I led the Endangered Species Act-mandated wolf reintroduction program in Idaho in 1995 for the federal government. And I continue to enthusiastically hunt elk, deer, antelope and moose in wolf country. So what's my position on wolves?
It's time to remove federal protection for wolves and return management authority to the state of Idaho.
Lately we have heard increasing vitriol (and threatened litigation) from environmentalists against state management despite blunt conversations in the past about the clearly expressed goal of states managing wolves when recovery goals were met. I'm not too surprised by this because some environmentalists' enthusiasm for wolves borders on mysticism, and wolves make a great fundraising tool. In their defense, however, some environmentalists never really did accept the ultimate outcome of a plan that includes hunting wolves.
In addition, we also continue to hear vitriol from wolf-haters opposing anything "wolf" with that same enthusiasm that borders on mysticism, just in the other direction. Some of these wolf-haters ardently advocate killing all wolves, characterizing themselves as honorable hunters defending poor, helpless elk and deer - the same animals they want to shoot. This sounds selfish, especially since elk and deer numbers generally remain high statewide despite a burgeoning wolf population.
However, in defense of hunters, they do have a deeply vested interest in managing wildlife in general, and wolf prey specifically. After all, if it wasn't for a century of hard work and billions of dollars from hunters, wolves would not have had a chance to return to Idaho.
In the 1930s hunters and anglers asked Congress to tax their gear so they could raise money to restore wildlife populations depleted by decades of overharvest - often market hunting ($700 million raised in 2006 alone). Elk were the first big-game animal reintroduced to many parts of Idaho, thanks to hunters. This, in addition to countless donated dollars and hours, has led to the wildlife management success model in this country that is the envy of the world. Therefore, hunters should be empowered to work through the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to protect their interests in maintaining ample elk and deer hunting opportunities, and accommodate wolves.
Whether they know it or not, the best outcome wolf-lovers could hope for is for hunters to embrace wolves as a game species - look at how well mountain lion and black bears have done in recent decades, in addition to elk, deer, wild turkey, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass. I would be happiest as both a wolf recovery advocate and a hunter knowing I could buy a wolf tag from the state if I wanted to because it would mean we're providing the greatest opportunity for flexible wolf management and the greatest assurance that wolves will persist.
Hunters need to take the credit we deserve for a successful and nationally popular wildlife restoration program, and we need to clearly indicate our willingness to assume management of wolves with the same responsible and ethical stewardship that we've demonstrated for many other species over the last century. We owe it to our iconic forbearers, like President Theodore Roosevelt, and to our children, whom we hope will carry on our proud hunting and wildlife management tradition. The nation, and the world, is watching.
Ted Koch was Idaho Wolf Recovery Project Leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, overseeing reintroduction in 1995, and is an avid big-game hunter.
