Wyoming wolf season FAQ

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From the Wyoming Game and Fish, frequently asked questions regarding Wyomings wolf season which starts March 28, 2008:


On March 28, 2008, wolves were officially removed from the Endangered Species List in the Northern Rocky Mountains. This includes the entire states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, as well as portions of Utah, Oregon, and Washington.

As of March 28, management authority for wolves in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho now rests with the individual states. However, a number of groups have filed a 60-day notice of intent to file a lawsuit challenging the delisting of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains, and it is possible that state management authority for wolves could be changed as a result of a lawsuit.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will provide updated information as events occur that might impact state management authority for wolves.

The following are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about wolves and wolf management in Wyoming. If you have any additional questions, please call the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Wolf Information Line at 307-777-4655 or visit the Wyoming Game and Fish Department website at: http://gf.state.wy.us.


Wolf Conflicts

Q: I have heard that wolves are classified as both a Predatory Animal and a Trophy Game Animal in Wyoming. What will that mean for ranchers or others who might be experiencing wolf conflicts?
A: Wolves in Wyoming are classified as a Trophy Game Animal in the northwest part of the state (see official boundary description and map below) and as a Predatory Animal in the remainder of the state. Ranchers experiencing wolf depredation in the Trophy Game area should contact their local Game Warden or regional Wyoming Game and Fish Department office to mitigate wolf depredation. Department personnel will respond within 48 hours to assess the situation and either issue a permit to kill the wolf(ves) or take action to remove the wolf(ves). However, ranchers in the Trophy Game area are allowed to immediately kill wolves that are physically in the act of attacking their livestock or other domestic animals. In such cases, the rancher will be required to notify the department within 72 hours and shall not disturb the site. The department will investigate and may require substantive proof of the attack.

Ranchers may kill wolves in the Predatory Animal area at any time without a license or permit, and do not need to contact the department before doing so, but must report the date of kill, location of kill, and sex of the wolf to the department within 10 days. This person is not required to provide this information in person or present the wolf for inspection. No specific permit or other authorization is required to possess a dead wolf or wolf parts that were taken in the predatory animal area.

Q: Can I kill a wolf if it is threatening me?
A: While such incidents are extremely rare, a person can kill a wolf in defense of human life. The same reporting requirements apply as described above.

Q: Will ranchers whose livestock are killed or injured by wolves be eligible for any compensation?
A: Yes. Ranchers in the Trophy Game area are eligible for compensation from the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission for livestock lost to wolves upon notification and investigation by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (contact your regional Wyoming Game and Fish Department office or game warden). There is no compensation available to ranchers in the Predatory Animal area.


Wolf Hunting

Q: I have heard that wolves in Wyoming are classified as both a Predatory Animal and a Trophy Game animal. What does that mean for hunters?
A: Wolves in Wyoming are classified as a Trophy Game Animal in the northwest part of the state (see official boundary description and map below) and as a Predatory Animal in the remainder of the state. In the Trophy Game area, hunters are required to possess a wolf hunting license and may take wolves only during established hunting seasons. Licensed hunters who kill wolves in the Trophy Game area will be required to present the pelt and skull to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department within 72 hours, or as otherwise directed by the department. In the Predatory Animal area, wolves may be taken by anyone at any time in accordance with Wyoming statutes, and there will be no closed seasons or bag limits for wolves. However, Wyoming statute requires that all wolves taken within the Predatory Animal area must be reported to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department within 10 days.

Q: I have seen wolves in the Predatory Animal area designated in Wyoming’s Gray Wolf Management Plan. Can I legally kill any of those wolves?A: Yes. Wolves in the Predatory Animal are may be taken by anyone at any time and without a license or permit (see reporting requirements above). Those who wish to kill a wolf in the Predatory Management area must comply with all state statutes regarding trespass, shooting from a public road, and shooting from a vehicle.

Q: When can I buy a license to hunt wolves in Wyoming?
A: Wyoming will likely authorize hunting and trapping seasons in the Trophy Game area for wolves in the fall of 2008. Proposals for these seasons will be developed and available for public review in spring of 2008.

Q: How many wolf licenses will be available? Will hunting licenses for wolves be available over the counter or through a lottery system?
A: This has yet to be determined. Proposals for the number of wolf licenses and the licensing process will be developed and available for public review in the spring of 2008. Wolves will likely be hunted under a quota system, in which only a certain number of wolves can be taken in each hunt area. Upon reaching the quota, the season will end. Quotas will assure the wolf population is maintained above the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s recovery criteria.

Q: Will there be a trapping season for wolves within the Trophy Game area?
A: A wolf trapping season is not planned for fall 2008. However, Wyoming plans to offer a limited trapping season in the future.

Reporting Wolf Kills

Q: Will there be any reporting requirements for people who kill wolves in Wyoming?
A: Yes. Wyoming statute requires anyone who kills a wolf within the area where wolves are classified as a Predatory Animal to report the date of kill, location of kill, and sex of the wolf to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department within 10 days. Licensed hunters who kill wolves in the Trophy Game area will be required to present the pelt and skull to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department within 72 hours, or as otherwise directed by the department. Ranchers who kill wolves to protect private property within the Trophy Game area will be required to report the kill to the department within 72 hours.

Q: Who do I contact if I see someone kill a wolf illegally, or if I find a dead wolf?
A: Call the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s stop poaching hotline at: 1-877-WGFDTIP (1-877-943-3847).


Other Questions About Wolves and Wolf Management in Wyoming

Q: Can I own or possess a live wolf in Wyoming?
A: No. Wyoming statutes specifically prohibit the possession of live wolves and wolf hybrids in Wyoming.

Q: I have heard that people will be able to kill wolves from airplanes. Is that true?
A: As part of its wolf management efforts, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will likely use aerial gunning in some cases to remove wolves that are killing livestock. This has been shown to be the most effective way to resolve these situations. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has used this practice extensively in Wyoming to assist livestock owners that may be experiencing losses from wolves. However, the public will not be able to kill wolves from airplanes within the Trophy Game area. Members of the public could be issued a permit by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture to use aircraft to remove wolves within the Predatory Animal area to protect livestock.

Q: Will it be legal to kill wolves by poisoning them in Wyoming?
A: Poisoning is not a legal method to take wolves within the Trophy Game area. Wolves within the Predatory Animal area may be taken by the use of poison only in compliance with applicable Environmental Protection Agency and state statutes and regulations, and to the extent authorized by the surface management agency, if on public lands.

Q. Where can I find additional information about wolf recovery and wolf population status in Wyoming?
A. Visit the Wyoming Game and Fish Department website at: http://gf.state.wy.us.

Official Boundary Description of the Trophy Game Area:

Northwest Wyoming beginning at the junction of Wyoming Highway 120 and the Wyoming-Montana State line; southerly along Wyoming Highway 120 to the Greybull River; southwesterly up said river to the Wood River; southwesterly up said river to the Shoshone National Forest boundary; southerly along said boundary to the Wind River Indian Reservation boundary; westerly, then southerly along said boundary to the Continental Divide; southeasterly along said divide to the Middle Fork of Boulder Creek; westerly down said creek to Boulder Creek; westerly down said creek to the Bridger-Teton National Forest boundary; northwesterly along said boundary to its intersection with U.S. Highway 189–191; northwesterly along said highway to the intersection with U.S. Highway 26–89–191; northerly along said highway to Wyoming Highway 22 in the town of Jackson; westerly along said highway to the Wyoming-Idaho State line; north along said State line to the Wyoming-Montana State line; north, then east along said State line to Wyoming Highway 120.
 
All be darned...wheres A-con, BHR, etc. etc. with their big mouths? "You'll never see a wolf season in MT, ID, or WY"...blah...blah...blah. "They wont ever delist them"....blah...blah...blah.

Hey Acon and BHR, I told you so...again.
 
Yup Buzz, you told me so, over and over again. Now finally, for once, you are right.

Three years ago, I said it would be years, and you said wolf hunting was emanate. You were wrong and I was right.
Two years ago, same thing. You were whooping and hollering that wolves would be delisted and hunted any second now, and I said it would be years. Once again you were wrong and I was right.
Last year, more of the same.


Every once in a while, even a blind dog finds a bone.

But I digress. If this is true, and Wyoming is allowing wolf hunting in the predator zones RIGHT NOW, then in fact, I was wrong and you are right.
 
A little side note before this gets posted....

Seems a few on here think "environmentalists" are the salt of the earth, I've highlighted a few areas that these groups just don't know when to stop, with the opinion their feelings and emotions trump every thing our paid 'ologists' have found thru research

I still believe its nothing more than a money shell game, if these attorneys (hock, spit, I should add, there are always the exception to the rule with any trade) weren't getting money from some one to push this agenda

The subject would disappear as fast as the Spotted Owl debacle did in the 90’s, or any other environmental fad that’s come and gone in the last 30 years...

Some of you are too young and can’t see the bigger picture, the rest just bury their heads in the sand trying to wish this fact away...

Oh... IMHO... ;)


Gray wolf hunts planned after de-listing
By JESSIE BONNER, Associated Press Writer

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.
 
Does anyone know if I owe BHR a case of Natural Light (ie has WY dropped their lawsuit)?
 
I couldn’t agree more shoots-straight.
Let’s hope the antis don’t muster up enough reasons for a judge to stop this falls wolf seasons in all three states.
So if I a reading this right, it is legal RIGHT NOW in Wyoming for the general public to hunt wolves as predators out side of the North West control zone ?
Does anyone know of current “wolf hunting” activities ?
 
There are guys hunting in Wyoming as we speak. Remember though the WS has already killed over 170 wolves this year, so their are reduced in the fly zone.
 
I've been looking to see what the status of Wyoming's suit is Pointer and have yet to find any information on it. See that Wyoming hunters scored on 3 Friday, including a collared one.
 

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