In perhaps the weirdest news yet on the wolf front this week, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter late yesterday reversed himself on comments he’d made to the Associated Press a day earlier about whether people ought to shoot wolves. Here’s the AP news item on the reversal:
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter is warning Idaho hunters not to shoot wolves they see chasing elk, a reversal of his stance just a day ago. On Monday, he announced Idaho was relinquishing wolf management duties in protest of the federal government’s refusal to allow a public hunt. After a press conference in Boise, Otter told The Associated Press that federal laws allow hunters to shoot wolves they saw pursuing elk or moose. But he clarified his position Tuesday. Otter still believes big game are Idaho’s “livestock,” and that residents should be able to protect them like any livestock owner. But actually shooting a wolf would likely be a violation of federal law. Otter is still hoping for federal permission to kill dozens of wolves in northcentral Idaho’s Lolo region he blames for reducing elk herds there.
Betsy Z. Russell covers Idaho news from The Spokesman-Review's bureau in Boise.
Named best state-based political blog in Idaho for 2013 by The Fix
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