BOISE, Idaho — Three conservation groups signed a petition calling for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) to immediately ban shooting wildlife from an aircraft, such as a helicopter.
The groups - Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), International Wildlife Coexistence Network (IWCN), Western Watersheds - are seeking the protection of Idaho wolves. The state largely eradicated wolves in the early 20th century, according to IWCN Executive Director Suzanne Stone. The federal government reinstated the Idaho wolf population in 1995; the population was removed from the endangered species list in 2015 and returned the ability to manage the population back to the state.
"At first, Idaho promised that it would manage wovles like they do mountain lions and black bears, and just, you know, all our other native normal species," Stone said. "But what we've seen is the rhetoric over the last five or 10 years has just gotten more stringent, more hostile toward wolves."
The Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board (IWDCB), an organization under ISDA, tracks the number of cattle wolves kill every year. The board also allows hunters to manage the wolf population in an effort to keep the balance in check.
However, aerial hunting practices have crossed the conservationists’ line. In certain approved instances, people can shoot wolves from a helicopter. Quarterly IWDCB documents track the number of wolves killed by helicopter management for that same given period.
Now, a private out-of-state company - Predator Control Corp. (PCC) - can also aerially control the wolf population, according to Stone.
"With this contractor it's basically open season," Stone said. "So, he's been given this ability to go in and just kill every wolf that they find. To me, that's not management that's eradicating a species."
Trevor Walch operates PCC. He committed four trapping violations in five years, according to public documents from a 2019 Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners' meeting.
IWDCB contracts to control wolf populations are for ranchers, according to ISDA. These contracts are not available to trappers and hunters; however, how a rancher chooses to apply that contract and carry out the state-approved population control method is their private business.
"The Board approved entering into agreements with producers – not private contractors," ISDA Director Chanel Tewalt wrote KTVB in an email. "Producers may then find appropriate contractors as necessary. The Board is not involved in the producer-contractor relationship. It is up to the producer who receives funding for wolf control activities to ensure that proper permits are in place and that the control activities are being implemented legally."
Since 2014, wolves have killed nearly 1,300 livestock from about 300 producers, according to Idaho Fish and Game. The Idaho Cattle Association (ICA) supports wolf population control in the documented areas where wolves have killed livestock.
"Wolves are very intelligent, they are an apex predator," ICA Executive Vic President Cameron Mulrony said. "They teach their young, right, so they're doing this process not just for food, but for training... And that's different than other predators."
Wolves are the primary predator attacking mature cows and bulls in Idaho, according to Mulrony. The presence of wolves - or any other predator - stresses out livestock and leads to lower birth rates.
"That's what keeps the wheels on the bus going in the cattle industry is that next calf that next calf crop," Mulrony said. "I think [the conservationists'] concerns are a little over exaggerated in the fact that we've had these methods available to utilize. And we haven't seen a huge increase in the take of wolves across the state."
The conservationists are considering legal action if their request is not met, according to Stone. The organizations are also considering their options to legally influence the practice heading into the 2024 Legislative Session.
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