Collared Washington wolf legally killed in Idaho

A collared wolf from the Stranger pack in Washington wandered into Idaho and was legally killed, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported Monday.

Idaho has allowed hunting and trapping of wolves since 2011. About 300 wolves are killed each year. Since then wolf numbers have continued to increase to roughly 1,000 in more than 90 packs, according to the Idaho Office of Species Conservation.

WDFW first reported that the Stranger pack wolf had dispersed to Idaho in November.

As of the last WDFW survey, the Stranger pack had a minimum of two wolves. The pack is located southwest of Colville. Statewide there were a minimum of 126 known wolves in 27 known packs including at least 15 breeding pairs as of late 2018.

Wolves are a federally endangered species in the western two-thirds of Washington. Eastern Washington wolves are not federally listed and are part of the Northern Rockies wolf population, of which Idaho’s wolves are a part as well.

However, wolves remain a state listed species in Washington. Hunting and trapping them is illegal.

Once Washington meets its recovery goals wolves will be delisted at which point WDFW may allow them to be hunted.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that WDFW may allow wolves to be trapped in Washington at some point. This is incorrect. It is illegal to trap large game in Washington and leg-hold traps are illegal.