Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) director Cal Groen said the declining elk populations in parts of the state could lead to a bigger wolf harvest this coming fall. The leader of a conservation group opposing the wolf hunt said he expects there may not be another wolf hunt in the state.
Groen said in a statement released Monday that preserving elk remains a top priority for the department. “Idaho Fish and Game is committed to saving the Lolo herd and keeping Idaho’s other elk herds healthy,” he said. A recent IDFG study showed that the elk population dropped 57 percent since 2006 in the Lolo Elk Management Zone in north central Idaho. Groen said that wolves are the primary reason for the dwindling numbers of elk. “Wolves took over and became the leading cause of Lolo elk deaths. It wasn’t until May of last year that the state could finally manage wolves. By then, the balance of elk and wolves in the Lolo Zone was completely out of whack. Extreme predation on adult females and calves means not enough calves survive to replace the adults that die each year.”
Groen said that in part because of the lowering elk population, fish and game commissioners are looking to expand the state’s licensed wolf hunt. “More aggressive wolf management is needed to restore the (elk) herd. State wildlife managers will recommend significant changes to wolf seasons in the Lolo and other elk-depressed zones … These management tools could include increased harvest limits, multiple tags, trapping, and asking outfitters to help reduce wolf numbers.” Currently, hunters can only get one wolf tag for this winter’s hunt.
One Idaho conservationist said that he thinks the current wolf hunt, which ends March 30, could be Idaho’s last. Jon Marvel of Hailey, the founder of the Western Watersheds Project, said he expects a federal judge in Montana to rule in the next few months that the decision to remove wolves from the endangered species list, and allow Idaho’s wolf hunt, was illegal. “If he determines that it is illegal, as we think he will, there will not be any hunting of wolves in the fall of 2010,” Marvel said. He also said that Groen is taking the wrong approach to wildlife and catering to hunters. “I think it’s mistaken to manage wildlife solely for the benefit of hunters, and that seems to be what director Groen is trying to do.”
Marvel also said that a declining elk population in parts of the state isn’t necessarily cause for concern. “There’s a mistaken belief that elk and other huntable wildlife need to be maintained at a certain level no matter what,” he said. “We think that there is a balance that will occur naturally between predators and native wildlife that are prey species. If the level of elk turns out to be lower or even significantly lower in some parts of the state that may be an outcome of a more natural process, and therefore much healthier.”
A federal court decision on wolves is scheduled to come sometime this spring. If Idaho’s wolf hunt is ruled legal, IDFG commissioners would set new quotas for a wolf hunt in August. Hunters have harvested 171 wolves since the state’s hunt opened last fall.
This is yet another thing the government shouldn’t be getting involved in. Wildlife have been managing without the help of our fair government their entire lives and that’s the way it should be. The only way there should be legal hunts on these animals is if they start coming into our towns and over running our communities, otherwise let them have their land. They were there long before we ever thought about living there. Let them be.
Yes, you’re right – they never should have introduced non-native wolf species into the Lolo Wilderness in the first place! Had this not happened, we would not be dealing with the devastating loss of elk herds in Northern Idaho. Historically speaking, elk herds have been the predominent species in this area far longer than other species – especially wolves. If you want to do the right thing, then restore the natural balance of elk herds. The Timberwolf is a Canadian species that doesn’t belong here. Perhaps it will take them coming into towns and communities and taking the life of a small child (smaller than calf elk) before you wolf enthusiasts finally get the picture.
I am from Maryland. I went elk hunting in the Selway Bitterroot. Of course, our guide did not tell us about the wolf problem which you do have. They ( the government) should of never brought wolves from Canada. Big mistake. Wolves eat everything. They run in big packs and destroy the whole place. The mountains were beautiful, but the hunting sucks. My next trip will be Colorado or New Mexico. Great job. Next introduce elephants and lions from Africa.
Michael – your big game outfitter is using wolves as a scapegoat. Anytime anyone doesn’t get their deer or elk, it’s the wolves. The wolves in Canada are the same species that once were in Idaho before ranchers/miners/gov’t trappers killed them off. Maybe try coming to the Selway-Bitterroot and have another goal besides KILLING?
Kelli – the biggest threat to children in rural towns are rednecks shooting anything that moves, or driving too fast. Give it a rest about wolves eating kids.
When you manage a couple kinds of wildlife for maximum numbers, other wildlife, not just predators, will suffer. In fact, management for maximum numbers is really just turning a magnificent animal, the elk, into another kind of livestock — “fast cattle,” or are cows “slow elk?”
I wanted to firstly say that this is the same species that once migrated our lower 48 states land prior to their extinction in the early 20th century. The same beliefs back then that are shared now are what brought the total enilation of the species in the United States. If this was truly not the same species (which is not the cast), and if you are blaming the elk population’s decrease on wolves because it is not native, then how come these same wolves in Canada haven’t decreased their elk population? For elk, we are seeing a whole new change in behaviors, foraging grounds, environmental awareness, etc, in all places which is causing a slight decline in populations in certain places, but as a whole in the states you are seeing a increase in population. Statistics show since the REintroduction of wolves that elk population in Idaho have risen by 5%, and in Wyoming and Montana since 1984 have risen by 66%. Yes, there are certain small places that elk population have decreased, but this is not for overpredation by wolves, it is migratory purposes, moving out of the territory that is now occupied by wolves for more safe places, having a more scarce behavior towards open areas due to the threat of wolves hunting them for food (basically having a more alarmed wildlife behavior to threats), and many more aspects. The elk population as a whole has grown, but you do not see them all the time because of the new learned behavior they have grown into since the wolves were reintroduced. Also, elk being killed by hunters in a hunting season that is 1/6 the time span shorter then the wolf’s huntins season are more abundant then elk killed by wolves. Even with this said, there are less elk being killed by human hunters now because of their behavior to be scarced of basically everything then before, which means more elk are remaining alive that is one cause of their population increase.
Phil –
You asked, “how come these same wolves in Canada haven’t decreased their elk population?”
Just a guess but probably because Canada allows the wolf to be trapped and hunted!
Just like coyotes, bear, deer, elk, sheep, turkeys and others are allowed to be managed by the respective states in our country.
It’s called wildlife management and is done by trained, college educated individuals.
These trained public servants are attempting to bring a wildlife balance within the confines of the federal law.
I applaud their effots.
Hunters need to stop catering to wolf advocates who have never supported wild life as a whole. The hunting community funded the management since conservation management tactics have been applied to sustain and protect the very prey base which fed hunting families due to a surplus of elk and deer, and is the resource the wolves need to feed themselves. That resource is disappearing rapidly and it will ultimately hurt the wolf. I would ask Lynne to prove here theory of “red necks ” running over children and shooting down children in Idaho towns by providing links of intentional or accidental occurrences, arrest records and court cases, including a list of “red necks” carted off to prison.
Greg,
Most wolf advocates support wolf recovery because they are an “umbrella” species. If you can sustain wolf populations you protect those species below it. Also, you no longer have to hunt to eat. You may choose to eat hunted animals, there is nothing wrong with that but don’t use that lame argument that you will starve to death if you can’t shoot an elk.
It is very interesting to hear bloggers quote silly statistics which are not founded in with reasonable data. For instance where does Phil get the data for his reported massive growth of the elk population in Wyoming and Montana since the reintroduction of wolves? What is the proposed mechanism or cause for that growth? Do the wolves cause the elk to reproduce or survive better? And Greg, your concept of an “umbrella species” is a human creation…what species are you protecting? You may create a niche for other animals in the ecosystem. THe reality is that the data increasingly supports the severe devastation of the once-healthy elk and moose populations in Idaho and it is difficult to understand how they are going to rebound when the cows and calves suffer severe predation. THe ecosystem has been altered by humans in irreversible ways–wintering grounds are now very limited, and the elk which was once a plains animal is now largely restricted to mountain habitat and as such is easy prey for the packs of wolves that follow the herds into the canyons in the winter when the snow is deep everywhere else. Ultimately, to think that big game populations in federal land in today’s world do not need to be managed is naive and uneducated. Decide if you want hungry wolves or managed wolves. Thats the big question. The elk and moose are on their way out.
Phil said “this is the same species that once migrated our lower 48 states”
Might be the same species but it is an entirely different subspecies. The subspecies indigenious to the rockies was Canis Lupus Irremotus declared endangered in 1973, the subspecies that was introduced is Canis lupus occidentallis and never lived here.
Interesting that the subspecies of Gray wolf choosen to replace the endangered Irremotus was the largest and most aggressive of the 24 subspecies of Gray wolf in North America.
Dale,
I would appreciate the info. of the species and subspecies you’ve quoted (“Canis Lupus Irremotus declared endangered in 1973, the subspecies that was introduced is Canis lupus occidentallis”)I’ve been looking everywhere for this info. and have been unsuccessful. Thanks for your time and research of Origins.
I respect and admire wolves, I think they are awesome creatures. I thought reintroducing the wolf was great, to me it felt right knowing they once roamed here and now they are back.I want the grizzlies to come back It’s a big area and there are all kinds of things to prey on. Well I’ve been in Lolo and Nez Pierce hunting, this year I will get my wolf tag and shoot one. THEY’RE HUGE AND THEY BREED LIKE WILD PIGS. I’ts fine that they are there, and it’s fine to thin’em out too. If a rancher sees one killing his livestock, do what you have to do. I think hunters will still get there bulls and bucks with wolves in ther hunting zones, but I think they should allow hunters and most importantly LOCALS to assist in thinning them out. And if you need an outfitter in the lower 48 to go hunting, maybe your hunting for the wrong reasons. It’s supposed to be natural and difficult. If you didn’t see elk and you think it’s because of wolves, maybe your just a poor hunter or outfitter.
I don’t really understand where all of this “non native species” is coming from. According to the research i’ve done they didn’t introduce a non native species. From what i’ve read they reintroduced the Mackenzie Valley wolf and Great Plains wolf both of which are historically native. Everyone thinks that Northern Rocky Mountain wolf should have been the one reintroduced, which they are also native, but there numbers were not big enough to relocate them so thats why they didn’t. The big difference is that the Mackenzie wolves and Great Plains wolves are larger then the Northern Rocky Mountains wolves and also hunt in bigger packs. The Northern Rocky wolf hunts in packs of 2 while the other two species hunt in packs of 6 or 7. All of this information makes me ask the question how did the ecosystem hold up before? Well the answer is people werent as much of an influence. Is this a problem yes, but how to fix it will be difficult. I think that there should be wolf hunting to keep up the balance but we need to be very careful because as seen in the past and even now playing God isnt easy and to me seems inpossible. I just hope we figure it out fast so both of these beautiful animals can exist. I also hope that human greed doesnt play a part in the decition making we should be thinking of the ecosystem and nothing else.
Wolf Hunt Statistics 2009
Montana -Juveniles weighed 62 pounds on average. Yearlings weighed about 80 pounds. Adults weighed 97 pounds. One wolf weighed 117 pounds.
Idaho
Harvested wolves ranged in size from 54 to 127 pounds – males averaged 100 pounds, and females averaged 79 pounds. Of the wolves taken, 58 percent were male, and 15 percent were juveniles less than one year old.
Grey wolf averages
Adult female gray wolves in northern Minnesota weigh between 50 and 85 pounds, and adult males between 70 and 110 pounds.
The whole Canis lupus irremotus/occidentalis jabber is based on outdated research from a small sample population. The whole irremotus debate can be answered by the fact that there were so few wolves remaining when the supposed data was taken that they were in extremely small packs Human activities kept those packs small, or nonexistant. Besides that, there is no significant geological barrier to prevent movement of wolves. Hunting stats would seem to indicate wolves harvested in 2009 were well within size/weight range.
Food, fat elk with no predator avoidance mechanisms will also lend to “heavier” wolves. Face it, they have been well fed
I love hunting lolo. I have hunted there about 15 times over the years. I have never seen or heard a wolf in that time. But there aren’t as many elk as there was. I don’t know if it’s the wolf or just a down cycle for the elk. I don’t think the wolf could help any. I pay a lot of money to hunt what i think is the greatest place to hunt. I would like to see more elk, maybe that would take not hunting that place for a few years. I don’t have the answer, but it should be looked into before all is lost. Thank you for letting me say what i think. Tom
[...] the dwindling numbers of elk. “Wolves took over and became the leading cause of Lolo elk deaths. Link to article In training to be a real pielet, pylot, pilet, pillotte, airplane driver. Reply [...]
I’m an avid hunter and I also have seen the damage that wolves have done to this state of Idaho. I have lost two of the greatest hunting areas due to the population of wolves. In the area that I live in, its extremely brushy so its hard to tell how many are really in the area, however, I’ve seen at least three different packs and thats a hair raiser. I’m in the woods all the time and even though you cant see them, they’re there. They don’t show themselves as much as elk, deer, or moose. They are a very wise hunters and that is extremely difficult to manage by hunting alone. I’m grateful to see that I’m not the only one who sees the problem. Most of the dung that I see from them has a high amount of moose hair and elk hair. I’ve found five dead mule deer in one spot where a pack demolished a group. Just yesterday, I found a fresh dead calf elk that was torn apart by wolves and I found multiple moose kills due to them as well. I don’t know wolves by reading a book, but I know them for what I’ve witnessed in the woods and some things need to change. I hope that we can get a good hold on them before its too late. Thank you for allowing me to share what I have witnessed.
[...] The wolf situation in Idaho has begged for a management solution that includes hunting. As early as March 2010, Idaho Fish Game Director Cal Groen had it figured out, according to the Idaho Reporter. [...]
[...] As early as Mar 2010, Idaho Fish Game Director Cal Groen had it figured out, according to a Idaho Reporter. A new IDFG investigate showed that a elk race forsaken 57 percent given 2006 in a Lolo Elk [...]