Judge clears way for wolf hunt in Idaho and Montana [Updated]

With four gray wolves already shot in Idaho, a federal judge in Montana has cleared the way for legal hunting of the once-endangered predators to proceed in Idaho and Montana.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy found there would be no irreparable harm if the hunt goes forward, though he warned that a coalition of conservation groups represented by Earthjustice have a good chance of prevailing later on their argument that it was wrong to remove endangered species protections for wolves in Idaho and Montana, but not in Wyoming.

In continuing to list Wyoming wolves under the Endangered Species Act, "the [Fish and Wildlife] Service has distinguished a natural population of wolves based on a political line, not the best available science," the judge wrote of the Obama administration's new regulations for wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies.

"That, by definition, seems arbitrary and capricious," he said.

Twelve wolves were shot by hunters and other private citizens in Wyoming from April to July of 2008, when a brief lifting of federal protections allowed the state to declare most of its territory a predator zone.

With legal authority to shoot on sight, hunters and ranchers were permitted by law to chase down wolves with snow machines and even target wolves near elk feeding stations, prompting U.S. officials to retain endangered species status for the roughly 300 wolves residing there.

"It was basically just a free-fire, more than a hunt," said Louisa Willcox of the Natural Resources Defense Council in Montana.

Willcox said Molloy's new ruling suggests the judge could reject the plan for de-listing wolves in the other two states when the case gets a full hearing later.

"We're disappointed of course that the wolf hunts are proceeding, but in the big picture we are optimistic about the prospects," she said.

Conservationists' big fear is that while only 295 of the region's 1,650 wolves can be targeted by hunters this year, the new federal regulations allow the total number of wolves to drop as low as 300. Typically, large numbers of wolves are killed every year as a result of poaching, accidents and conflicts with livestock.

Molloy didn't address that issue yet. But he did find that the overall population of wolves in the region can sustain a year's harvest "in excess of 30%," which is greater than the number targeted for this year.

Legal wolf hunting opened in two areas of Idaho on Sept. 1 and will expand to most of the state by the end of the month. Montana's wolf season opens Sept. 15.

Officials at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game reported a smooth, quiet beginning to the hunt, with more than 12,300 wolf tags issued so far. Montana has sold 7,120 wolf licenses. "The system is working, and hunters are excited to have the opportunity," Jim Unsworth, deputy director of the Idaho department, said in a statement.

[Updated at 2:56 p.m.: An Eagle, Idaho, man was cited for poaching Tuesday when he shot a wolf on a public road from the back of his pickup truck in an area not open for wolf hunting. The man told officers he thought he was in a legal zone until he later checked a map.

The wolf was a small female, still a pup, according to the fish and game department. Officers, who have not filed charges pending an investigation, seized the wolf hide and skull, a camera, rifle and hunting tag.]

The department has a list of regulations for the hunt on its website, and also tips for bagging a wolf.

"Wolves regularly travel on roads and trails, just like hunters, so look for tracks and scat," it suggests. "Wolves communicate with each other through a variety of howls and other sounds, so listen. A howl at the right time, might draw in a wolf."

One of the first hunters to report a wolf kill in Idaho, Robert Millage of Kamiah, Idaho, said he had been flooded with hostile e-mails and phone calls calling him a wolf murderer and a fat redneck.

"I have a thick skin and a good sense of humor. What am I going to do, yell back at them?" he told the Lewiston Tribune. "I obeyed the law and did what [the Idaho Department of] Fish and Game wanted us to do. I can sleep well."

-- Kim Murphy

Photo: Robert Millage of Kamiah, Idaho, was one of the first hunters to report a wolf kill. Credit: Robert Millage via Associated Press

Comments

[HuntWolves]

Well there you have it... wolf hunts will continue uninterrupted so if you haven't already go get your tag. Out of state tags in idaho are $186.

If you're new to hunting wolves and want to learn more visit
http://www.HuntWolves.com

[Tyler]

haha hell ya now we can finaly start to hurt them like they are doing to are elk and dont have to worry to much about the dang tree hugers!!! hunters get out there and get your tage then get your puppy!!!!!!

[Rick]

This is very sad. It reminds me of how Aldo Leopold described his first wolf hunt in his acclaimed book "A Sand County Almanac." I encourage any would-be wolf hunters to at least first read this book. It should give them a valuable perspective, and perhaps motivate them to start "thinking like a mountain." While wolves have partially recovered in the northern Rockies and upper Midwest, they remain extirpated over the vast majority of their former range. They are a keystone species, and their absence in most places is having harmful ecological "cascading" effects. Of course, the state game agencies are getting revenue from selling wolf tags, so they look the other way on that esoteric ecology stuff.

[tarheelchief]

One wonders if those who protest the hunt have ever been near the wolves.
One wonders at the same time whether or not attorneys representing the wolves have ever taken their children,their dog,their relatives,their in laws,their ex-wives into territory where wolves can thrive.
I'm aware the former range of the buffalo,the wolf,most of the elk,mountain sheep,and Gila monsters have been invaded by man.
The population of the US grew almost four times in one hundred years,and twenty five times in 200 years I wish this weren't so,but it is true. And where is room for the buffalo to roam?

[John]

After reading some of the blogs and viewing the picture of an animal holding an animal it only cofirms my beliefs that Americans are realistically quite backward. Unfortunately we have the same sort of mentality here in Australia but here we call them morons and in the US their called rednecks. Here our moron farmers, similar to US redneck ranchers who feel their cattle and sheep were being ripped to shreds by the millions, by Dingo's or wolves would wail as well to the politicians and judges. Usually a bunch of croc****the amount of dead and uncared for sheep and cattle that I have personally seen or had to destroy humanely to put them out of misery really is quite staggering. Wolves and Dingo's at best wouldn't even put a dent on the amount of waste our farmers and ranchers cast on their cattle through sheer utter neglect you only have to really open your eyes and look for yourselves, better still, talk to Animal cruelty agencies Federal or State that may astound you. Killing off endangered species or disrupting that balance always has it's pitfalls and shortcomings then we all look at someone else for a "Not my responsibility to fix it attitude". But it really is sad when judges or politicians sway to these sorts or attitudes and allow this senseless extermination of endangered species, the picture of someone dumber than Homer Simpson springs to mind, worse still in a gown or suit. The sooner that some States get into the 21st century the better for all concerned. Agencies alike only look at the revenue from licences and then turn a blind eye total shame or worse still pocket the money in the "back pocket" to pass a new law.
The sooner people realistically look at the bigger picture and what that entails the better off this planet may be or evolve to be until then, this sort of backward mentality will only dig us further in the mire.

[Ryan]

John,
Your description of US ranchers is absolutely appalling and does nothing to serve your point. First, you clearly know nothing about the basics of economics, I have no idea what it's like in Australia, but here, most people protect their economic interests. Second, being in Australia you have never had to witness the utter destruction left behind by a pack of hungry wolves (http://www.missoulian.com/news/local/article_5ff01772-938f-11de-9aca-001cc4c03286.html). And finally, you probably have little or no understanding of what it is like to have to watch your family pet die to the teeth of a wolf and have no legal right to protect it, as it was before wolves were delisted. So next time you decide to vilify an entire group of people who provide food for the entire world maybe you should make sure you know what you are talking about.

[tarheelchief]

There's a bear on the flag of California.Most of the people on the coast know the bears are gone,the victims of population growth,and the desire to feed the children without fear of death.You seldom hear parents or grandparents saying:
Let's reintroduce the bears and have hunters randomly firing through houses if they miss their targets.
I wonder if these folks realize the people of Idaho fear the wolves,and the damage they are doing.
I wonder if these same people know California faces a similar problem with our own wild boar population which is tearing up the lands in the Valley.
More enviornmentalists should join the 4-H clubs and cattlemen associations to see what goes into their diets.Or, they should read the wonderful book,Elephant Graveyard,especially the final chapter.

[Arietta Sollini]

9/11/2009

Kim,

A symbolic date for the few gray wolves left in Idaho and Montana, two states filled with lots of Little Dicks, Gunpowder Brains, and Cowards (it takes a lot of courage to kill an unsuspecting animal with a high powered, scoped rifle). With any luck, one or more of these happy hunters will fall and break a leg then be faced by a pack of gray wolves who will tear him into 1000 pieces. It seems only fair. What doesn't make sense is that there are 1600 wolves yet they issues 7100 wolf hunting licenses, which apparently don't require having a conscience, iota of respect for animals, or decency to get. Kill, Kill Kill, America's favorite pastime and just what one would expect from a nation of intellectually-challenged, gun-toting, paranoid, barbaric, and Troglodyte-like savages.

Arietta

[Holly]

This is terrible!! Wolf hunting is an outrageous idea! We should be trying to solve our problems, the ones humans created instead of making up things just to make us feel better.We are sick. They do realize that our precious pets are descendents of wolves. If you want to go killing dogs willy nilly be my guest just don't come complaining to us opposed to wolf hunting when our deer and elk population is out of whack and there are no more trees growing.

[Sheila]

All you "wolf hunters" need to look at the big picture and NOT the trophy on your wall!!! I grew up in hunting family but never did we kill what we couldn't eat and NEVER did we kill just for the fun of watching a beautiful creature die!! It's diguesting the way you good ol' boys think! YOU guys, eapecailly Tyler need to get a real life!!!

[Al]

If the odds were even it would be fair.

[Lili]

This is absolutely appalling. Going out there and shooting another sentient being for sports and fun. Destruction by a pack of wolves? There wouldnt be any destruction if the likes of you backwards rednecks were not intruding into their habitat.

Hunting is uncivilized and barbaric and the judge who approved of it is a disgusting human being - and so is everyone who goes out there hunting these creatures and thinks it is justifiable economically or ecologically.

[james]

Worms are sentient beings. So are cockroaches. Who will advocate for them?

[james]

We try not to tolerate two legged killers, what kind or reasoning can possiblly make it okay to allow four legged killers in our forests? Animals rights is an oxymoron. Animals are animals and all rights are human. Love thy neighbor applies to humans, not the forest wolf. Who advocates for the safety of school age children who by no fault of their own might be forced to walk or ride a bicycle to or from school near a wild area with hungry, murdering, sport killing wolves? I just got finished reading that wolves inhabited central Michigan. How far will this chaotic way of thinking go? Vegans and vegitarians, to remain consistent, must eschew the wearing of the remains of dead animals. That means nothing made of petroleum, no plastic, no rubber. If not for petroleum, nearly all footwear would continue to be made of leather.

[LGee]

James: Your first point about worms and cockroaches is silly, and your second statement that equates wolves with killers misses the point entirely. When any apex predator is eliminated from an ecosystem, there is a cascading negative effect on the overall health of that ecosystem. This has been clearly demonstrated. You seem to have a rather twisted interpretation of the Old Testament notion that humans are here to hold dominion over all other creatures; this is a very unscientific view and if pursued will just continue to degrade what little remains of a natural balance- these animals were here long before us, and as stewards of their world (we do have that power, obviously), we have the responsibility to be mindful of preserving that balance as much as we are able. Apparently emotions cloud some people's judgement when it comes to wolves...

[SeventeenForever.]

i dont get why people enjoy killing amazing animals like these. i dont get why they enjoy killing at all. i dont think i would like the idea of killing an animal as a trophy and hanging up in your house. my opinion is that hunters are low life people that have nothing better to do.

[Matt]

We are incredibly too inhumane to consider ourselves human!

[Ariel]

To James

Animals are animals.......wtf? Humans are animals, and obviously not the most intelligent. Wolves were on the endagered species list for a reason, because of people like you, Huntwolves guy/gal, and Tyler along with all the jerks that bought a liscense to hunt wolves. Unlike humans, that waste for waste sake, wolves hunt to eat. If cattle is being hunted well, ya better round up your money and put it behind a fence and if ya can't do that well.... there are programs to get you your money back. This is just sick. In the large scale of things the wolf is more human than most hunters I know.

[Frank Wood]

To all hunters of these beautiful majestic creatures; you disgust me. There is no justification for these murders! Your claims concerning lost income and revenue regarding livestock is absolutely ridiculous. You have invaded the natural habitat of the Grey Wolf and it is you who are trespassing on their land. Only a complete idiot would introduce prey into the arena of a top predator and be surprised at the result. The senseless slaughter of a wolf is treason against nature. To take pride in doing such is immoral and shameful. You are no more of a man than those who would gun down children as they play in school. I will not recognise these ignorant bipeds or their supporters as fellow human beings. It is their pathetic existence that should be eradicated.

[austin]

KILL THEM ALL!!!! they kill all the elk and cows here in montana.

[gok]

my thoughts for all ya tree huggers out there you go into the wilderness on the trails and see wat your so called beautiful wolves can do to elk, deer, cattle or dogs, or better yet you damn tree huggers we need to issue more tags and get rid of the damn beast. hell if it was up to me ranchers should be aloud to gut shoot every wolf that comes there way to make the wolves suffer the pain the cause ranchers. and hunters need to just keep doing there job.
tree huggers out there for my comment on how you say wolves are beauitful they might be but on my wall or stuffed!!!!

[sharon]

"the [Fish and Wildlife] Service has distinguished a natural population of wolves based on a political line, not the best available science," the judge wrote of the Obama administration's new regulations for wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies.

"That, by definition, seems arbitrary and capricious," he said.

As if judges aren't "arbitrary and capricious."

[jk]

bastards. so much for evolving as human beings to more compassionate creatures. the human race is scum. this judge is an idiot who is probably a red neck hunter himself. first we killed all of the wolves, then we brought them back and now we are killing them again. human beings are so stupid.

[jk]

for all you stupid red necked arrogant small dicked in need of something to make you feel powerful rifle carrying ignorant morons who feel it is your "right" to hunt wolves who were here long before your gene pool sadly touched ground, if you don't want wolves eating your livestock, guess what? leave and move where they don't have wolves! they have the right to eat just like we do. are you eating wolf? no! you're putting its head on your mantle so you can feel like you are more endowed, and you are probably married to some idiot who thinks you're so big and macho and manly. please stop voting and reproducing. if you had done your research you would find that overall wolves are better for the food chain, the elk have been thriving since the wolves were reintroduced as they take out the old, weak and diseased and therefore the elk don't die of starvation, disease and overpopulation. more healthy elk means more elk reproduce which means more elk for YOU to hunt. so you can still get your kicks by killing something...the elk, if you knew anything about wildlife management you would know that nature takes care of itself if you would just get the hell out of the way!

[Jean Alvarez]

I am against this. Haven't we done enough to destroy our eco system?
We eliminated the wolf and other species of wild life, because of our stupidityand we will do it agin if this is allowed to continue.
I believe man is the only animal that kills out of pure pleasure and sport. I wrote a poem in high school that relates to this issue I guess it still applies. I will only give you a glimpse of it:
Listen to his howl, Listen to him cry, Wolf, they say he's the hunter but he's not. He's the hunted. He's part of man's rotten sysyem. So, listen to him howl listen to his cry as he goes to the mountaintop and cries mournfully, for pretty soon he knows he must die.