Oregon Public Broadcasting

Sales of wolf tags in Idaho were brisk Monday -- the first day they were available.

The season is scheduled to start in some parts of Idaho on September 1. But the hunt might not go off as planned. Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports.

At Sandpoint Outfitters, co-owner Tom Anderson says he sold 40 or 50 tags in the first few hours they were available. In-state hunters pay $12. Those from out-of-state pay $186.

At his store, Anderson was the first to buy a wolf tag, even though the north Idaho wolf season doesn't start until October 1.

Tom Anderson: “There's no other hunting going on, other than bear hunting. So, elk season hasn't started and deer season hasn't started and archery season is over for me, so it'll give me an opportunity to try to harvest one, yeah.”

A clerk at the Fins and Feathers fishing shop in Coeur d'Alene says many who buy the tags are confused about when the season starts.

It may all be moot. Next Monday, a judge in Montana will hear arguments from conservation groups that want to stop the hunt.

That's the day before the season starts in the Sawtooth Mountains and some mountainous areas near the Idaho/Montana border.