age. Over time, habitat conditions have deteriorated in this zone and management objectives have been reduced to reflect habitat changes. However, the elk population has continued to decline at about 13 percent each year. This zone is an example of an area where more liberal regulated hunting would be allowed to help reduce predation pressure on elk. In addition, control actions may also be implemented.

Depredation control has been used to manage wolves since their re-introduction. This type of control deals with problem animals killing cattle, sheep, or dogs. It does not, however, address the increasing number of wolves in or near the towns and subdivisions found along the edges of core wolf habitat. Prey animals wintering along these edges attract wolves, potentially leading to conflicts with people. Conflicts such as those seen in Sun Valley this winter are bound to be most significant in this type of setting, and will always require some control action. In spite of control actions, the overall wolf population is quite resilient. Last year, 151 wolves in Idaho died through control actions or other causes. Yet the population still increased roughly 15 percent from 732 to 846 because of their high reproductive rate.

The idea of a control action may be viewed unfavorably by some, but it is often the best management tool in some specific instances. When problem animals habitually kill livestock, control is often the only option available. When wildlife become habituated to humans, control may become necessary because habituated animals are a danger whether they are wolves, bears, deer or even waterfowl.

The Canada goose is a good example of a species that has increasingly come into conflict with people. In metropolitan areas, city parks, golf courses, and other open spaces, geese have become habituated and aggressive. In addition, they pose a potential health risk from their droppings. Overpopulations of geese even pose a threat to air travelers as Captain "Sully" Sullenberg can testify.

While regulated hunting can help with wildlife conflict, certain conditions necessitate a stronger management action. Regulated hunting will remain the preferred option because it provides opportunity for sportsmen but also because it is much less expensive. Additionally, regulated hunting can help reduce the need for control actions overall.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department is up to the challenge of managing wolves as it does all other wildlife. The department's mandate is to preserve, protect, perpetuate, and manage all wildlife within the state. It is time to put aside emotional debates, and begin the scientific management of wolves in Idaho. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has a proven record of big game management. That record will serve it well as the department takes on the responsibility of managing the wolf as it has all other big game animals.