Hunter hired by state kills one Stevens County wolf

One wolf has been killed by a hunter hired by Washington, where the animals have been regaining a foothold in recent years after being heavily hunted in the early 1900s.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife said hunters were back out Monday, targeting three more wolves in the Huckleberry Pack to protect sheep in southern Stevens County.

Wolves from the Huckleberry Pack this month have killed 22 sheep and injured three more despite preventive measures, the agency said.

Environmental groups oppose the hunt.

Wolves began moving back into the state in the early 2000s from Idaho and Canada, and they are protected under state and federal law. The state exterminated an entire pack of wolves to protect a herd of cattle in Stevens County in 2012.

The most recent hunt is designed to protect a herd of 1,800 sheep owned by Dave Dashiell of the town of Hunters, about 50 miles northwest of Spokane.

“Unfortunately, lethal action is clearly warranted in this case,” said Nate Pamplin, the agency’s wildlife program director, on Monday. “Before we considered reducing the size of the pack, our staff and Mr. Dashiell used a wide range of preventive measures to keep the wolves from preying on the pack.”

Nonlethal activities are continuing, he said.

Amaroq Weiss of the Center for Biological Diversity said the hunt proves the state prefers to kill the wolves.

The state could have used rubber bullets or paintball rounds to harass the wolves, but instead resorted immediately to airborne snipers, she said.

Associated Press