Idaho extends wolf hunting season, environmentalists say it’s a bad move
LEWISTON (AP & KLEW Web Staff) - Hunters will have three more months to hunt wolves in Idaho. The season, which was set to come to an end with 2009, is now open until March 31, 2010 in seven of the states designated zones, including the Palouse-Hells Canyon and Panhandle zones. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission made the decision Thursday. So far, hunters have reached half of the total 220-wolf limit set by Fish and Game earlier this year. Hunting could still close before the March 31 deadline if hunters reach quotas set for each zone. Montana closed its wolf hunting season Monday after nearing its quota of 76 wolves, or about 15 percent of Montana's total wolf population. Idaho officials estimate the state's population between 800 and 900 wolves. Environmentalist criticized the decision, saying it has much deeper implications for the health of the region's wolf population. They said the season is now extended into breeding and denning season, when wolves are at their den sites and therefore particularly vulnerable. Defenders of Wildlife said it is “deeply concerned” about the commission’s decision to extend the state’s wolf hunt, saying mothers are sitting ducks at their densites. The group said the take of one pregnant wolf could mean a total reproductive loss for its pack for the year. “Today’s decision has much deeper implications for the health of the region’s wolf population than many realize,” said Suzanne Stone, Northern Rockies representative for Defenders of Wildlife. “Hunter knowledge of the whereabouts of denning sites is widespread. Wolves only breed once a year so the take of one pregnant wolf kills any chance of reproductive success for its pack for the year, along with the five to eight pups she was carrying.” |
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