Gray Wolf News "The latest in the Wolf Wars"

[bearpaw]

Feb 24, 2013
 
Bill would stop Minnesota wolf hunt for five years
 
By Sam Cook, Duluth News Tribune February 24, 2013
 
As reported this past week, legislation was introduced at the state Capitol on Thursday to place a five-year moratorium on Minnesota’s wolf hunting season and call for other options for wolf population control.
 
The bill seeks to reinstate a five-year waiting period between when the federal government dropped wolves off the endangered species — which happened in 2011 — and a potential hunting season.
 
That five-year delay was supported by a wolf task force, the Department of Natural Resources and the 2000 Minnesota Legislature, but was erased by the 2012 Legislature.
 
Under the Senate bill, there could be no wolf hunting until July 1, 2018.
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/a3rxhzg

[villageidiot]

Those wolf lovers never give up.  What sort of lunacy is this?

[bearpaw]

Feb 25, 2013
 
Feds agree to $380K attorney fees
 
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 23, 2013
 
Federal officials and environmental groups "have engaged in good faith, confidential settlement negotiations" that have resulted in an agreement for the feds to pay the groups $380,000 to settle attorney fees.
 
The agreement stems from a lawsuit filed by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Humane Society of the United States, etc. back in June 2009 challenging the delisting of wolves. The federal court heard cross motions for summary judgment five months later and eventually ruled that the environmental groups were right in part and wrong in part. The feds appealed the case to the Ninth Circuit where it was dismissed as moot.
 
Read the PDF for more details.
 
PDF of Order to Settle Attorneys' Fees (2.44 megs):
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/wolf/pdf/attorneyfees.pdf
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Wolf-control bills pass out of Senate committee
 
Mon, Feb 25, 2013 by Kylee Zabel WNPA Olympia News Bureau
 
Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee last week approved two bills that would reduce the restraints on landowners and county legislative authorities from lethally removing a wolf posing an immediate threat to livestock and/or domestic animals.
 
Both bills have been sent to the Rules Committee for floor-vote consideration.
 
Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 5187 would allow livestock-owners, their family members and employees to trap or kill gray wolves without a permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) if their livestock or domestic animals were being attacked. The wolf must be an immediate threat to livestock and other animals and if a wolf is killed and is not found to have been an immediate threat, the taking of that wolf would violate DFW rules.
 
However, conservation groups and some lawmakers are concerned about the effect the legislation could have on present wolf management programs if passed into law.   
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/aazwy9b
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Isle Royale National Park revises wolf totals
 
Associated Press 02/22/2013
 
ISLE ROYALE (AP) -- Isle Royale National Park's gray wolves apparently don't have a gender gap after all.
 
Scientists reported last year that only nine wolves remained on the Lake Superior island chain - the lowest total in more than 50 years. They said just one was known to be a female, raising doubts about the predator's long-term prospects for survival in the wilderness park.
 
But Superintendent Phyllis Green said Thursday that genetic analysis of wolf excrement and additional observations suggest that four or five of the animals are females.
 
Even so, Green says the wolves' situation remains tenuous and experts are studying how climate change may affect them.
 
Michigan Technological University biologists are conducting their annual winter study at Isle Royale and are expected to release updated wolf and moose numbers next month.
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[bearpaw]

Feb 26, 2013
 
Predator Management Has Not Worked - Now It's Time For Predator Control!
 
February 26, 2013 by Toby Bridges of Lobo Watch
 
All the damage that wolves have dealt to the big game herds of Western Montana was not supposed to happen. Anyway, that's what wolf experts were telling the residents of the state back when the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Plan was accepted and signed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1987, or when that agency drafted the 414-page Environmental Impact Statement for that project in 1994. Those who put those official documents together claimed that, on the average, each wolf would account for the annual loss of about 14 wild ungulates - i.e. elk, moose, deer, etc.
 
We now realize and have known for the past seven or eight years that typically each wolf brings down between 20 and 25 big game animals annually for sustenance. That's something that those experts missed by a significant margin in the "Plan" or the official EIS. What those experts also failed to cover were other losses of game to wolves. It has become very clear that these apex predators do not kill only for what they need to eat. Wolves, especially when they work as a pack, kill just to be killing, perhaps to hone their hunting skills or to better teach the younger members of a pack how to hunt. Those "sport kills", or that "surplus killing" as some wolf researchers like to call it, can equal what it takes to keep wolves fed, and as often as not the wolves eat very little of the game they take for the sheer pleasure of sharpening techniques and tactics for bringing down game that can be three...four...five times larger than the individual wolf.
 
Then, there's the loss of the not yet born. Wolves relentlessly pursue prey animals, often following a herd for days, or for a week or more before making a move to actually kill. In the Northern Rockies, the lean months are generally February and March, when big game herds begin to find less to eat, and must rely on fat reserves to carry them through until the new grasses begin to sprout, or the tips of browse begin to bud new leaves. By this time of winter, the sick, weak and old which many claim wolves only kill have already been pretty much weeded out. To wear the game down, wolves will keep the animals constantly on the move, running in to inflict injury and to wound. After a few days of such pressure, the injured and the weary from being constantly kept on the move can no longer keep up, and the wolves pick them off one at a time.
 
Especially vulnerable at this time of year are the pregnant cows and does. Weakened somewhat from less than adequate browse and fat reserves, and heavy with the next generation of the species, they become the easier prey to cut out of a herd, and wolves tend to concentrate on them. Such pressure results in a tremendous strain on pregnant females, and the rate of fetus abortion becomes extremely high. The very low calf to cow ratio elk herds are now experiencing can be largely attributed to this loss of new recruitment - well before spring birthing.
 
Continued with GRAPHIC photos:
http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/Legislation12/go
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Wolf population doubled in Washington over past year
 
By Lynda V. Mapes Seattle Times February 25, 2013
 
Despite the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife shooting of seven wolves last summer because they were killing cattle, the state’s population is burgeoning, a new survey shows.
 
The number of confirmed gray wolves and wolf packs in the state nearly doubled during the past year, according to the survey, which based on field reports and aerial monitoring in 2012 found at least 51 wolves in nine packs, with five successful breeding pairs.
 
The previous year’s survey confirmed 27 wolves, nine wolf packs and three breeding pairs.
 
“We have remarkable growth of wolves in Washington,” said Donny Martorello, carnivore section manager for the Department of Fish & Wildlife, which conducted the survey. “This is what you see when a colonizing population is finding suitable habitat and really taking off.”
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/akfzjoh
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Group seeks to put question of wolf hunting on Michigan's 2014 ballot
 
by WMEAC (eringolder) on Monday Feb 25th, 2013
 
A petition drive is underway to allow voters to choose whether or not a piece of legislation, which could allow hunters to hunt the gray wolf in Michigan, will stand. The group Keep Michigan Wolves Protected needs more than 225,000 signatures to place the referendum on a statewide ballot in 2014. Petitions must be submitted by March 27, and 161,000 signatures are still needed. If enough signatures are collected, the possibility of a gray wolf hunting season will be delayed until the vote in 2014.
 
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill last December that placed the gray wolf on Michigan’s game species list. This action did not sanction a wolf-hunting season, but allows for the possibility of creating one, once more is known about the wolf population in Michigan. In January, a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove Michigan’s wolves from the federal endangered species list took effect, clearing the way for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to establish a hunting season.
 
Continued:
http://therapidian.org/michigan-and-gray-wolf

[bearpaw]

Feb 27, 2013
 
FWP pleased with initial wolf hunt numbers
 
By Katherine Mozzone, KTVM Feb 26 2013
 
BOZEMAN, Mont. - With only days left in the 2012-2013 wolf season, hunters and trappers have already killed more Montana wolves than any previous season.
     
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks adopted a more aggressive wolf policy last summer after hunters failed to kill enough wolves last year.     
 
Folks with FWP say they're pleased with this year's wolf hunt numbers so far.
     
In total, hunters have harvested 130 wolves while trappers have taken 91.
     
That's 221 wolves, one more than last year's quota.
     
Representatives with FWP say they wouldn't have seen close to as many harvests without trapping, which started in mid-December.
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/abqd8nx
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State Natural Resources Board holds public hearing on wolf hunting dogs
 
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 (WTAQ)
 
MADISON, WI - The state Natural Resources Board heard horror stories Tuesday about what might happen if wolf hunters are allowed to use hunting dogs.
 
The Board held a public hearing in Madison on permanent rules to limit packs of hunting dogs to 16, ban them at night, and allow the dogs to be trained only from October to March.
 
Critics have predicted violent skirmishes if the hunting dogs are allowed.
 
Madison Judge Peter Anderson banned the dogs during the inaugural wolf season from last October through December.  The judge lifted his order in mid-January and told the Natural Resources Board to create more exact rules.
 
Al Lobner of the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association said strict rules are quote, “discriminating to those of us who prefer to hunt with hounds.”
 
continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cg7e7dm
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[bearpaw]

Feb 28, 2013
 
Montana hunters, trappers kill at least 223 wolves; next season will have looser restrictions
 
By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press February 28, 2013
 
BILLINGS, Montana — With at least 223 gray wolves killed by Montana hunters and trappers during a season that ends Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock and wildlife officials said they now have the right rules in place as the state seeks to reduce the predator's population.
 
Montana's wolf harvest numbers are up roughly 25 percent from last winter. That's on top of 104 wolves that were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers last year due to livestock attacks or other conflicts.
 
Yet because the animals breed prolifically, Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Jeff Hagener said he expects at most a modest drop in the population from last year's estimate of about 650 wolves.
 
About 400-500 animals statewide would maintain a sustainable population, he said, but that's just a rough guideline and not a definitive goal.
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cmtgeux
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Montana wolves kill hunting dog
 
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 27, 2013
 
Montana mountain lion hunters witnessed a pack of wolves kill one of their hunting hounds that had treed a lion east of Hamilton. The Billings Gazette has the story.
 
Billings Gazette
http://tinyurl.com/csp4fzl
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Hydatid Cyst Transmission and Growth
 
February 27, 2013 by Tom Remington
 
Hydatid Cyst Transmission and Growth
February 22, 2013
Author: Clayton H. Dethlefsen
Chairman and Executive Director
Western Predator Control Association
 
ISSUE: Can Hydatid Cysts cause the development of Hydatid Disease without the Transmission of E.g. Tapeworm Eggs through their expulsion in the fecal discharge of Canines?
 
DISCUSSION:
 
Key Point: Transmission from Hydatid Cysts that directly creates a new Cyst happens.  The only question is how this happens.
 
Ungulates with multiple Cyst including humans generally get them when Cyst that they already have burst or seep causing the Protoscolices (Hydatid Sand and/or the Cyst Fluid) to migrate to new location within the body.  Mostly these new cysts grow within the same body cavity or the same or immediately adjacent vital organs.
 
Hydatid Fluid contains tapeworm larva that have heads with connected tails that look much the same as swimming frog pollywogs. This fluid is often referred to as Hydatid Sand, which, if it gets into the circulation or respiratory system, can flow its way to new ungulate body locations.  Also, new cyst can form, if the initial Cyst was in the eye, in the eye socket, and if the initial Cyst was in bone marrow, new Cysts (because of the bone’s structure) are habitually confined to the bone’s cavity. Also, Cysts form in the tracheal and bronchial tubes, particularly where the Trachea branches into the Bronchi, or at a subcutaneous location if Sand from a burst or leaking cyst moves to these locations.
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/c7sxtvg

[bearpaw]

March 1, 2013
 
Wallowa County gray wolf safe after being trapped; wolf population revised downward
 
By Richard Cockle, The Oregonian February 28, 2013
 
JOSEPH -- A young, female gray wolf in northeastern Oregon's Wallowa County has a sore paw and a new radio collar after being caught in a trap.
 
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported that the 76-pound Imnaha pack wolf was inadvertently captured Tuesday by a local trapper, who notified the agency. Biologists were able to  collar and then safely release the wolf, now identified as OR17, and said she was in good condition.
 
Under Oregon Furbearer regulations, trappers are required to contact ODFW biologists immediately when a wolf or other endangered animal is trapped.
 
Separately, biologists reported that genetic evidence from scats collected in January show that gray wolves in the Minam and Upper Minam River packs actually belong to a single pack. Based on the new information, the agency has revised its Oregon wolf  census to six known wolf packs, all of which have breeding pairs, and a total of 46 wolves.
 
That's a downward revision from January, when the agency reported that Oregon's minimum gray wolf count was 53, in seven packs with five breeding pairs. At that time, biologists believed the Upper Minam River pack consisted of 7 wolves and the Minam pack had five wolves.
 
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/b856zpz
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New Imnaha Pack collar; Minam/Upper Minam River determined to be same pack
 
March 1, 2013 posted at Life With Wolves
 
On Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013 ODFW biologists radio-collared a new Imnaha Pack wolf (OR17).  The 76-pound young female wolf was captured inadvertently by a local trapper who immediately notified ODFW when he discovered the wolf.  ODFW was able to collar and then safely release the wolf in good condition.
 
Under Oregon Furbearer Regulations, trappers should contact ODFW immediately if a wolf or other endangered animal is trapped. The trapper did exactly what he was supposed to do in this case.
 
ODFW has recently added another breeding pair to its 2012 population estimate.  Recent winter (February) surveys revealed that the Minam pack has two pups.  Also, new genetic evidence from scats collected in January indicate that the Minam  and Upper Minam River wolves are from the same pack, hereafter referred to as the Minam Pack.  Based on this new information, ODFW is revising its earlier estimate of the Oregon wolf population to six known packs (all breeding pairs) and a total of 46 wolves.
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[bearpaw]

March 2, 2013
 
Pack of wolves kills 10-year-old child in Siberia
 
01.03.2013 Pravda.Ru
 
Krasnoyarsk media have reported details of the incident that took place near the village of Essey. A 10-year-old boy was killed by a pack of wolves. Meanwhile, officials with the Central Investigation Department of the Krasnoyarsk region release cautious comments about the incident.
 
On February 28, 2013, law enforcement agencies received information saying that the body of a 10-year-old boy with signs of violent death had been found on the isthmus of Essey Lake, located in the village of the same name. There were multiple lacerated wounds on the child's body, similar to animal bites.
 
Either wolf or dog traces were found near the boy's body.
 
According to preliminary reports, in the evening of February 28, the boy went to see his brother home. The boy's mother, alarmed by his long absence, went out to search for her son and found the child dead.
 
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/b2tz4v8
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See also:
 
Report: Dogs, wolves may have killed boy
 
http://tinyurl.com/b7lushl
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Wolf culling starts in Yakutia
 
by Evgeniya Chaykovskaya 15/01/2013 The Moscow News
 
On Tuesday, the culling of wolves began in Yakutia in an attempt to regulate the numbers of the predators starting to take a toll on local farms.
 
http://themoscownews.com/russia/20130115/191136791.html
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Siberian Region Sets Aside $1mln for Wolf Cull
 
20/02/2013 (RIA Novosti)
 
YAKUTSK, February 20 – Authorities in the remote north-east Siberian republic of Yakutia said on Wednesday they would allocate 32 million rubles (just over $1mln) for a three-month cull of wolves.
 
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130220/179582921.html
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Old West to new: Court order makes Ore. 'wolf-safe,' forcing ranchers to try new measures
 
By JEFF BARNARD - AP Environmental Writer March 02, 2013
 
GRANTS PASS, Oregon — As long as wolves have been making their comeback, biologists and ranchers have had a decidedly Old West option for dealing with those that develop a taste for beef: Shoot to kill. But for the past year, Oregon has been a "wolf-safe" zone, with ranchers turning to more modern, nonlethal ways to protect livestock.
 
While the number of wolves roaming the state has gone up, livestock kills haven't — and now conservation groups are hoping Oregon can serve as a model for other Western states working to return the predator to the wild.
 
http://tinyurl.com/aobfbq6
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Officials: Problem wolves will be removed
 
March 2, 2013 Yakima Herald
 
OKANOGAN — State officials assured Okanogan County residents Thursday that some problem wolves that kill livestock will be trapped and euthanized this year.
 
“The lethal side of management is controversial, but it is a very real part of management,” Dave Ware told a standing-room-only crowd that included many cattle ranchers.
 
The game division manager added, “We’re trying to be more aggressive, and we’re trying to be more responsive.”
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/amtlf24
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[CementFinisher]

keep it up dale 

[bearpaw]

March 3, 2013
 
Montana, Idaho trappers catching more than just wolves
 
March 3, 2013  By Perry Backus - Ravalli Republic
 
In the first year that wolf trapping was allowed in Idaho, trappers captured a total of 123 wolves.
 
But according to a survey by the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Department, those same trappers in 2011-2012 also inadvertently captured 147 other animals, including white-tailed deer, elk, moose, mountain lions, skunks and ravens.
 
Trappers reported that 69 of those animals died as a result.
 
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife management chief George Pauley said his office is currently gathering similar information about the state’s first wolf trapping season.
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cm8w3h9
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State’s wolf harvest up 25 percent over last year
 
February 28, 2013 Associated Press
 
With at least 223 gray wolves killed by Montana hunters and trappers during a season that ends Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock and wildlife officials said they now have the right rules in place as the state seeks to reduce the predator’s population.
 
Montana’s wolf harvest numbers are up roughly 25 percent from last winter. That’s on top of 104 wolves that were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers last year due to livestock attacks or other conflicts.
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cg9qcbh

[bearpaw]

March 4, 2013
 
225 wolves killed in final Montana hunting, trapping tally
 
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 04, 2013
 
HELENA, Montana — Montana officials say the final tally from the state's wolf hunting and trapping seasons is 225 predators.
 
Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said in a statement Monday that hunters killed 128 wolves and trappers another 97 in the season that closed Feb. 28.
 
That's an increase over 2011 when 166 wolves were killed. Trapping was not allowed.
 
The three counties with the most wolves killed were killed Lincoln, Park and Missoula counties.
 
Another 104 wolves were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers due to livestock attacks or other conflicts.
 
FWP officials say they will have a 2012 wolf population report by the end of March. In 2011, the population increased to at least 653 wolves.
 
They say 18,642 wolf-hunting licenses and 1,500 trapping licenses were purchased for this season.
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Democrat introduces bill to block dogs in Wisconsin wolf hunt
 
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 04, 2013
 
MADISON, Wisconsin — A Democratic state senator is circulating a bill that would prohibit wolf hunters from using dogs.
 
Sen. Fred Risser of Madison sent an email to his fellow lawmakers on Monday asking for co-sponsors. He notes in the email that humane societies oppose the use of dogs in the wolf hunt.
 
A group of humane societies filed a lawsuit in August alleging state wildlife officials failed to impose any restrictions on using and training dogs on wolves. A Dane County judge issued a temporary injunction that blocked the use of dogs during the wolf season. In January the judge approved dog use during the hunt but barred training them on wolves.
 
Risser's bill has little chance of passing. Republicans control both the Senate and Assembly.
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Child killed by wild dogs in Russia
 
Fri, 01 Mar 2013 IANS/RIA Novosti
 
Moscow, Mar 1 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Police in Russia said Friday they were looking into the death of a boy thought to have been killed by wild dogs or wolves in Siberia.
 
The boy's body was found with numerous bites and his clothes torn into pieces near Lake Yessey in Evenkia district in Krasnoyarsk region late Thursday.
 
The body, discovered by the boy's mother, was surrounded by traces of animals which appeared to be from wolves or wild dogs, a police spokeswoman said Friday.
 
Yessey village head Gennady Maimaga said stray dogs which roam the area had previously attacked local residents.
 
"They actively breed in the forest and enter the village territory. There were previous cases when they had attacked people," Maimaga said.
 
Police are heading to Yessey for a preliminary inquiry into the death.
 
In January, a wolf cull was ordered in the neighbouring republic of Yakutia after wolves began attacking livestock.

[bearpaw]

March 5, 2013
 
Fish and Game reports hunters have bagged 245 wolves this season; hunt off pace from last year
 
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 05, 2013
 
BOISE, Idaho — Hunters appear to be having less success hunting and trapping wolves in the Idaho backcountry than a season ago.
 
Idaho Fish and Game officials announced Monday that hunters had bagged 245 wolves this season. At the end last season, hunters killed 379 wolves.
 
There is still time for hunters to make gains on last year's mark.
 
Hunting and trapping in most zones across the state remain open through the end of March. Seasons in the Lolo and Selway zones in the north-central part of the state remain open through June 30.
 
Agency officials are encouraging hunters and trappers to focus on the hard-to-reach backcountry where success rates have been low. But they say wolves in those areas are less likely to have had encounters with hunters.
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Montana’s Wolf Hunt Tally
 
By Benito Baeza March 5, 2013 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
 
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana officials say the final tally from the state’s wolf hunting and trapping seasons is 225 predators. Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said in a statement Monday that hunters killed 128 wolves and trappers another 97 in the season that closed Feb. 28.
 
That’s an increase over 2011 when 166 wolves were killed. Trapping was not allowed. The three counties with the most wolves killed were killed Lincoln, Park and Missoula counties. Another 104 wolves were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers due to livestock attacks or other conflicts.
 
FWP officials say they will have a 2012 wolf population report by the end of March. In 2011, the population increased to at least 653 wolves. They say 18,642 wolf-hunting licenses and 1,500 trapping licenses were purchased for this season.
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Bill would bar dogs from wolf hunt
 
March 5, 2013 By Bob Hague - WRN
 
Legislation being offered at the Capitol would bar the use of dogs to hunt wolves in Wisconsin. It hasn’t actually happened yet, but with rules governing the use of dogs in the wolf hunt now in place, state Senator Fred Risser has drafted a bill to prohibit what he calls state sanctioned dog fighting. “I see no purpose for it all,” said the Madison Democrat, noting that Wisconsin is the only state which allows dogs to used in a wolf hunt. “Dogs and wolves get into vicious battles, and it’s just mayhem.”
 
Anne Reed is executive director of the Wisconsin Humane Society, one of several groups in support of the legislation. “We don’t just think wolves kill dogs, we know they do,” she explained. “The DNR has documentation. Hundreds of dogs have been killed in the woods, by wolves, while either hunting or training for other game. This isn’t a hypothetical situation. Wolves kill dogs, and in the most horrible way.”
 
An injunction by a Dane County judge, in place throughout the most recent hunt, has been lifted and the Natural Resources Board approved rules to allow dogs to be used in the wolf hunt.
 
Continued:
http://www.wrn.com/2013/03/bill-would-bar-dogs-from-wolf-hunt/
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State agency launches aerial wolf control near 2 villages; wolves being shot from helicopter
 
By TIM MOWRY - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner March 05, 2013
 
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game pulled the trigger on another Interior wolf reduction program during the weekend.
 
Wildlife biologists from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game on Saturday began shooting wolves from a helicopter around Allakaket and Alatna, a pair of rural villages on the upper Koyukuk River, about 200 miles northwest of Fairbanks.
 
As of Monday, biologists had killed 15 wolves, according to Fish and Game spokeswoman Cathie Harms. The aim of the program is to provide more moose for the 180 residents in the two villages, she said.
 
The department had planned to start the program in November, but conditions and legal issues kept it on hold until spring, Harms said.
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/askt5nk
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Congress members seek continued wolf protections
 
By JOHN FLESHER - AP Environmental Writer March 05, 2013
 
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — Members of Congress are asking federal officials not to revoke protections for the gray wolf in sections of the lower 48 states where the predator remains on the endangered species list.
 
After nearing extinction in most of the nation, the wolf has rebounded so strongly in the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies that it's no longer classified as endangered there. Packs also have become established in Oregon and Washington, and restoration efforts continue in the Southwest.
 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering whether to drop the wolf from the endangered list in areas where none are known to exist.
 
A letter to the agency sent Tuesday by 52 U.S. House members says legal protections should remain because the wolf could continue expanding its territory elsewhere, benefiting the environment.
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John Cornyn Introduces Endangered Species Act Settlement Reform Act
 
March 4, 2013 by Cole Shooter - Wolf Crossing
 
Texas U.S. Senator John Cornyn has introduced legislation to prevent abuse of Endangered Species Act litigation.
 
Cornyn introduced the Endangered Species Act Settlement Reform Act, which will give impacted local parties a say in the settlement of litigation between special interest groups and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
 
“ESA litigation abuse has shut out those folks most affected by the kind of closed-door settlements we’ve seen,” said Cornyn. “My bill opens up the process to give job creators and local officials a say.”
 
Cornyn says that the bill adds protection for American citizens from the regulatory impact of closed-door litigation settlements between special interest groups and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
 
In 2011, two environmental groups settled multi-district litigation with the FWS that resulted in a “work plan” for the agency to make endangered species list determinations for hundreds of species, and the settlement also required taxpayers to pay the plaintiffs’ litigation fees.
 
The suits were brought against the FWS because it failed to meet certain statutory deadlines after being flooded with requests to list hundreds of species.
 
Cornyn’s office says that Closed-Door ESA settlements not only threaten unwarranted regulation, but give plaintiffs undue leverage over local land owners, businesses, and elected officials in the conservation process.
 
Source:
http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=691
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Moose population in Minnesota declines 69% in 7 years
 
A 35 percent decline in moose numbers in Minnesota in the last year forced the cancellation of the fall hunting season and the state has launched a study to determine the cause of the decline, which some attribute to a warming climate.
 
USA Today; March 1, 2013
 
http://tinyurl.com/aldz8e7

[bearpaw]

March 6, 2013

Idaho wolf seasons closing soon
 
by Idaho Fish & Game news release March 6, 2013
 
Gray wolf hunting and trapping seasons in most zones in Idaho run through March 31.
 
Hunting seasons in the Lolo and Selway zones remain open through June 30. And the Beaverhead and Island Park zones closed January 31.
 
As of March 4, hunters and trappers had taken 245 wolves in Idaho. Last year, they had taken a total of 379 wolves by the end of the season.
 
Fish and Game encourages wolf hunters to concentrate their efforts in backcountry zones where wolf harvest has been the lowest. Access to backcountry and wilderness units may be difficult, but wolves in those areas are less likely to have been disturbed by other hunters.
 
Examples areas with wolf hunting opportunities include: Unit 25, along the South Fork Salmon River or the East Fork of the Salmon River to Yellow Pine, or Unit 19A along the main stem of the Salmon River.
 
Wolves have proven to be a challenging big game animal to hunt.
 
Effective wolf hunting techniques include looking for fresh tracks and then closing the distance before calling to wolves, glassing ridges where wolves may travel or bed, and calling by howling or using other predator calls.
 
Wolf hunters are discouraged from shooting wolves with radio collars. The collared wolves provide important information biologists need to document wolf population levels and continue to justify having wolf hunting seasons, and the collars are expensive to place on animals.
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Montana wolf harvest numbers
 
by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks March 6, 2013
 
State wildlife officials released the results of the 2012-13 wolf hunting and trapping seasons, which saw a substantial jump in harvest over last year.
 
The wolf hunting and trapping seasons ended with a total harvest of 225 wolves, 36 percent more than last season. Hunters took 128 wolves and trappers 97. The hunting season ran 181 days from Sept. 1, 2012 through Feb. 28, and the 76-day trapping season opened Dec. 15, 2012 and closed Feb. 28.
 
"We're generally pleased with these results," said Jeff Hagener, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in Helena. "The overall harvest of 225 wolves this season is higher than last year and reflects the more liberal harvest opportunities that were added for 2012. The effectiveness of hunters and now trappers together continues to grow."
 
In all, 84 wolves were taken between Sept. 1, 2012 and the end of Montana’s general big game hunting season, which closed Nov. 25, 2012. Sixty four of the 84 wolves taken before November 25 were opportunistically taken by hunters who were in the field hunting other species. The majority of the harvest, however, took place after the general hunting season by hunters and trappers who were exclusively seeking wolves. During Montana’s first wolf hunting season in 2009, the opportunistic harvest was almost 80 percent.
 
Continued:
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/03/MTwolfharvestnumbers.htm
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More than 550 wolves taken by hunters and trappers in Rockies
 
March 6, 2013 by Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times
 
The debate: A total of 553 wolves that have been killed by hunters and trappers in the Northern Rockies this season, the second since hunting of the furtive predators was made legal.
 
An additional 216 wolves were killed by federal Wildlife Services agents, largely to prevent ongoing conflicts with livestock.
 
Figures are trickling in as hunting seasons wind down in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, where wolves were hunted to extinction in the last century but, in the wake of a controversial reintroduction program, are now ensconced in all three states and busting out toward Washington, Oregon and California.
 
State wildlife officials, fearing the recovery has been too robust, have been encouraging hunters and trappers to shave the numbers back, and the latest figures show that effort has worked, with 225 wolves killed in Montana, 69 in Wyoming and 259 in Idaho.
 
Continued:
http://phys.org/news/2013-03-wolves-hunters-trappers-rockies.html
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Alaska biologists shooting wolves
 
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! March 6, 2013
 
Wildlife biologists working for the Alaska Department of Fish & Game have been shooting wolves from a helicopter in attempt to reduce the wolf population to help the local moose population. Villagers are allowed to keep the wolf carcasses.
 
State officials expect to harvest 35-50 wolves in the area this year, and 15-20 wolves annually thereafter.
 
For more, click on the link below.
 
NECN.com
http://tinyurl.com/aozvzbn

[bearpaw]

March 7, 2013

Wily wolves prove a hard target
 
Idaho wolf harvest numbers down this season
 
Thursday, March 7, 2013 By BILL BULEY CdA Press
 
COEUR d'ALENE - As the season on gray wolves winds down in Idaho, the number of animals killed this year is down from last, including in the Panhandle.
 
According to Idaho Fish and Game, 259 wolves have been killed in the state through March 4 - 177 by hunting, 82 by trapping. In comparison, 379 wolves were killed in Idaho last year - 255 by hunting, 124 by trapping.
 
In the Panhandle this season, 17 wolves have been killed by hunters, and 31 by trappers. Last year, Panhandle hunters killed 33 wolves, and trappers killed 43.
 
Gray wolf hunting and trapping seasons in most zones in Idaho run through March 31.
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bp4y6rt
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Statewide wolf kill reaches 223; guidelines cited
 
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 Associated Press
 
With at least 223 gray wolves killed by hunters and trappers as Montana’s wolf season closed Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock and wildlife officials said they now have the right management rules in place to reduce the predator’s numbers but maintain a viable population.
 
Montana’s wolf harvest numbers are up roughly 25 percent from last winter. That’s on top of 104 wolves that were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers last year because of livestock attacks or other conflicts.
 
Yet because the animals breed prolifically, Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Jeff Hagener said he expects at most a modest drop in the population from last year’s estimate of about 650 wolves.
 
About 400-500 animals statewide would maintain a sustainable population, he said, but that’s just a rough guideline and not a definitive goal.
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cy5te64
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Aerial wolf control halted after fewer wolves than expected found near 2 Interior villages
 
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 07, 2013
 
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The killing of wolves near two villages on the upper Koyukuk River has been stopped because fewer wolves were found than expected.
 
Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologists have shot and killed 17 wolves from a helicopter near the villages of Allakaket and Alatna in the Interior. Without more being spotted, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (http://is.gd/kzn5Su) reports that the aerial hunt has been halted.
 
The department had estimated that there were between 35 and 50 wolves in the area. The goal was to eliminate all the wolves for the next five years to help increase moose numbers.
 
An agency spokeswoman says three wolf packs that were originally inside the predator control area had traveled outside the boundary by the time biologists found them and now are off-limits.
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550 Gray Wolves Killed This Season: Hunt Saboteurs Rise Up
 
by the Howling Monkeywrench Gang of the Anthropocene March 07 2013 [EarthFirst!]
 
550 gray wolves have been reported killed by hunters and trappers in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming this season. If you add in the number of wolves killed by federal Wildlife Service agents (who kill wolves that threaten livestock), poachers, disease, and vehicle collisions, it starts to look like the return of the time honored American tradition of predator genocide. Hunting seasons have also begun in the Great Lakes Region, long a haven for our wild, four-legged kin.
 
Two such seasons have now passed since gray wolves had their protective status removed under the Endangered Species Act and its unclear how many more they will sustain.
 
The howls of the hunted carry in the wind and call for help. It is time for hunt saboteurs to rise up to defend the wolf family.
 
You can dismantle traps, dismantle hunting ORVs and trucks, dismantle the structures of hunting cabins, dismantle the helicopters used for aerial hunting. There are lots of great resources for ideas. Join the resistance. Defend the wolves.
 
Go with caution, go with love, go wild as hell!
 
Source:
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20130307123237464

[bearpaw]

March 8, 2013
 
Wolf Spotted at Craters of the Moon
 
Twin Falls Times-News; March 8, 2013  By Kimberlee Kruesi
 
ARCO [Idaho] - Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve officials have released a photo of the first recorded wolf sighting in the monument’s 88-year history.
 
On Christmas Day 2012, a remote camera took the photo of a lone wolf in the snow. Since then, the cameras have snapped photos of two wolves on the monument area,said John Apel, chief of resource management for the National Park Service at Craters of the Moon.
 
“It’s not really too surprising,” Apel said. “We have a lot of elk in this area, and we have two packs established in the Pioneer Mountains area.”
 
The wolves were spotted north of the typically popular areas visited by recreationists, Apel said.
 
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ag4torp
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Utah legislators prepared to spend another $300K to keep wolves out of state
 
Last year, the Utah Legislature approved $300,000 to lobby to keep federal officials from reintroducing wolves into the Beehive State, and are preparing to pass another line-item measure for another $300,000 annual payment.
 
Salt Lake Tribune; March 8, 2013
 
http://tinyurl.com/aevj5ea
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Avid Minn. hunter faces lifetime firearms ban for his role in cover-up of killings of 2 wolves
 
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 08, 2013
 
MINNEAPOLIS — An avid hunter faces a lifetime ban on possessing firearms for his role in the killing of two wolves in northeastern Minnesota and an attempt to cover it up.
 
Vern Hoff must spend a month in a halfway house under the sentence handed down Thursday. But the St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://bit.ly/13KiyHQ) reports the gun ban from the felony conviction will require an even bigger change in the 55-year-old Finland man's lifestyle.
 
The forest services company owner was convicted last November of a felony count of lying to a federal officer and a misdemeanor for violating the Endangered Species Act. Prosecutors say one of his employees deliberately ran down two wolves in February 2010, and Hoff told him to bury the carcasses before a Forest Service employee arrived at the jobsite.