Public comment runs 10-1 against Montana’s new wolf hunting, trapping regs

From the Missoula Current:

In a meeting to get the public’s comments on proposed changes to a wolf hunting season, opponents outnumbered supporters by a margin of nearly 10-to-1, with many criticizing night-hunting, snaring, baiting traps and some threatening to cancel vacation plans to the Treasure State.

On June 24, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commissioners put out a matrix with different wolf hunting proposals and management tools, including the addition of measures endorsed by the 2021 Legislature, which included much of what drew public criticism on Wednesday night.

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Netherlands: Despite serious objections, “Wolf fence” introduced to protect livestock in Friesland

From nltimes.nl in the Netherlands:

The construction of a fence intended to protect livestock from wolves has started in Friesland. Former Queen’s Commissioner and VVD member Hans Wiegel drove the ceremonial first pile into the ground near Boijl, on the border of Friesland and Drenthe. At the same time, numerous experts have voiced concerns over the initiative, NOS reported.

One of the initiators was a sheep farmer Jehan Bouma. Together with three other livestock farmers, he advocated for the wolf fence, which is to be placed along the entire 150-kilometer long outer border between Friesland and Drenthe. Bouma and his partners raised 30,000 euros for the first piece of the fence through crowdfunding.

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California is home to a new pack of wolves

From the Sierra Nevada Ally:

Since 2017, the Lassen pack of wolves, as they’re known, has been the only documented pack of wolves in California until last Friday when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) updated their known wolves document and added the Beckwourth pack.

“According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, field efforts are ongoing. And it’s not yet known whether the pack has reproduced this year,” said Pamela Flick, California program director for Defenders of Wildlife. “But they did some preliminary DNA analysis, and at least one of the wolves is a Lassen pack pup from 2019. And it’s a female.

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Campaign Launched to Overhaul Oregon Management of Wolves

From The Bandon Western World:

A new set of planning guides and resources was released today by conservation groups working to improve state management of gray wolves and move agencies across the country away from traditional practices that largely focus on killing wolves.

States have long relied on public advisory groups to help develop initial wolf plans and update existing plans. But livestock and hunting representatives on these panels outnumber and overpower scientists and organizations that are advocating for the full recovery and welfare of wolves.

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Cull conundrum as ‘plague’ of wolves massacre Croatian livestock

From CGTN:

Croatians in the southern Dalmatia region say they are suffering from increased wolf attacks on their livestock. But are humans actually to blame?

Ivan Tesija is a farmer, and organizer for the Croatian farmer’s union. He described recent events as a “plague.”

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DNR committee at odds on fall wolf hunt in Wisconsin

From The Daily News in Iron Mountain, Michigan:

SUPERIOR, Wis. — As emotions run high around wolf management in Wisconsin, members of the state’s wolf harvest advisory committee failed to reach a consensus last week over a recommended harvest level for the fall’s hunt.

The committee is made up of various interests representing state wildlife managers, tribes, agriculture, hunting and environmental groups, among others. Department of Natural Resources Deputy Secretary Todd Ambs said the committee’s input would serve as a starting point for the agency to come up with a proposed harvest target.

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Gray wolf pack makes its home in northern California

From The Guardian:

A new gray wolf pack has established itself in northern California, retaking a part of the vast territory that the species used to inhabit.

The fledgling Beckwourth pack has set down roots in Plumas county, near the California-Nevada border, the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) reported Wednesday. Its three members include LAS12F, a two-year-old female wolf born in California, and two others. Wildlife officials are tracking and analyzing the feces of wolves in the region in an effort to identify the lineage of these wolves.

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Montana wolf seasons amended to comply with law

From The Lewiston Tribune in Montana:

During a conference call last week, Idaho Fish and Game commissioners amended wolf trapping and hunting seasons in response to a newly passed law.

Meanwhile, the majority of Idahoans who commented on the proposal did not support the changes.

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Wisconsin DNR Hears Quota Recommendations From Wolf Harvest Committee

From wxpr.org in Wisconsin:

The wolf harvest advisory committee is charged with recommending harvest quotas for this year’s fall wolf hunt to the Department of Natural Resources.

With so many different backgrounds and priorities when it comes to wolf hunting, the group didn’t come to a quota recommendation for the hunt.

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For the First Time in 80 Years, Gray Wolf Pups Have Been Spotted in Colorado

From Outdoor Life:

The first wild gray wolf pups born in Colorado in 80 years have been spotted near the Wyoming border, according to the Colorado Sun. Colorado wildlife personnel located three wolf pups with their parents at a den in the northwest corner of the state.

The pups are being observed from 2 miles away to avoid disturbing them. Authorities believe there may be more than three pups, since gray wolves commonly have litters of four to six.

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