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Idaho on track to meet wolf population goalstinyurl.com/fy4895r8Idaho is on track to meet its wolf population goals within the next four or five years, according to the state’s fish and game department.The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced this month its latest wolf population estimate and unveiled a new method for counting the controversial predators.The department estimates the state had about 1,150 animals at about this time last summer. By about the end of October, the midpoint in the annual fluctuation of wolf abundance, the population likely numbered in the high 800s or low 900s.The annual wolf population peaks in the summer after pups are born. From there, it declines as animals die of natural causes or are taken by hunters and trappers. The low point in the cycle comes in the spring, just prior to the wolf denning season. The state’s wolf management plan calls for the population to fluctuate around 500 animals at the midway point in the annual cycle, and for that goal to be achieved by about 2029.Idaho’s wolf population peaked at about 1,600 animals, following the removal of federal protections. Since that time, the state has increasingly liberalized hunting and trapping seasons and conducted nearly annual wolf control actions in the state’s Lolo Hunting Zone.Wolves are also killed each year when they prey on livestock. The state wants to scale back the population to reduce conflicts with livestock and to reduce predation on struggling elk herds.Wolves were once counted through an intensive and expensive operation in which managers attempted to place tracking collars on at least one member of each pack in the state. They would then conduct aerial surveys to get a minimum wolf population estimate.The population began to decline in 2022 when the population estimate was 1,337.Because they have collected genetic data from hunter-killed wolves for years, the developers were able to “back cast” or use that collected data to estimate wolf populations of previous years.Roberts said those estimates track with the estimates produced by the camera methods even though they did not rely on the same data.The latest estimate of 1,350 would mark a year-over-year decline of about 14%. But Roberts said that is comparing the 2022 camera method to the 2023 genetic-based method. The genetic method produced a 2022 population of about 1,100 animals, slightly less than the 2023 estimate.Going forward, Roberts said the state will use the genetic-based method and plans to submit a report on the method for peer review later this year.We tell the wolf lovers that we are going to be prudent and responsible, so we need to be as accurate as we can,” he said?They will use genetic information from harvested wolves in their new methodPhoto: Getty ... See MoreSee Less

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