Oregon Public Broadcasting

Idaho's first ever wolf season has expanded to the entire state.

During the first month, hunters in selected areas killed 16 wolves.

Jon Rachael from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game says that's fewer than expected. He says most hunters are just getting out into the field and few of them are targeting wolves exclusively.

Plus, he says, the wolves have proved to be pretty smart prey.

Jon Rachael: “Overall, the feedback I've been getting from hunters is that, ‘oh! This isn't quite as easy as we thought it might be. We know there are wolves out there. We're seeing a lot of tracks. We're hearing wolves howl.' Just haven't had the opportunity to get one in their sights.”

Rachael expects the wolf kills to go up dramatically when most of the state's deer seasons open on October 10.

Idaho will allow hunters to kill as many as 220 wolves this year, but, at this point, Rachael doubts they'll get that many.