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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Idaho wolf-coyote derby wants larger area

BOISE – A group that overcame a court challenge last winter to hold a wolf- and coyote-shooting derby is seeking a permit from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to roughly double the area for a second event this winter.

“There’s no excuse for not allowing us to hunt,” said Steve Alder of Idaho for Wildlife. “It’s on federal land. If we didn’t have a derby, people are allowed to hunt it anyway.”

The tentative dates for the derby in the east-central part of the state near Salmon are Jan. 2-3, he said.

The BLM said a permit is required because a derby is considered a competitive event with prizes. Last year, the hunting group offered two $1,000 prizes – one for the hunter who killed the biggest wolf, the other for the hunter who bagged the most coyotes. Alder said prizes haven’t been determined for this winter’s event that’s expected to draw more than 300 people, about 100 to 150 of them hunters.

The BLM plans to make public an environmental analysis Thursday and take public comments for 15 days. The agency said about 1,500 square miles are involved.