PREDATORS -- Wolf trapper certification classes are being offered by the Idaho Fish and Game Department in the Panhandle Region on Friday and Saturday.

Certification is required before a person can purchase wolf trapping tags. The course includes 6.5 hours of instruction including both classroom and field experience followed by a written exam.

Courses are offered periodically throughout the year, but most are offered in the fall and early winter when people are preparing to spend more time in the field.  This also coincides with the time of the year when wolf hides are prime and have the most value.

Phil Cooper, IFG spokesman, said a class has been scheduled for Friday, Nov. 20, followed by another complete class on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the IDFG Panhandle Region office in Coeur d’Alene.

Advance registration is required on the IFG website. 

Cost is $8 per student. 

Note when registering that IFG also offers a general furbearer trapping class that is different from the wolf trapper certification class.  The general furbearer trapping class does not qualify people for the purchase of wolf trapping tags.

Says Cooper:

The Wolf Trapper Certification course is instructor-led.  Instructors are experienced trappers who are trained and certified to provide students with both classroom study and interactive, hands-on training. Course topics cover a wide variety of topics related to wolf biology, wolf behavior and management as well as specifics regarding wolf trapping.

Instructors and IDFG staff leading the class have expertise in furbearer management, trapping laws and ethics, responsible trapping, proper equipment and trapping techniques. Proper care of a hide for maximum value and harvest reporting requirements are covered as well. 

On-site demonstrations in the field include making trap sets free of human scent, rigging snares, placing diverters to avoid non-target catches, and trap site selection.

Students successfully completing the wolf trapping course receive an Idaho Wolf Trapper Certification Card that enables them to purchase wolf trapping tags. Certified wolf trappers may purchase up to five gray wolf trapping tags per trapping season. Tags must be validated and securely attached immediately upon taking a wolf.

Info:  (208) 769-1414.