Oregon Public Broadcasting

Wolf hunting will begin in some parts of Idaho on September 1. It's the state's first wolf hunting season since the animal was removed from the Endangered Species list in May.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission decided Monday to allow a quarter of the state's 850 wolves to be killed. Inland Northwest Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports a court challenge is likely.

Meeting in Idaho Falls, the commission took two votes. First, it decided four-to-three against allowing hunters to kill about half of Idaho's wolf population.

Then, by an identical four-three vote, the panel went for a scaled back plan that allows 220 wolves to be killed.

Commissioner Tony McDermott spoke via conference call after the vote.

Tony McDermott: "We'll be lucky to probably hit half of the hunter harvest limit that we've set of 220."

McDermott says he voted for the smaller wolf quota, hoping in part to deter environmental groups from challenging the hunt in court. But that strategy failed.

Suzanne Stone from the group Defenders of Wildlife says her organization will fight the hunt, although how hasn't yet been determined.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission expects 70,000 hunters to buy wolf tags. Idaho residents will pay $12, non-residents $186.