Idaho kills 3 wolves in Panhandle region

Wildlife officials killed three wolves last weekend in North Idaho, a move they say significantly knocked back a wolfpack they believe has contributed to a decline in elk populations.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said in a news release that the wolves were killed last Saturday and Sunday in Unit 4 – an area that borders Montana and covers the Silver Valley, the Coeur d’Alene Mountains and the northern portion of the St. Joe Mountains. This pack lived north of Interstate 90.

It was the state wildlife agency’s first use of lethal force against wolves in the Panhandle region. The release cited a decline in elk populations and a court-ordered reduction in wolf trapping as the rationale for the state’s action.

TJ Ross, a spokesman for Idaho Fish and Game, said in an email that elk harvest in the unit has dropped by more than half over the past 15 years, going from a total of about 1,100 in 2010 to fewer than 500 in 2025. He also said aerial surveys in 2023 showed low calf-to-cow ratios for the population.

Idaho Fish and Game sees predation by wolves and other predators as a major reason for the decline. In the past few years, the agency has ramped up efforts to cull predators across the state, including extended hunting seasons and extra tags for wolves, black bears and mountain lions in North Idaho, according to the release.

With wolves, which aren’t protected by federal law in Idaho, the state has a management plan that calls for reducing the population to 500. The state’s last estimate put the population at more than 1,200.

Wolf trapping seasons were shortened by a court ruling in 2024 meant to safeguard grizzly bear habitat. Idaho Fish and Game’s news release said that’s led to a statewide decline in wolf kills, including in North Idaho.

Ross said trappers did kill one wolf from the pack officials targeted last weekend. Before the killings, the pack consisted of six individuals.