Oregon Public Broadcasting

Idaho state game officials say they may ask for federal permission to reduce the wolf population in at least one part of the state. That permission is necessary because a federal judge ordered last week that the gray wolf be returned to the Endangered Species list.

WDFW

Judge Donald Molloy's decision to give federal protection back to the gray wolf will put an end to public wolf hunts in Idaho and Montana this fall.

But federal rules still allow the state the option of reducing populations.

Idaho Fish and Game spokesman Mike Keckler says the agency will announce a new strategy on Friday to target the wolves in the mountains of north central Idaho.

Mike Keckler: "Where we've seen a dramatic reduction in elk herds. In the last 20 years or so, that population's dropped from around 16,000 animals to about two thousand."

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will consider the strategy when it meets Monday in Idaho Falls.

Keckler says, if it's adopted, the state will need a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before it can reduce the population. He says the state may also target wolves in the Sawtooth Mountains of central Idaho.

Meanwhile, the state has begun refunding money to some of the 6,000 hunters who bought wolf tags earlier this year.