58 wolf tags sold in county on first day
Far North Outfitters took in $1,500 Monday for selling licenses for Idaho Department of Fish and Game — about a third of that came from hunters who purchased 46 wolf tags from the Bonners Ferry store.
The tags sold for $11.50 at Far North were among 5,149 sold across Idaho on the first day they went on sale, said Craig Wiedmeier, license operations manager for Fish and Game in Boise. Of the tags, 683 were purchased in the Panhandle Region; 58 were sold in Boundary County, Wiedmeier said.
The federal government in May removed wolves from the Endangered Species list and Idaho is getting ready for its first open gray wolf hunts.
Fish and Game last week approved a 220-wolf hunt, about a quarter of the state's estimated 1,000 wolves, with limited hunting to begin on Sept. 1.
Thirteen environmental groups have sued to overturn the federal delisting will get a hearing next Monday, Aug. 31. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula will hear their arguments on why a wolf hunt should be halted.
If the hunt is stopped, those who purchased wolf tags will get refunds, Wiedmeier said.
He didn’t know what to expect on the first day for sales.
“When we saw sales begin in the morning, we estimated we would hit about 5,000 the first day,” he said. “We didn’t have any idea (how many would sell prior to Monday) because it’s the first time.”
Tags will be sold until the harvest quota is met.
Jack Bliss, a clerk at Far North Outfitters, said he had a couple of people waiting in line when the tags went on sale at 10 a.m. Monday.
“Some wanted to take them (their tags) home and frame them,” Bliss said. “Some were pretty excited about it. A couple of guys have seen some wolves on their (trail) cameras.
Renee Hulse, a cashier at Naples General Store, said they sold eight wolf tags Monday, while about a half dozen were purchased at the Moyie Store, said owner Shirley Elliott.
The Fish and Game office in Coeur d’Alene sold 99 tags on Monday, a spokeswoman said from the regional office.