Some areas in Idaho would be declared wolf-free zones, and other areas where the animals have killed livestock would have increased wolf-killing opportunities under legislation proposed Wednesday at the state capitol.
The Senate Resources and Environment Committee voted to clear the way for a hearing on the measure put forward by Republican Senator Bert Brackett, a rancher in the area designated for wolf-free zones.
Federal officials say there were 175 wolf attacks on livestock in Idaho in fiscal year 2019, which ended on June 30.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said Wednesday that about 460 the animals were killed in 2019 with hunting, trapping and the killing of wolves that preyed on livestock. The agency doesn’t have an estimate for the number of wolves in the state.
Specifically, the legislation would create wolf-free zones in 11 Fish and Game hunting units that roughly cover the southwestern part of the state. Those areas are thought to have few if any wolves, and Brackett said he’d like to keep the animals from expanding into them.
In addition, the legislation would create chronic depredation zones. Those zones would be created in Fish and Game hunting units where Fish and Game or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services have confirmed wolf attacks on livestock in any four of the previous five years.
There are 19 hunting units scattered across the central part of the state that would qualify as chronic depredation zones.
In both wolf-free and depredation zones, wolves could be killed year-round. Idaho already allows wolf hunting most of the year across the state, with the season generally closing when the animals are in dens and having pups.
The legislation contains a provision that if wolf numbers in Idaho fall below 200 individual and 20 packs, state officials would review the wolf management policies. (AP)
