More state funding moved to wolf management

In response to decreased federal funding, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission has reallocated state funds to better manage wolves and meet legal obligations.

The Commission Thursday approved a plan to move $50 thousand originally allocated for coyote control to instead be used to control wolves within elk management zones performing below management objectives.

Idaho annually appropriates $100 thousand to the state Animal Damage Control Board for control of predatory animals and birds. But, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission is authorized to direct how those funds are used.

The money is generated through the sale of hunting and fishing licenses.

Since 2005, the commission has used $50 thousand or more for intensive coyote removal in conjunction with the Mule Deer Initiative in eastern Idaho. This year, though, the commission learned that money allocated in 2011 went unused then carried forward in the predator control budget.