Unpleasant wolf meeting at Clayton, Idaho

3-28-2005

The following report appeared in the most recent wolf news from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

On March 22nd, [Carter] Niemeyer, [Rick] Williamson (WS) and [Jason] Husseman (IDFG) participated in two community meetings in Clayton, Idaho, and Mackay, Idaho. The Clayton meeting was attended by 31 local residents and ranchers of Custer County that were irate about the impact of wolves on local elk herds in the area. Several people complained of seeing elk killed on their private property and in their yards.
Some non-lethal measures were suggested for local citizens to keep wolves away from their homes but the message was ill received. Several people walked out of the meeting when told that little could be done to prevent wolves from killing elk or deer.
Local ranchers from the Clayton area were interested in having the new 10(j) rules explained to them.
The second meeting near Mackay was attended by 49 livestock producers representing at least three grazing associations. Ranchers in this area are very concerned about the Copper Basin wolf pack and other dispersing wolves that have been frequenting the area. Some producers have been using non-lethal munitions to keep wolves away from their cattle. The new 10(j) rule was explained in detail to provide ranchers a better understanding of what they can do to protect their livestock.

When I read this I called Joe Fontaine and Carter Niemeyer about the Clayton meeting.

Clayton, pop. 27 has long been a center of anti-wolf sentiment. However, things are changing. It seems that local ranchers have grown more accustomed with the wolves over the last ten years. In addition, they now are able to shoot wolves harassing their livestock without getting any permit, as one did near Mackay a couple weeks ago. Most of anger was from non-ranchers who have trailers, cottages, etc. in this deep canyon surrounded on all sides by vast backcountry.

Amazingly they were angry that wolves were preying on deer and elk in their neighborhood! Fontaine and Niemeyer pointed out that no doubt wolves were in the area and doing what wolves naturally do, although in a number of cases the elk or deer might have been killed by one of abundant cougar population, perished from winter conditions and then was scavenged, etc.  Some of the complainers were new people -- folks who have moved in from places that are not so wild and apparently expect wildlife to make way for them.

It appears there may be a new wolf pack in canyon consisting of 8 gray wolves and 5 blacks. The Buffalo Ridge Pack is also in the canyon and has been around for about 4 years now. It has been one of Idaho most visible packs.  At any rate, wolves have been in this canyon ever since 1997 and except for the 70 years of persecution for thousand of years before that. Elk and deer travel to places like this in the winter where there is food and cover and not much snow, and predators follow them. If this canyon wasn't full of elk, deer, bighorn, coyotes, bobcats, cougar, wolves, pronghorn, and bears in the summer, something would be amiss.

It's very irritating that someone would move into this area and expect the wildlife to move, and equally astonishing that long time residents would think it strange that wolves would not frequent their spot on state highway 75.

Since some of these people are plenty free with their advice to the rest of us, I'll give some back.

The wildlife were here first. Many of us are proud of our rugged, wild Idaho backcountry -- a state that is not yet overdeveloped. If you impinge on key wildlife range, expect to see wildlife and cherish it. If you can't do this, a lot of us wish you would move away to someplace you can feel safe and you don't have to see nature in raw. 'Nuff said.