Otter supports wolf hunting in Idaho

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter told a group of hunters in Boise Thursday he was eager to help the state reduce its wolf numbers once federal protections are lifted and management is turned over to the state, which is expected to happen later this year.

“I’m prepared to bid for the first ticket to shoot a wolf myself,” Otter told a cheering rally of about 300 hunters on the steps of the Capitol.

After learning of the remarks, an official with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service moaned and said, “I wish he wouldn’t have said that.” The official asked to remain anonymous for the same reason he expressed annoyance at Otter’s remarks – state management of wolves is a highly sensitive issue now, which could easily be derailed by a lawsuit from wary environmental groups.

Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have asked the federal government to turn over control of wolves, but many conservationists fear state management will mean little more than a bloodbath and a return to the days when wolves were absent from the West.

The governor’s comments were “irresponsible,” said Suzanne Stone, spokeswoman for the wolf advocacy group, Defenders of Wildlife. “It causes great doubt in the state’s ability to manage wolves. … First of all, you’re encouraging greater animosity towards wolves and increasing polarization. It certainly decreases the amount of trust the conservation community has in the state of Idaho.”

Otter went on to say he would support public hunting of all but about 100 of the state’s estimated 650 wolves. The state must keep alive at least 10 packs – about 100 wolves – to comply with federal law. Otter has previously expressed opposition to the reintroduction of wolves to the state.

Jon Hanian, a spokesman from the governor’s office, later said the remarks were not meant to sound like a call for vigilante justice for wolves. “He’s not advocating that sportsmen go into the fields and hills and mountains and shoot them all,” Hanian said. “He did say that he would be honored to be the first to buy a wolf tag.”

– James Hagengruber