Idaho wolf harvest

[TheJason]

I heard from a reliable source today that Idaho is getting perilously close to the minimum number of breeding pairs that they are supposed to maintain.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

I am not up on Idaho's wolf plan but I find that just about impossible to believe on a statewide basis. It could be true in one of the units with a cap on the quota but not statewide. Not as a result of a couple years of sport hunting! Last year the population had grown at the end of the season. I seriously doubt sport hunting and trapping can dent the population long term on the large scale.

 

[jryoung]

659 wolves per the USFWS in the 2013 report and 148 killed this year per IDF&G.

 

[Pinecricker]

Absolutely no way that could be possible. As of today, there are 148 wolves that can still be killed in quota units, and there has barely been any harvest in the non-quota units so far compared to last year. I would image that with this year's low snow pack, its going to be a bad year for trapping. If we were that close to the minimum number of breeding pairs, they would have never set such high limits. On the contrary, I've heard that they are gearing up for more control actions (cross your fingers).

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/hunt/?getPage=121

 

[drahthaar]

ID reported 473 wolves killed in 2013. Their population estimate went from 722 in 2012 to 659 in 2013. They reported of 107 packs, 49 had documented reproduction. The part I dont get, where it get fuzzy, is they said 20 of those qualified as breeding pairs? WTH? 49 packs reproduced, but only 20 had "breeding pairs?" What were the other 29, spontaneous conception?

So I see this kind of info getting twisted up pretty easily. And what does the plans say, breeding pairs or total wolves, some 150 minimum? Which is the tipping number?

 

[TheJason]

What I heard was in relation to breeding pairs, not total numbers.

 

[shoots-straight]

Explanations for reductions in breeding pairs include fewer packs qualifying as breeding pairs, and fewer packs examined for breeding pair status from loss of
collared wolves through higher harvest and control actions. Nine reproductive packs (18% of all
doc
umented reproductive packs) were eliminated from consideration as breeding pairs due to
control actions or harvest that left fewer than 2 pups or 2 adults of opposite sex in the pack

The amount of harvest is making it more difficult to count.Therefor less breeding pairs left after the years work. I does not mean there isn't more that paired up, IMO it's more the schedule of the wolf specialists that make the numbers look worse off than they are. If one or the other Alpha in a area dies then this system removes that breeding pair from consideration. That may or may not be the case.

 

[Elkmagnet]

I'm sure this is more of an issue with the process of qualifying them as breeding pairs as opposed to whether or not they're out there reproducing.
The question is what the heck do we do to fix this impossible to meet standard before we end up back in court.

 

[drahthaar]

How about when they collar one of the breeding wolves, make the collar hunter orange, and pierce their ears with giant pieces of hunter orange plastic flagging so its clear----DONT SHOOT THIS ONE!

All said in gest of course. But if its breeding pairs, it's gonna get rough if they cant qualify but less than half of their reproductive pairs as "breeding."

 

[Corax]

Maybe they are living in sin.

(Sorry - I couldn't resist)

 

[Gunner46]

Well, if there are twice as much 'reproduction' going on as there is 'breeding pairs' is obvious at least one in the 'breeding pair' is getting some on the side. I say send in some PI's and get the dirt on the cheaters, so it can get taken to doggie divorce court. Then, the Good wolf can hook up with a Loyal wolf and get the 'breeding pair' numbers back on track.

 

[.280 Remington]

Breeding pairs seems like kind of an arbitrary gauge of the wolf numbers if the population can maintain while BPs dip. Looks like another loophole for the wolf lovers to exploit.