Wolf reduction

Throughout all of the mountain states in the west, I have for years heard from hunters, primarily those who are looking to take deer or elk, that wolves are the bane of their existence, and by that I mean both ungulates and sportsman alike. Idaho, who is deeply embedded in this balance between wolves and the rest of the outdoor world, has found that there is a decline in their wolf population. And it isn't what you might think. David Sparks with Idaho Farm Bureau spokesperson Shawn Ellis. This is the first time Idaho's wolf population has declined appreciably since they were reintroduced here. Speaker1: I read something from Fish and Game, but it doesn't appear that the reduction is necessarily a result of the hunting and trapping, but some sort of stress over wolves being able to, I guess, procreate. Have any. Speaker2: Insights? I think it's targeting I don't want to contradict anything Fish and Wildlife says those biologists certainly understand. Well, it's a lot more than Sean Ellis does, but it would appear that hunting and trapping targeted on certain populations, even though the numbers, the total human caused mortality might be down, it does have an effect on the reproduction rate, apparently. So, yeah, they may be down overall, but maybe more targeted mortality would be causing that. But anyway, it's a good thing you're going 1500 and a half to 1300 and a half is a great thing. We're nowhere near 500, and that's the goal. Speaker1: Eventually when you think about farmers are happy and ungulate hunters are happy. Speaker2: Exactly. And ungulates themselves are happy. You know, wolves are having a major negative effect on a lot of elk and deer populations in certain areas of the state. Yep. Speaker1: Bring nature back into balance.