Minnesota has taken over management of the wolf population in their state. 2012 will be their inaugural season and initial proposals are conservative. Right now the estimated wolf population stands at 3000, and the state would like it down around 1600.
The DNR is planning on holding the wolf season after the regular firearm seasons. Those that are hunting deer, about 180,000 in northern Minnesota, will not be able to shoot wolves when they see them. If the state's wolf population dipped down too far the state would lose the ability to manage them, placing them back on the endangered list. Deer hunters are not very pleased, thinking that with the later season there will be less hunters afield and the wolves will not be managed very efficiently. One ventured to guess that with this later season, less than a 100 wolves would be harvested.
Baca National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado is home to a growing population of elk. The elk are one of the largest mammals in the park, their population continues to grow, and the ecosystem is hurt by their large numbers. Elk are known to stay in one area, then over-use that area until it becomes useless to other animals.
At the end of December Wolf OR7 crossed the border into California, and has been monitored since then. Wolf OR7 is a 2 1/2 year old male who originated from a pack in Oregon and headed south on his own.
The Alaska Board of Game has passed two proposals to begin predator control. One of these measures will allow the aerial hunting of wolves on the Kenai Peninsula. By allowing the aerial hunts the board is hoping that less predators will help the moose population recover and grow.
Idaho's last wolf season was in 2009, and 181 wolves were harvested. So far with no quota in the current season, 197 wolves have been killed.
Mike Feldmann owns the Lodge at McGregor Lake in Montana. His business was not operating at full capacity this hunting season. He keeps a poster board at his lodge, where in seasons past hunters would proudly display photos of their harvests. This year Feldmann has posted photos of a pack of wolves eating a heifer carcass at a nearby campground during archery season. Feldmann's lodging business has felt the impact of less big game animals which has meant less hunters as well.
Jackie Smith was hunting near Mullan, Idaho and was waiting patiently to fill her elk tag. When a turn of events brought her a shot at a lone wolf, she took it. A lone wolf had walked into the clearing where Smith had a clear shot. She pulled back on her bow, released it, and downed the wolf.
Oregon was not able to use the same arguments as Montana did to control their wolves. A lawsuit filed by animal rights and wolf activists brought the state's control of the wolf population to a halt, until more research is conducted. Oregon was seeking to kill two known wolves that were responsible for killing cattle. In the lawsuit, wolf activists claim that killing the wolves could cause "irreparable harm" to the wolf population recovery of Oregon. This argument had been rejected in Montana, but in Oregon it did stop the search, until the legal merit could be looked at.