MISSOULA, Mont.—In letters to legislators and newspapers across the West, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is calling out groups like Defenders of Wildlife, Western Wildlife Conservancy and others for their disingenuous use of data on wolves and elk.

The RMEF action was prompted by each group’s recent op-ed articles in the media, as well as testimony before Utah lawmakers by Western Wildlife Conservancy Executive Director Kirk Robinson. All cited RMEF statistics to argue that restored wolf populations have somehow translated to growing elk herds in the northern Rockies.

“The theory that wolves haven’t had a significant adverse impact on some elk populations is not accurate. We’ve become all too familiar with these groups’ tactic of cherry-picking select pieces of information to support their own agenda, even when it is misleading,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “We will not allow that claim to go unchallenged.”

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The Idaho Fish and Game Commission on Thursday, November 19, extended wolf hunting seasons in all Idaho wolf zones not already closed to March 31.

Harvest limits and other restrictions were not changed.

The seasons would be extended to March 31 in the Panhandle, Palouse-Hells Canyon, Selway, Middle Fork, Salmon, Southern, and South Idaho zones, which had been set to close December 31. The seasons already were set to close March 31 in the Lolo and Sawtooth zones.

Hunters will need a 2010 wolf tag, in addition to a 2010 hunting license for hunts after December 31.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game set wolf harvest limits by 12 zones. The season closes in each zone when the limit for that zone is reached, or when the statewide limit of 220 wolves is reached.

As of Thursday, November 19, the statewide harvest was 110.

Wolf seasons already have closed in the Dworshak-Elk City wolf zone in north Idaho, the McCall-Weiser zone in west central Idaho, and the Upper Snake zone in eastern Idaho.

Three zones are nearing the harvest limit. The Palouse-Hells Canyon zone is two short of the limit of five; the Southern Mountains, where the limit is 10, is three short; and the Middle Fork zone, with a limit of 17, is four short.

Wolf hunters are reminded to check the harvest limit in the wolf hunting zones they intend to hunt. To find out whether a zone is open, call 877-872-3190. The Fish and Game wolf harvest Web page is updated less frequently, but provides a zone map and other useful information: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/wolf/quota.cfm.

Hunters are required by state law to report within 24 hours of harvesting a wolf, and they must present the hide and skull to a Fish and Game conservation officer or regional office within five days.

The wolf season has closed as of Monday, November 2, in the Upper Snake wolf zone in eastern Idaho, where the limit of five wolves has been reached.

The zone borders Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park where wolves are still protected under the Endangered Species Act. The closure affects only big game management units 60, 60A, 61, 62, 62A, 64, 65 and 67. Elsewhere in the state the wolf seasons remain open, including the portions of the Southern Mountains and the South Idaho wolf zones that fall within the Upper Snake Region.

Wolf seasons remain open in Upper Snake Region big game management units 50, 51, 58, 59, 59A, and in units 63, 63A, 66 and 69.

Wolf hunters are reminded to check the harvest limit in the wolf hunting zones they intend to hunt. Idaho Department of Fish and Game set wolf harvest limits by 12 zones. The season closes in each zone when the limit for that zone is reached, or when the statewide limit of 220 wolves is reached.

Two other zones also are approaching the limits as of November 2.

In the McCall-Weiser Zone, with a limit of 15 wolves, 14 wolves have been taken, leaving one.

In the Palouse-Hells Canyon Zone, with a limit of five, two have been taken, leaving three.

The statewide harvest as of November 2 is 86 wolves.

Some other zones are not yet approaching the limits. In the Lolo zone, with a limit of 27, hunters have taken five wolves; in the Salmon zone, with a limit of 16, hunters have taken two; and in the Panhandle zone, with a limit of 30, they have taken eight.

To find out whether a zone is open, call 877-872-3190. The Fish and Game wolf harvest Web page is updated less frequently, but provides a zone map and other useful information: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/wolf/quota.cfm.

October 5, 2009 (Washington, DC) – The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSF) was recently awarded Idaho Wolf Conservation Tag Number One, and the Idaho Sportsmen’s Caucus Advisory Council (ISCAC) was awarded tag number six for use during the 2009 inaugural gray wolf hunting season.

The commemorative wolf tags, series one through 10, are being released in the inaugural season to recognize wildlife management success and to help promote gray wolf management in Idaho. CSF and ISCAC will auction both tags with the proceeds from the auctions going to Idaho to help offset much of the cost associated with wolf management including population monitoring, law enforcement, public education, enhanced deer/elk/moose monitoring, and research, Idaho’s management of wolves including regulated hunting, to ensure that gray wolves remain a lasting legacy on Idaho’s landscape for future generations.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt a gray wolf in the beautiful state of Idaho,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “These tags are invaluable to the Idaho wolf population and Idaho wildlife management programs and so it imperative that supporters of CSF step to the plate.”

The #1 tag is for sale during a live auction at the Richard Childress Whine Wheels and Wildlife event on October 14, 2009.

The #6 tag is for sale during the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses Annual meeting on October 29, 2009.

Registration for both events is filling up fast and both wolf tags are sure to be hot items for bidding during both live auctions, however, CSF is offering these once in a lifetime wolf hunts via off-sit bidding by contacting CSF Vice President of Development Gary Guinn at 202-543-6907 extension 24.

Hunting seasons are coming up fast, and deer and elk in the Salmon Region should be in good condition as hunters head out this fall.

A long spring and wetter than normal summer provided ample moisture for grasses and shrubs. Plants are still green at higher elevations, which means deer and elk will be able to find forage without having to move around a lot.

Regular deer tag, general, any-weapon season opens October 10 in most units. General B tag, any-weapon elk season for most zones opens October 15. Check rules brochure for specific areas before heading out.

Mule deer fawns fared better in the Central Mountain area (Units 21A, 30, 30A, 29, 37, 37A) this past winter and spring with 55 percent survival compared to the Mountain Valley area (Units 21, 28, 36B, 36A), which had 37 percent survival. In the Central Mountain area, hunters should see a fair number of spikes, which usually make up the majority of the harvest.

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Ron Moody is a Montana FWP Commissioner and he urges Americans to allow this wolf management hunt.

He also states that this will aid in sustaining wolf populations and a secure future for the wolf in the Northern Rockies.

And management should mean conservation, wise use of nature, as different from a perpetual ‘zoo-without-walls’ strategy of preservation some would codify within the Endangered Species Act.

Then, he asks the non-hunting wildlife advocates, to be a bit more open-mindedness. They would better serve the true welfare of the wolf and all other wild, native species by learning the real reasons and history of why we still have so many wild animals in North America.

This a very insightful article on the wolf in the Northern Rockies. Give it a read and share with everyone that enjoys the great outdoors!

Photo by Ryan McGinty

MISSOULA (AP) — Wolf hunting will begin in the Northern Rockies under a cloud of uncertainty, as a federal judge weighs a request by environmental and animal welfare groups to stop the predators from being killed.

Hunters in Idaho, where up to 220 wolves could be killed, head into the field Tuesday. Montana’s season is set to begin Sept. 15, with a quota of 75 wolves.

At the end of a three-hour hearing into whether the hunts should be allowed, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy on Monday gave no indication as to how he might rule. Molloy says he will decide on an injunction requested by wolf opponents “as quickly as I can.”

About 4,000 hunters in Idaho already have bought tags allowing them to kill a wolf. Tags in Montana went on sale Monday.

MISSOULA, Mont. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has filed a motion in Missoula federal court to enter an amicus curiae brief supporting state-regulated wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana. If the motion is granted by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy, RMEF documents will be considered in Molly’s decision on whether to allow or stop the hunt.

A hearing is scheduled for Monday and a ruling could follow soon afterward.

A coalition of 13 environmental groups filed an emergency injunction asking Molloy to stop the planned hunt and return wolves to the endangered species list.

Long gone are the days when species like elk, bears and wolves can go completely unmanaged. We don’t live in a zoo and this isn’t the old West. It is frustrating that America’s wildlife conservation system, which has worked wonderfully well since the time of Theodore Roosevelt, has been reduced to a legal chess match,  said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO.

Allen said the Elk Foundation’s brief reinforces four main points:

• Historic success of modern, hunter-based conservation in North America.
• Viewpoints of hunters who continue to pay for the big-game resources that made wolf recovery possible.
• RMEF-funded research, along with other scientific and anecdotal evidence, showing that wolf populations are fully recovered and that, where wolves are present with elk, wolves are having detrimental impacts on elk.
• State wildlife agencies are best suited to manage wolves alongside other species.

Allen urged Wyoming and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work together on a mutually agreeable wolf management plan to help clear a legal path to regulated wolf hunting in The Cowboy State.

From the FWP Site

Montana’s first wolf hunting licenses will go on sale Aug. 31.

Licenses will be valid within three specifically defined wolf management units. Hunters must obtain permission to hunt on private lands.

How to purchase

• Hunters can purchase a wolf license online at fwp.mt.gov , or from any FWP regional office or license provider.
• Hunters must have, or purchase, a valid 2009 conservation license.
• Wolf hunting licenses are $19 for residents and $350 for nonresidents. Regulations and Seasons
• Regulations are available via the FWP Web site at fwp.mt.gov , and from most FWP license providers.
• Hunters cannot use any motorized vehicle—including OHVs and snowmobiles—to hunt wolves.
• The use of dogs, bait, scent, lures, traps, lights, electronic tracking devices, or any recorded or electrically amplified bird or animal calls to hunt or attract wolves is prohibited.
• Additional rules and regulations that apply to big game hunting are also in effect.
• Wolf hunting-seasons:
  • Sept. 15–Nov. 29—in early backcountry deer and elk hunting districts 150, 151, 280, and 316.
  • Oct. 25–Nov. 29—in entire Wolf Management Units 1, 2 and 3.
  • If a WMU’s quota isn’t met, the wolf hunting season could be extended in that area to run Dec. 1-31. No more than 25 percent of the established WMU quota, however, can be harvested in December.

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