In the most recent WILDLIFE SOCIETY FIELD NOTES, there is an article about how over the past several years, Idaho biologists seek out Gray Wolf pups to place radio collars on so as to monitor the health of the statewide Wolf population..................They acknowledge that last years collaring of 15 pups resulted in only 5 of them surviving one year.................33% recruitment and 67% mortality with 7 of the 10 deceased pups being either killed or trapped by human hunters(3 died of natural causes).............According to sustained yield theory, a prominent scientific approach for managing wild animals, a species should be managed at no less than half of its habitat’s total carrying capacity to ensure long-term stability. Above that level, a population can naturally rebound from environmental variations and harvest seasons...........Below that level, population sink and extirpation potential increases dramatically................Various other Wolf population studies have shown that up to 40% of wolf numbers can be killed without reducing a population, but such high mortality requires high productivity by wolves and an abundance of prey..................If the 15 wolf pup collaring paradigm of last season resulted in 67% first year mortality with us humans accounting for 47% of those killed, can Idaho Officials really look into the tv cameras with a straight face and claim that their management policy is sustainable???????????????????

click on link to read full article--THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY FIELD NOTES-PUP PATROL

Idaho Wolf killing