An effort to put the decision of wolf management before Idaho voters in November has failed.

A Twin Falls-based hunters group had hoped to put an initiative on the ballot that would have taken away management from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and required the federal government to remove wolves “by any means necessary.” However, if it would have passed, federal and state authorities agreed it would have returned control to the federal government and, subsequently, return the wolves to endangered species protections.

Still, initiative supporters contend the current management plan won’t kill enough wolves, which will mean increasingly lower elk populations.

Just under 46,000 valid signatures were needed to qualify the measure for the general election ballot, but half of the 50,000 signatures were thrown out because they came from people who were not registered to vote. Organizers plan to bring the issue back for the 2010 election.