The wolf received protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1974, making it illegal for citizens to kill wolves. Wolves returned to Wisconsin in the mid-1970s. In 1989, DNR biologists estimated the wolf population was about 80 and in the years since the number has grown dramatically.
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An Idaho man has been sentenced to 2 years' probation after Idaho Fish and Game officials said he illegally killed a grizzly bear, the AP reports. Normally the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service handles those types of cases. Idaho Fish and Game says 23-year-old Kenneth Tyler Sommer, of Newdale, Idaho, was hunting for black bears in eastern Idaho when the grizzly was shot.
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The one-year reprieve gives the 11 states, including Idaho, time to finalize their mitigation plans and possibly avoid an endangered species listing. The states, most of which still permit sage grouse hunting, have to get serious about protecting the bird. They have time. Now get serious and use it.
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Major concerns highlighted in the Wildlife Management Institute study include the difficulty of maintaining wild populations of red wolves in a region now overrun by coyotes, which breed with wolves. The first site, established in 1987, was at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern North Carolina. Federal officials said it was no longer needed to supply the North Carolina refuge. Today, Alligator River has about 100 red wolves.
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Numbers then fell below 10,000 in 2003, after the elk harvest numbers had been increased. When we take a wolf and add it in, what will happen?" Garton, though, said wolves are a good sign of sustainability and a healthy natural system. If there isn't enough grass lands for elk to feed on, there wouldn't be enough prey for the wolves and other predators to survive.
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"Wolves will get significantly more room to roam," he said. "The Gila has literally millions of acres in it that don't have a single territorial wolf. A lot of that is country with deer, elk -- roadless country. That is the most positive element." At the same time, the proposed rule grants ranchers and property owners broader authorization under some circumstances to "take" a Mexican wolf -- meaning injure or kill. That includes if the wolf is in the act of biting, killing or wounding a domestic animal such as livestock or non-feral dogs. Permits may be issued to take wolves present on non-federal land.
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...wolf behavior." "Over the last 16 years, we have learned much about managing a wild population of Mexican wolves, and it is clear that the current rule does not provide the clarity or the flexibility needed to effectively manage the experimental population in a working landscape," said Sherry Barrett, FWS Mexican wolf recovery coordinator, in a statement. Eva Sargent of Defenders of Wildlife criticized the environmental impact statement, saying "it helps the current population...
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Around 15,000 people applied for 3,800 available licenses this year. Based on earlier hunter surveys, 85 percent of successful hunters during that early season say they were deer hunting when they encountered a wolf and shot it. The late-season wolf hunt occurs after the firearms deer season, meaning hunters have to specifically target wolves.
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Mule deer are buck-only for the entire season. Elk are brow-tine bull only. Spike bull elk are not legal game for any hunter in Region One. Wolf harvest: Hunters have taken 19 wolves in Northwest Montana.
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In 2012, 300 problem wolves were killed by officials. Interest in wolf hunt Meanwhile, interest in hunting or trapping wolves remains strong. Based on earlier hunter surveys, 85 percent of successful hunters during that early season say they were deer hunting when they encountered a wolf and shot it. The late-season wolf hunt occurs after the firearms deer season, meaning hunters have to specifically target wolves.
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