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Not to prolong the discussion, but there were no wolves left in Idaho until this reintroduction was put in place by some out of state organization and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. They had long ago disappeared from the forests and rangelands of Idaho (no doubt because of man), just as they have been from just about every other state that they had previously had a presence. But because of the "wisdom" of a view, they felt it necessary to once again place their beliefs on those that didn't want it. If you were to take an honest poll of this states residents I'm sure you would find that a majority do not want the wolves, but that is beside the point.

I guess I'm arguing a mute point as the US Fish and Wildlife Service will shortly remove them from the "endangered" list and then they will again be placed under state control, which is where it belongs and the numbers will be managed and controlled. And yes, if they have a hunting season for them, I will place my name in the drawing for a tag.

And, yes I too feed the wild birds and other animals as well as providing a heated water source during the winter months. My yard is constantly full of doves, quail, ducks, finches, squirrel's, etc...

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Why do wolves need to be "managed and controlled"? What valid reason is there for that? Surely not for the good of the local ecosystems... Wolf numbers are only a fraction of what they were previously, and they do not pose any significant risk to humans nor livestock. With no wolves, the populations of ungulates such as elk, mule and white-tailed deer, and moose have grown to unnatural levels.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

All wild animals with proximity to humans, should be managed in some way - wolves, ungulates... heck, by definition you "manage" songbirds, herps, and small mammals in your own backyard.

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The wolf populations do not need to be "managed" at all actually. They are not decimating the ecosystem or the elk herds. In fact they are beneficial to the ecosystem.

Without wolves in the area many scavengers were suffering because of a lack of food. It is argued that hunters provide this for them. However, hunting takes place during a short period of time while wolves hunt all year. Also certain plants that have been decimated by the over sized elk herds are beginning to return to the area. The ecosystem is returning to a more balanced state now that it has one of it's top predators back.

Natalie's statistics show very well that wolves aren't a significant threat to domestic animals. Wolves are not overpopulated and they don't need their population reduced. This is ridiculous proposal and I really hope it doesn't happen. Wolves just have a bad reputation as they have had for thousands of years.

A small herd of llamas will go a long way in protecting livestock from dog like animals. They are bitter enemies, and the llamas have a very surprising success rate. There have to be better options than killing all but a hundred. I am sure that if this guy was the gov. of a coastal state that he would want the shark population reduced to 100 also. The guy just wants to shoot something different.

I am a hunter (was as a kid is a better description) and would defend the right to hunt, but not such a rare animal.

Deer populations in my area (TN and KY) are not at all under control. I saw 7 deer the other day right in the middle of Cool Springs TN. They were across HWY 65 from the very busy mall. If true natural selection is lost, the gene pool of the prey is weakened. Many hunters are only after "trophy" animals. That leaves the gene pool stocked with lower quality individuals. Wolves and the like are much more likely to kill the diseased and sick members of their prey.

i thought this was an interesting article about wolves in the wild. it made me think of the original article that started this whole discussion. it's nice to see both sides laid out in the article instead of reactionary policies....

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman