The director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game says more wolves need to be killed in the Lolo area of the Clearwater River basin to stop the decline in elk populations.
Cal Groen says state wildlife managers will recommend significant changes to wolf seasons in the Lolo and other zones where elk numbers are not at management levels.
Groen says management tools could include increased harvest limits, multiple tags, trapping, and asking outfitters to help reduce wolf numbers. The changes could be put in place next fall.
Groen says eight of the state’s 29 elk hunting zones are below the department’s population objectives – five of those have significant wolf populations, including the Lolo, Selway and Sawtooth zones.
Elk numbers in the Lolo Zone peaked in the 1980s with a population of about 16,000. But the open fields began filling with brush and young trees, reducing elk habitat and causing elk numbers to decline, and then plunge after the severe winter of 1996-1997.
Fish and Game responded by restricting elk hunting and allowing more bear and mountain lions to be killed, which caused elk numbers to pick up. Then wolves took over and became the leading cause of Lolo elk deaths.
Plans to increase wolf hunting in Idaho could be derailed. Environmental groups have sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife for its decision to remove wolves from federal protection, and that case is expected to go to trial this spring. (AP)
