Contracting Wolf Management

The Lolo zone is a mountainous region of Idaho that it is extremely rugged, steep and remote terrain which is an ideal habitat for elk. But lurking with a heavy presence are also Wolf packs. There are similar situations throughout all of the Western states and I have heard from hunting friends from Colorado all through the Northwest that elk herds hard down because of Wolf predation. The Idaho department of Fish and game has taken an active hand in managing wolves in the Lolo elk zone and I had a conversation with Fish and game spokesperson Roger Phillips.

 

“If you talk to some elk hunters is a lot of elk hunter will say no. Populations are down and there's no question, populations down and they lay it squarely on the mantle of the wolf and then other hunters say ‘you know when a guy who says that it's wolf predation, the reason that they did not get an elk this year is because they just don't know how to hunt. A little more background on that.

 

Our first choice is always to have our hunters and trappers deal with some of these wolf populations to keep them where we want them. But in the case of the Lolo you're in a wilderness area you've got very difficult conditions. Folks just can't get back there. It's a very challenging opportunity for the general hunters and trappers to be able to feasibly get back in there and harvest some of those wolves and that's why we've kind of taken on that project.” SS Contracting Wolf ManagmentHelicopters and sharpshooters are used to reduce wolf populations.