Wednesday, November 9, 2011

11 wolves killed in Southern Mountains

Hunters not near quota, says wildlife official


By KATHERINE WUTZ
Express Staff Writer

More than 100 wolves have been killed by hunters so far this season, with trapping season yet to open.

Deer and elk rifle seasons opened in October, and according to Idaho Department of Fish and Game spokesman Niels Nokkentved, tag sales and kills picked up as deer and elk hunters came across wolves in their path.

Much of the state is quota-less, but hunters even in zones with quotas aren't close to filling them, Nokkentved said. According to the department, hunters in the state have killed 107 wolves statewide since the season opened Aug. 30.

Twenty wolves have been killed in the Panhandle zone in the far north of the state, while 19 have been killed in the Dworshak-Elk City zone in north-central Idaho—both zones without quotas.

So far, 11 wolves have been killed in the Southern Mountains Zone, which encompasses Ketchum and Sun Valley. The region has a limit of 25 wolves.

Nokkentved said he isn't sure whether the quotas in any of the closed zones will be met by the end of the season, due to the newly created trapping season beginning in some zones later this month.

"I'm not sure what will happen when the trapping season opens," he said. "It's difficult to say at this point."

Trapping opens in the Lolo, Selway, Middle Fork, Dworshak-Elk City and the Panhandle zones on Tuesday, Nov. 15. The season is set to run through March 31.

However, there are still plenty of hunters with tags ready to bag a wolf. Nokkentved said the most recent tag sale reports place resident tags at 26,711 and nonresident tags at 3,186—with more selling every day.

Nokkentved said the department has already sold dozens of tags for 2012, Monday's numbers coming in at 67 resident and three nonresident tags. Hunters may buy two tags per calendar year, which means that hunters who buy a single tag for 2012 can purchase another next fall.

Hunters can also buy two tags this fall and two tags in early 2012, Nokkentved said.

"You could get four wolves [this season], theoretically," he said.

Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com

Trapping set to begin

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced Monday that the wolf-trapping season is set to open next week. Trappers can start plying their trade starting Tuesday, Nov. 15, in five zones across the state. The Lolo, Selway, Middle Fork, Dworshak-Elk City and the Panhandle zones open on Tuesday and run through March 31. Other zones throughout the state are closed pending further review from the Idaho Fish and Game Commission in January. The department urges hound hunters, hunters with bird dogs and people with pets that trappers are more likely to have open traps in the woods after that date. However, a department press release states that hunters and hikers with dogs are responsible for keeping track of their own animals, and suggest carrying wire cutters to free trapped dogs from snares. Trapping regulations prohibit traps within five feet of the centerline of all maintained designated public trails and from the surface of all maintained designated public roads. Ground traps are prohibited within 300 feet of any public campground, picnic area and trailhead. Trappers must complete a wolf trapping class before buying wolf trapping tags. For more information, call the Magic Valley regional office at (208) 324-4359.




About Comments

Comments with content that seeks to incite or inflame may be removed.

Comments that are in ALL CAPS may be removed.

Comments that are off-topic or that include profanity or personal attacks, libelous or other inappropriate material may be removed from the site. Entries that are unsigned or contain signatures by someone other than the actual author may be removed. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or any other policies governing this site. Use of this system denotes full acceptance of these conditions. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

The comments below are from the readers of mtexpress.com and in no way represent the views of Express Publishing, Inc.

You may flag individual comments. You may also report an inappropriate or offensive comment by clicking here.

Flagging Comments: Flagging a comment tells a site administrator that a comment is inappropriate. You can find the flag option by pointing the mouse over the comment and clicking the 'Flag' link.

Flagging a comment is only counted once per person, and you won't need to do it multiple times.

Proper Flagging Guidelines: Every site has a different commenting policy - be sure to review the policy for this site before flagging comments. In general these types of comments should be flagged:

  • Spam
  • Ones violating this site's commenting policy
  • Clearly unrelated
  • Personal attacks on others
Comments should not be flagged for:
  • Disagreeing with the content
  • Being in a dispute with the commenter

Popular Comment Threads



 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.