Idaho posts 2011 wolf report; 169 killed so far in 2012
PREDATORS -- Idaho has posted its 2011 annual summary of wolf monitoring.
Although much of this was reported last week, here are some compilations and updates:
- Idaho wolf numbers are down for the second consecutive year.
- At the end of 2011, 746 wolves were documented in 101 Idaho wolf packs, down from a high of 856 wolves at the end of 2009. At the end of 2010, the population estimate was 777 wolves.
- 24 documented border packs were counted for Montana, Wyoming and Washington that established territories overlapping the Idaho state boundary and spent some time in Idaho.
- Of the 63 packs known to have reproduced in Idaho, 40 packs qualified as breeding pairs by the end of the year.
- 10 previously unknown packs were documented during 2011, but the overall net increase was only six packs in the state, with four other packs removed during the year.
- 296 wolves were confirmed killed in Idaho during 2011. Of known wolf mortalities, hunter and trapper harvest accounted for 200 deaths, and agency control and legal landowner take in response to wolf-livestock depredation accounted for 63 deaths.
- 18 wolf deaths were attributed to other human causes, including illegal take. The cause of 12 wolf mortalities could not be determined and were listed as unknown, and 3 wolves were known to have died of natural causes.
- Livestock losses to wolves included 71 cattle, 121 sheep, three horses, six dogs and two domestic bison. Probably wolf kills included 19 cattle, 26 sheep, one horse and one dog.
In addition, since the beginning of this year, 145 wolves have been killed in Idaho by hunters and trappers, 14 were killed in a Lolo Zone aerial control action, nine have been taken in other Wildlife Service control actions around the state and one died of parvovirus.
That brings the 2012 toll on Idaho wolves to 169 as of Monday.
- Idaho's 2011-2012 hunting and trapping seasons in MOST remaining open areas including the Panhandle end March 31.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Northern Rocky Mountain wolf progress report includes reports from Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.