Wolf Delisting

[Small Fry]

Good news


MISSOULA, Mont.—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week hopes to remove wolves from endangered species lists in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. But with anti-hunting emotions and lawsuits threatening to forestall sound conservation science, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is reaffirming its longstanding support of hunter-based wolf management.

Wolf populations are now well above federal recovery goals and increasing.

The time has come to manage wolves like other game animals, says Elk Foundation President David Allen.

“Long before anyone dreamed of an Endangered Species Act, hunters were restoring and managing elk, mule deer, whitetails, wild turkeys, black bears, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, mountain goats and a host of other wildlife. In fact, it was hunter-funded big-game populations that made wolf recovery possible. You’d think the people who argued longest and loudest to bring wolves back would be slapping backs and saying thanks. Instead, they’re filing lawsuits,” said Allen.

Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said, “We strongly support hunting wolves. Look at the success we’ve had with hunting mountain lions and maintaining strong lion populations. There is no reason wolf management cannot be just as successful.”

Regulated hunting has never reduced any species to threatened levels. It is, however, the premier tool for balancing game populations within carrying capacities of habitat as well as public tolerances. Allen said wolves in certain areas have exceeded those tolerances.

Allen urged Elk Foundation members to support hunter-based wolf management controlled by respective state wildlife agencies, saying, “I hope all of our members will voice their support for de-listing wolves as prescribed by US. Fish and Wildlife Service, and continue to show how hunters lead the wildlife conservation process.”

[ehunter]

What is the word on the lawsuits I have not heard any thing lately

Originally Posted by Small Fry

Good news


MISSOULA, Mont.—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week hopes to remove wolves from endangered species lists in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. But with anti-hunting emotions and lawsuits threatening to forestall sound conservation science, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is reaffirming its longstanding support of hunter-based wolf management.

Wolf populations are now well above federal recovery goals and increasing.

The time has come to manage wolves like other game animals, says Elk Foundation President David Allen.

“Long before anyone dreamed of an Endangered Species Act, hunters were restoring and managing elk, mule deer, whitetails, wild turkeys, black bears, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, mountain goats and a host of other wildlife. In fact, it was hunter-funded big-game populations that made wolf recovery possible. You’d think the people who argued longest and loudest to bring wolves back would be slapping backs and saying thanks. Instead, they’re filing lawsuits,” said Allen.

Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said, “We strongly support hunting wolves. Look at the success we’ve had with hunting mountain lions and maintaining strong lion populations. There is no reason wolf management cannot be just as successful.”

Regulated hunting has never reduced any species to threatened levels. It is, however, the premier tool for balancing game populations within carrying capacities of habitat as well as public tolerances. Allen said wolves in certain areas have exceeded those tolerances.

Allen urged Elk Foundation members to support hunter-based wolf management controlled by respective state wildlife agencies, saying, “I hope all of our members will voice their support for de-listing wolves as prescribed by US. Fish and Wildlife Service, and continue to show how hunters lead the wildlife conservation process.”

[huffmad]

The anti's have until the end of today to file their lawsuits. If the do not(which I'm sure they will) the states take over management of wolves. I would love to be able to buy a wolve tag this year in idaho but I have a feeling this will be tied up in the courts for a while.

[ehunter]

We are keeping our fingers crossed, funny how they changed their story after the quota was met

Originally Posted by huffmad

The anti's have until the end of today to file their lawsuits. If the do not(which I'm sure they will) the states take over management of wolves. I would love to be able to buy a wolve tag this year in idaho but I have a feeling this will be tied up in the courts for a while.

[rimrock]

http://www.fws.gov/news/newsreleases...81F32BCF78A48E

[kwbed]

Good. Now if we can keep them out of oregon, or at least out of my cattle, I will be happy,

[nakoa]

i have a freind that live in montana i will call him this afternoon and see what is going on.

[ehunter]

How does this work I thought they were only supposed to be brought back in the greater Yellow Stone area now they are protected any where? Why would the states not be allowed to decide if they want any wolves in their state since they are no longer listed as endangered in the Yellowstone area?



This action will not affect the status of any wolves outside of the northern Rocky Mountain wolf DPS. Wolves outside the boundaries of the Rocky Mountain DPS and Western Great Lakes DPS (where it was delisted in 2007) will remain listed as endangered. A dispersing wolf would attain the status of the area it is in. For example, if a wolf dispersed to Colorado, it would be considered endangered, whereas a wolf that moves into either DPS would be a delisted wolf and under the management of the States.

[nakoa]

i posted this on archery talk i am get some good responses. here is what someone posted some good reading. thanks small fry
http://www.longrangehunting.com/foru...-future-28324/

[rimrock]

ESA works lets call it in a two fold condition, meaning listed species and within a designated habitat (not just a listed species anywhere in the US). So if a species moves outside the DH than it is back under federal ESA rules. Delisting always pertain to a DH not just the listed species alone.

Did that makes sense (not whether you agree or not) but regarding the albeit brief explanation of ESA rules?

[ehunter]

Yep I understand but to me it does not seem fair. Colorado and Oregon were not part of the problem or even part of the initial plan must now pay to put some kind of plan in place and it affects the state rights? I can see the need to have a wolf refuge that is Yellowstone where hunting is not even allowed so they are protected as long as they are in the boundaries? Now what happens if a Grizzly wanders into Oregon do we have to put a Grizzly plan into place and plan on them living here and giving them residence??

Originally Posted by rimrock

ESA works lets call it in a two fold condition, meaning listed species and within a designated habitat (not just a listed species anywhere in the US). So if a species moves outside the DH than it is back under federal ESA rules. Delisting always pertain to a DH not just the listed species alone.

Did that makes sense (not whether you agree or not) but regarding the albeit brief explanation of ESA rules?

[rimrock]

Maybe this will help answer some questions, because lots of the same issues are often raised by people: (The second half of the below FAQs gives some general answers to what happens outside the distinct population segment boundaries for the Rocky Mtn Gray Wolf).

http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/...2008/QandA.pdf

Hope it does helps some.

[ehunter]

Thanks I will go and read it.

Originally Posted by rimrock

Maybe this will help answer some questions, because lots of the same issues are often raised by people: (The second half of the below FAQs gives some general answers to what happens outside the distinct population segment boundaries for the Rocky Mtn Gray Wolf).

http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/...2008/QandA.pdf

Hope it does helps some.

[nakoa]

just getting this back to the front

[Hunt'nFish]

Is an imaginary line, established by people who aren't even from our state, going to change the behavior of most in rural Oregon?...........I doubt it.

But it will determine whether it's a felony or not. Inside the boundry, game violation....... outside, felony.
Hey, at least it's a step in the right direction.
Hunt'nFish

[willametteriveroutlaw]

Happened today, from what I heard Wolves were killed outside the trophy zone in Wyoming.

[rimrock]

All of WY is dislisted (ie the same zone). What you rightly noted is a State managament issue not a Federal one. Seperate gigs.

[BrianMaguire]

Originally Posted by huffmad

The anti's have until the end of today to file their lawsuits. If the do not(which I'm sure they will) the states take over management of wolves. I would love to be able to buy a wolve tag this year in idaho but I have a feeling this will be tied up in the courts for a while.

Those tags are going to be so hard to get. You think getting a sheep tag is hard. heck I bet 15 years from now we will want the Fish and Wildife agencies to increase populations so we can hunt them, LOL.

[scottishsetter]

They'll be commin' here and paying big$$$$$ for those Non-Res tags. We'll be going there to hunt deer/elk. Hey maybe we could wish for a law that would allow---trades? Res. wolf tag for doe tag in Alabama-'Bama.

[Dullhook]

Originally Posted by rimrock

All of WY is dislisted (ie the same zone). What you rightly noted is a State managament issue not a Federal one. Seperate gigs.

Hey rimrock. How about checking into the delisting status for Beavers here in Oregon? We don't actually want to shootem' but just quarantine 'em.

[rimrock]

Originally Posted by Dullhook

Hey rimrock. How about checking into the delisting status for Beavers here in Oregon? We don't actually want to shootem' but just quarantine 'em.

Oh man you got me good! But we all know how much we all like to shoot Ducks.


BTW The price to hunt a wolf in Idaho as a resident will be $26.50 and a nonresident tag at $256. Of course that’s in addition to the expense of a hunting license, $12.75 for Idaho residents and $141.50 for nonresidents if I'm not mistaken.

[willametteriveroutlaw]

http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2...ethreeDani.htm


In the predator zone in WY, you don't even need a tag or a liscense.. Same as Coyotes. WY is the only state that actually followed the reintroductions and is holding the Feds to there plan.. Every other state caved.

[rimrock]

Originally Posted by willametteriveroutlaw

http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2...ethreeDani.htm


In the predator zone in WY, you don't even need a tag or a liscense.. Same as Coyotes. WY is the only state that actually followed the reintroductions and is holding the Feds to there plan.. Every other state caved.

Yes that's true. But this is how all predators are managed in WY from my understanding. It's not related to the Federal plan. For example ID is managing the wolf according to their normal predator plan. WY is just unique in it's predator practices. And as long as they conform to their approved wolf plan and maintain the State population objectives they are free to do it without a tag if they wish. This is just normal WY predator management not just wolf management, yes?, which is fine casue it's their way of doing things.

[willametteriveroutlaw]

Originally Posted by rimrock

Yes that's true. But this is how all predators are managed in WY from my understanding. It's not related to the Federal plan. For example ID is managing the wolf according to their normal predator plan. WY is just unique in it's predator practices. And as long as they conform to their approved wolf plan and maintain the State population objectives they are free to do it without a tag if they wish. This is just normal WY predator management not just wolf management, yes?, which is fine casue it's their way of doing things.

Wyoming held the Feds to there origional plan for reintroduction, where as other states have caved. The origional plan was only for the greater yellowstone ecosystem in WY, not the whole state. Oregon could actually classify them the same as coyotes if they wanted to as the reintroduction plan did not include Oregon.

[rimrock]

Well no matter what I would say you will believe what you believe regardiing WY, which is fine really. But I'm not sure where you got your information. It's not quite correct however. The entire state of WY was part of the designated habitat from the beginning, and the hold out WY did resulted in only delaying the delisted. In the end they agreed to every Federal requirement.

Here's a copy of the Federal Res. from 1994 to at least show you it wasn't only the greater yellowstone area.

[ehunter]

We will see how this all falls out in the next couple of months, their goals have certainly changed Earthjustice and all those groups agreed to the number of breeding pairs.



BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Good news for gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains: They no longer need federal protection. The bad news for the animals? Plans are already in the works to hunt them.
Federal Endangered Species Act protection of the wolves was lifted Friday in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, giving those states management of the estimated 1,500 gray wolves in the region.
Even though environmentalists plan to sue the federal government next month to restore wolf protections, hunts are already being scheduled by state wildlife agencies to reduce the wolf population to between 900 and 1,250. Idaho hunters will be allowed to kill between 100-300 of the animals this fall under a plan approved by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission. The hunts are partly in response to increasing numbers of livestock being killed as the predators' population has grown.
"We manage big game for a living, we're good at it," said Steve Nadeau, who oversees large carnivores for the Idaho Fish and Game Department. "The world is watching and we know it."

Fish and Game estimates Idaho now has 800 gray wolves. Should the number of breeding pairs in Idaho fall below a target number, the animals could be brought back under federal protection.
After a series of public shouting matches between wolf advocates and opponents, comments from Idaho Department Fish and Game officials on Friday seemed largely designed to reassure both ends of the debate.
Cal Groen, director of the department, told reporters that his agency has already proven its ability to recover and maintain Idaho wolf populations. "We've exceeded all the goals the federal government set," Groen said.
But Doug Honnold, a managing attorney for the nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice, disagrees. Honnold said the wolf populations won't be fully recovered in Idaho and the northern Rockies until the animals number between 2,000 and 3,000.
Earthjustice, which represents 12 local and national environmental groups, plans to sue the federal government next month to continue wolf protections. All three state plans to manage the wolves call for a reduction in their numbers, which will eventually lead to weaker breeding, Honnold said in a telephone interview from Bozeman, Mont.

"We think that would be a disaster," he said. "We've spent a lot of time, money and effort to promote wolf recovery."
Gray wolves were listed as endangered in 1973 after being hunted into near extinction, but the population has rebounded dramatically after restoration efforts began in 1995. The wolves were recently de-listed in the western Great Lakes, while the wolf population in the Southwest remains endangered. Wildlife biologists estimate there are now 41 breeding pairs in Idaho, in 72 packs. If that number falls below 10 breeding pairs, or 15 during a three-year period, the wolves could be brought back under federal protection.
On Friday, Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed a bill to allow ranchers, outfitters and pet owners to kill wolves harassing livestock. The law gives owners up to 72 hours to report wolves they've killed after catching them annoying, disturbing or stalking animals or livestock.

[Idahoan]

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/re...fm?NewsID=4325

Here is the Idaho Department of Fish and Game....It actually looks like hunting seasons will ACTUALLY be set for this Fall. Time to put the fear of Man back into these creatures.

[rimrock]

That's a good post ehunter.

If anyone knows how to post a PDF file, than I could post the actual letter of the 60 day notice from earthjustice if there's interest. It's a public record now, but I only have it as a PDF. If anyone wants to read the actual notice, how do you post such a file?

[Idahoan]

Originally Posted by rimrock

That's a good post ehunter.

If anyone knows how to post a PDF file, than I could post the actual letter of the 60 day notice from earthjustice if there's interest. It's a public record now, but I only have it as a PDF. If anyone wants to read the actual notice, how do you post such a file?

I think you can just "copy as a clipboard" and then just paste, I think.

[rimrock]

I just tried posting it...drats it didn't work.

It's an 11-page letter to the Interior/USFWS outlining their argument and data. Good info to learn what it is they actually plan to file suit on, unstead of newspaper articles that due to space restriction can't give the whole thing.

Thanks for the help Idahoan but I'm not getting it to work.

[ehunter]

FYI

LANDER -- At least three wolves were killed by Wyoming residents over the weekend, after the animal was removed from the federal endangered species list.

Large numbers of hunters reportedly prowled the state’s newly designated wolf predator area in Sublette County Friday, Saturday and Sunday, locals and outfitters said.

At least two wolves were killed near an elk feedground in the Pinedale area, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Another was killed, also in Sublette County, by a rancher, a local predator board member said.

The Star-Tribune received reports that a fourth wolf was possibly taken, also in Sublette County, but that kill has not yet been confirmed.

All three of the confirmed wolf kills happened in the Cowboy State’s newly designated predator zone for wolves, where the animals can be shot on sight without limits, as long as the time, location and sex of each kill is reported to the Game and Fish Department within 10 days.

Wolves were removed from protection under the federal Endangered Species Act on Friday, at which point the state of Wyoming took over management of the animals inside its borders.

Wolves in the state’s extreme northwest corner are now in the animal’s trophy game zone, and are still afforded some protection. Wolves in the rest of the state are considered predators, similar to coyotes.

Eric Keszler, spokesman for the Game and Fish Department, said the two wolf kills reported so far both happened Friday, about one to two miles west of the Jewett feedground outside of Pinedale. Both were gray-black, one male and one female.

One of the two near the feedground was wearing a tracking collar, said Scott Talbott, the Game and Fish official overseeing the state’s new wolf management program.

One rancher outside the trophy game zone killed a wolf Friday on his private property, said Cat Urbigkit, a member of the Sublette County Predator Board.

The rancher, who wanted to remain anonymous, was having problems with a wolf harassing his livestock, Urbigkit said. The predator board sent USDA Wildlife Services to assist the rancher, but he was able to kill the wolf on his own, she said.

Urbigkit, along with other locals, said there were a lot of hunters out over the weekend in Sublette County looking for wolves. Most of the 30 to 35 wolves outside the trophy game zone live in Sublette County.

“There has been a lot of excitement and interest for hunters in Sublette County,” Urbigkit said. “The predator board has nothing to do with that, but if the hunters are successful in their efforts, then hopefully the predator boards will not be called in on conflicts.”

The Sublette County Predator Board will not hunt wolves, she said, and will only respond when there is a conflict with livestock.

Terry Pollard, co-owner of Bald Mountain Outfitters, said he, too, knows many locals who went out wolf hunting over the weekend. He said most of them came back empty-handed.

“I think they’re finding just what we figured,” Pollard said. “These wolves are an extremely tough animal to hunt. There was a significant amount of hunters out this weekend, and very few of them were taken.”

The problem, however, is that many more wolves might have been killed and authorities don’t know about it yet, said Mike Leahy, the Rocky Mountain regional director of Washington, D.C.-based Defenders of Wildlife.

Because the predator area requirements allow people to wait 10 days before reporting wolf kills, the authorities who most need to know about the impact of the new wolf rules will be largely in the dark for days or even weeks, Leahy said.

“In a shoot-on-sight zone, a large number of the wolves could be killed before Wyoming Game and Fish or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service even knows about it,” Leahy said. “There could be big impacts to the wolf population that go underreported until it’s too late.”

Defenders of Wildlife is part of a coalition of 11 conservation groups that has notified the federal government about its intent to sue over the wolf delisting rule once the requisite 60-day waiting period is up at the end of April.

There are provisions built into the Endangered Species Act that theoretically allow citizens to seek an emergency injunction against a federal delisting decision, should sufficient need arise.

“It is too early to tell, but certainly if this number of wolves was killed in the first weekend, and this pace keeps up, we would certainly consider the emergency provisions,” Leahy said.

[tracker]

Wow! Glad my home staters are starting this wolf kill off! This area is beautiful and rugged! It sure make me realize that the dog like sounds we were hearing last fall in the area were wolfs! Would have been happy to have shot one last year but and the next time in the area I will be staying longer just to give it a try. We came home early with our meat but would have stayed with this oppourtunity!

[ehunter]

Personaly I think its kind of cool in WY they don't play any political correctness games they just get to it...good for them.

Originally Posted by tracker

Wow! Glad my home staters are starting this wolf kill off! This area is beautiful and rugged! It sure make me realize that the dog like sounds we were hearing last fall in the area were wolfs! Would have been happy to have shot one last year but and the next time in the area I will be staying longer just to give it a try. We came home early with our meat but would have stayed with this oppourtunity!