August 30, 2012

Wolf season opens statewide

By Niels Nokkentved, IDFG

The 2012-2013 wolf hunting season opens throughout the state on Thursday, Aug. 30.

The wolf hunting season runs through March 31, except in the Beaverhead and Island Park zones, which close Jan. 31, 2013, and in the Lolo and Selway zone which close June 30, 2013.

The 2012-2013 wolf hunting season opened July 1 on private land only in the Panhandle Zone, but no wolves have been reported harvested to date.

In the Panhandle, Palouse-Hells Canyon, Lolo, Dworshak-Elk City, Selway and Middle Fork zones, wolf hunters may use five tags. There is no overall harvest limit.

An individual may buy up to five wolf hunting tags per calendar year, but hunters may use only two wolf hunting tags in the rest of the state. Wolf tags are available for $11.50 for Idaho residents and $31.75 for nonresidents and are valid for the calendar year.

Harvest limits have been set in five zones: 40 in the Salmon Zone, 60 in the Sawtooth Zone, 40 in the Southern Mountains, 10 in the Beaverhead and 30 in the Island Park Zone.

The 2012-2013 wolf trapping season opens Nov. 15 in six wolf zones.

Wolf hunting and trapping seasons and rules are posted on the Fish and Game website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/docs/rules/bgWolf.pdf, and they are available on pages 66 through 69 in the 2012-2013 Big Game Seasons and Rules brochure.