Idaho’s wolf population stands at an estimated 1-thousand animals.
Fish and Game Director Ed Schriever told the Idaho House Resources and Conservation Committee Thursday the number represents the first wolf population estimate in Idaho since 2015. He says the wolf population peaked early in the summer of 2019 at about 1,500 following the birth of pups, but fell once accounting for hunting and trapping kills along with other deaths.
The estimate is based on about 13 million photos from nearly 700 remote cameras combined with known wolf mortality numbers. Schriever says computer software is needed to sort through the photos and count wolves.
Idaho took over the management of wolves from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2011 following the predators’ removal from the Endangered Species List. But the state had a five-year requirement to track of wolf populations, which it did use radio collars. Fish and Game stopped tracking wolf numbers after the five-year requirement ended.
In a related matter, the Idaho Senate Resources and Environment Committee earlier this week voted to clear the way for a hearing on the creation of wolf-free zones and wolf-depredation zones in the state that’s intended to protect the livelihood of ranchers. (AP)
