Idaho reduces cost of wolf tags

BOISE – A tag to hunt wolf in Idaho will cost about $10 – less than state wildlife officials initially planned.

If wolves are removed from the federal list of endangered species as proposed, gray-wolf tags will cost in-state hunters $9.75, the same price the Department of Fish and Game charges for bear and cougar tags, according to a bill introduced Monday. Moose tags cost $165, 17 times more.

The Fish and Game Commission originally set the price of a wolf tag at $26.50 for Idahoans.

The Senate Resources and Environment Committee unanimously voted to introduce the bill authorizing wolf hunting in preparation for federal action revoking wolves’ protected status – a process that has already begun. A Fish and Game spokesman has said wolf hunting could begin this year.

Sen. Gary Schroeder, R-Moscow, a bill sponsor, said wolves will be treated like other big-game carnivores, and the state has “done a very good job of managing those species over the years.” Officials collect statistics about where bears and cougars are killed and set seasons to maintain animal populations.

“I want to take the opportunity to assure the American people that Idaho is going to be very responsible in the management of its wolves,” he said. “We’re not going to eliminate them; we’re not going to try to eliminate them.”

Tags will cost $150 for non-residents. Fees would help offset about $720,000 in federal wolf management funds that the state will lose once the species is delisted, according to the legislation.

The commission initially proposed that wolf tags pay for the wolf-management program, suggesting the larger fee for wolves and raising the bear and cougar fees. But those proposed higher fees caused concern, and commissioners decided to keep prices stable, said Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, another bill sponsor.

The sponsors estimate that wolf tag sales could mirror those of other predatory animals. Bear tag sales total about $301,000 a year, and mountain lion tags bring in about $67,400.

As many as 10 wolf tags would be available for special auctions or lotteries. Auction sales could net as much as $100,000, according to the bill.

Schroeder said moose, sheep and goat tags cost much more because of consumer demand. Wolves, while popular at first, likely won’t have high long-term demand, he said.

Idaho law would not require hunters to use or remove wolf carcasses as they must do with noncarnivorous animals and bears.

Schroeder said hunters will “take ownership” of wolves to make sure they aren’t overhunted. Wolf populations will remain robust in the state’s more remote areas, while wolves near cities, where they may prey on livestock and pets, will be hunted, he said. “I suspect the wolves are going to become very wary and very difficult to get,” he said.

The committee will have a hearing on wolf hunting next week, Schroeder said.