Support Idaho’s Gov on newly signed Wolf Reduction Bill—easy!

[BGnight]

I'm for curbing the population for sure, but hasn't the wolf problem sort of fixed itself in a lot of parts of idaho? I'm talking about ungulates repopulating naturally after the initial decimation from the wolves. Last I checked, units that sucked 10 years ago are doing fine again. It's funny how nature works. They do need reduced heavily in some areas though.

 

[Ross]

I'm for curbing the population for sure, but hasn't the wolf problem sort of fixed itself in a lot of parts of idaho? I'm talking about ungulates repopulating naturally after the initial decimation from the wolves. Last I checked, units that sucked 10 years ago are doing fine again. It's funny how nature works. They do need reduced heavily in some areas though.

The answer is No, it has gotten much worse….for anyone interested and who really wants to see and understand how bad it is and how difficult it is to manage them go take a casual 10 hr hike in north Idaho hump some mountains get beat down see how few elk remain in places and come to the realization on why this has come about and you can then laugh at comments that simply say go hunt them to control them good luck…..if your lucky walk up on one of their kills still warm touch the elk and replay the scene in your mind then think how often this occurs 365 days a year over decades to see how we got to this stage…and need for killing 90% of them. It won’t happen but I enjoy the thoughtive been not lucky enough to kill one yet only walk up on two killed hours before I stumbled on them

 

[robby denning]

I’m not sure how many of you guys on here actually live in Idaho, and for those who do have lived here since 1995 since they open those cages in Yellowstone park, but from my perspective, This is the first real push back the feds have had. I love our fish and game guys, and I think they do a pretty good job, but we’ve been waiting 25 years for something that moves the needle...

I don’t like the legislation stepping in to doing this anymore than anybody else, but it was legislation over and above Idaho that got this ball rolling to put the wolves back and then go almost unchecked for 20 years. So maybe it’s time for a change...


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[npm352]

I'm for curbing the population for sure, but hasn't the wolf problem sort of fixed itself in a lot of parts of idaho? I'm talking about ungulates repopulating naturally after the initial decimation from the wolves. Last I checked, units that sucked 10 years ago are doing fine again. It's funny how nature works. They do need reduced heavily in some areas though.

No.

They are spreading. Hunting and trapping opportunities have increased but they are still a huge problem for elk, deer, moose and hounds.

 

[Ucsdryder]

What about the other side of the coin? We don't want legislators circumventing the F&G. Bad precedent.

Lol I think we’re past that point. Colorado just put wolf reintro in front of the general public for a vote. I would conservatively say 80% of voters had not clue regarding the REAL pros and cons of the reintro. Fight fire with fire.

 

[freddyG]

This legislation is better than nothing, but it won’t really impact their population much. They breed too fast, and the majority live in areas where hunting, trapping is very difficult. Lolo zone is infested with them. There is a reason they had to poison them out before. Nothing else really works that great.

 

[MTN BUM]

Well, you bitching and moaning about it throwing your opinion out every chance on every thread possible is productive and I'm sure you alone, will solely get everything changed and back to perfect.

We get it, okay buddy.

This. This is why we as sportsmen and women are getting our collective asses kicked. Something comes up where we should be able to have a substantive discussion around a topic that has real-world management implications. Instead of having that conversation, we get busy accusing each other of posting a topic based on political group membership. Or get busy cowboy-keyboard-hero calling someone down. Congrats guys. You are a bunch of internet tough guys. Meanwhile, the antis will keep legislating our behinds into extinction while we argue about whether or not to fight them. Focus on the big picture, unite, and quit attacking each other or lose your rights one at a time.

 

[Timberline001]

Yeah, agree 100% on the anti sentiment. They're going to go all out.

IDFG wasn’t doing there part. It would have been much better if we could have got it done through them but they were not allowing it so this legislation had to happen. It’s too bad but I’m glad it did. It’s definitely a huge step for our wildlife here in Idaho.

 

[wind gypsy]

Don't exaggerate it and think all residents hate everyone else. Idaho was very clearly the welfare state for NR prices and was over run in units. Adjustments were needed and made, but they should've been more severe still to be comparable to other states.

Comparable to other states, not raised to keep NR out.

Do you pay attention to hunting regulations in other states?

 

[Spoonbill]

IDFG wasn’t doing there part. It would have been much better if we could have got it done through them but they were not allowing it so this legislation had to happen. It’s too bad but I’m glad it did. It’s definitely a huge step for our wildlife here in Idaho.

How was IDFG not doing their part? There is a year round season and tags are cheap.
short of shooting the wolves themselves, I am not sure what fish and game could have done to encourage wolf hunting.
Now we are opening the doors for future politicians to decide what we can and can’t hunt, how we hunt etc. Idaho politics are changing, and this bill is short sighted.

 

[wind gypsy]

I certainly don't know all the facts of how this stuff works. I do worry about the optics of a citizen legislature making wildlife decisions around ESA relevant species that are at odds with the wildlife managing agency and how that could impact federal involvement.

This basically kills sportsman's argument to delist predators with the promise that our state wildlife management agencies will make sound science based decisions.

 

[Spoonbill]

Here is the Idaho Wildlife Federation’s stance on the bill. It is a good read for anyone interested in this issue.

Legislature’s Wolf Bill Sets Dangerous Precedence — Idaho Wildlife Federation

Let’s acknowledge off the bat that wolves are a sensitive topic. People love or hate them. They kill livestock, which puts hardship on individuals. Opinions on management typically wedge like-minded folks into two camps: science-based management through the Commission framework or scorched earth. IW

idahowildlife.org

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Man, so many good arguments on both sides and I’m still sitting here on the fence my crotch is starting to bruise...

 

[87TT]

I like and support IDFG too. That said, all they had to do was take wolves and make them varmints like coyotes and this bill would have been unnecessary. Treating them like game animals and selling tags was not working. Even the IDFG is not arguing that the science was bad with this bill. Only that their authority was "usurped". But ALL their authority is granted by the legislature.

 

[Timberline001]

How was IDFG not doing their part? There is a year round season and tags are cheap.
short of shooting the wolves themselves, I am not sure what fish and game could have done to encourage wolf hunting.
Now we are opening the doors for future politicians to decide what we can and can’t hunt, how we hunt

How was IDFG not doing their part? There is a year round season and tags are cheap.
short of shooting the wolves themselves, I am not sure what fish and game could have done to encourage wolf hunting.
Now we are opening the doors for future politicians to decide what we can and can’t hunt, how we hunt etc. Idaho politics are changing, and this bill is short sighted.

We are 10Xs past the objective according to IDFG themselves (personally I’m doubtful there’s only 1500). They should have taken all restrictions off of them and treated them like coyotes as this bill does but chose not to in order to save face. Something had to be done before things got even more out of hand that’s happened.

 

[Timberline001]

I like and support IDFG too. That said, all they had to do was take wolves and make them varmints like coyotes and this bill would have been unnecessary. Treating them like game animals and selling tags was not working. Even the IDFG is not arguing that the science was bad with this bill. Only that their authority was "usurped". But ALL their authority is granted by the legislature.

Exactly!

 

[idcuda]

I like and support IDFG too. That said, all they had to do was take wolves and make them varmints like coyotes and this bill would have been unnecessary. Treating them like game animals and selling tags was not working. Even the IDFG is not arguing that the science was bad with this bill. Only that their authority was "usurped". But ALL their authority is granted by the legislature.

How would that help? Everyone with a sportsman's package has had a wolf tag in their pockets for years. F&G has basically deputized all of us to go kill some wolves and we've failed. I could have ten tags a year and the end result would be the same - haven't seen or killed one.

I gotta admit that I kinda like the legislation and the idea of thinning the herd by all means. But we should admit that we haven't done our part in managing them as hunters. Now we're stuck with an even worse alternative that opens the door for our slimy ag-sponsored "representatives".

 

[87TT]

Why is it worse?

 

[Spoonbill]

We are 10Xs past the objective according to IDFG themselves (personally I’m doubtful there’s only 1500). They should have taken all restrictions off of them and treated them like coyotes as this bill does but chose not to in order to save face. Something had to be done before things got even more out of hand that’s happened.

I don’t think IDFG can list them as predators. Wyoming I think tried to and ran up against the ESA agreements. It sucks that one side has used the ESA as a weapon and us sportsmen get bludgeoned with it.
I think we hit delisting objectives in 2006 or 2007 and IDFG had a multi year court battle to get a season. I’m hoping this bill doesn’t trigger a federal lawsuit and the wolf season gets shut down again.

Just my opinion, but I think our best chance is for Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming to sue the feds to get the wolf management plan changed. That way Idaho isn’t at the mercy of an activist judge like we were when wolves were originally supposed to be delisted.
Silver lining to this, at least we all agree something needs to change.

 

[robby denning]

Here is the Idaho Wildlife Federation’s stance on the bill. It is a good read for anyone interested in this issue.

Legislature’s Wolf Bill Sets Dangerous Precedence — Idaho Wildlife Federation

Let’s acknowledge off the bat that wolves are a sensitive topic. People love or hate them. They kill livestock, which puts hardship on individuals. Opinions on management typically wedge like-minded folks into two camps: science-based management through the Commission framework or scorched earth. IW

idahowildlife.org

thanks for posting the counterargument