Idaho officials paid hunters thousands of dollars for killing a dozen newborn wolf pups this spring, state records shared with the Guardian and Public Domain show. The killings, which appear to include at least one full litter killed in or near its den, have incensed wildlife advocates in Idaho, where state officials have been ordered to take extraordinary measures to shrink the state's reintroduced wolf population.
The payments came through a program established under a 2021 agreement between Idaho game officials and the Foundation for Wildlife Management, which reimburses hunters and trappers who provide proof of killing a wolf. The program paid $2,000 per wolf through the hunting season ending in June. Gray wolves were all but wiped out in the continental US by the mid-20th century, but their reintroduction in the 1990s revived tensions with ranchers and big game outfitters. A 2021 Idaho law loosened restrictions, and the state later adopted a plan mandating culling to about 650 wolves in spring; this year's population estimate was more than 1,100.
Records show three hunters killed 12 wolf pups in Idaho's northern panhandle on April 25 using rifles. The pups were likely one to three weeks old. State biologist Cory Mosby confirmed the wolves were pups and noted no state regulation bars their killing. Hitting the population target, he said, requires a sustained annual kill rate of more than a third of the population. "They're an incredibly impressive and resilient species," Mosby said.
Wolf experts said the hunters had more likely located dens, monitored them until the mothers had given birth, then pulled the pups out to kill them. Carter Niemeyer, who spent nearly three decades working at USDA's Wildlife Services, said modern trail cameras with cellular technology make it far easier to watch over dens. “I think the public should be outraged by it and sportsmen should be outraged by it too,” he said. Doug Smith, a biologist who oversaw Yellowstone's wolf program, said killing a whole litter could fracture a pack or dissolve it entirely. “They're the glue that holds the pack together,” Smith said.
Brooks Fahy, director of Predator Defense, called the killings an “abomination” and said Idaho should be ashamed. “It's ridiculous on its face,” Fahy said.
Advocates view the continuing trend as more worrisome in light of Donald Trump's recent moves against wolves. In September, Trump signed an executive order encouraging the interior department to consider stripping gray wolves of Endangered Species Act protections. At the signing ceremony, he appeared to ask an Arizona rancher if the order allowed people to kill Mexican gray wolves. “You can shoot them as of today?” Trump asked. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins replied that the interior secretary “has to do a little magic, but yes.” Mexican gray wolves remain protected under the act and have not come close to meeting delisting requirements.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The state reimbursement program normalizes the large-scale culling of a species that remains federally protected across most of the US, challenging the Endangered Species Act.
- The killing of newborn pups in or near dens raises significant ethical questions about predator management methods.
- The clash between Idaho's aggressive state management and the Trump administration's push against ESA protections could reshape wolf conservation in the American West.
Background
Gray wolves were nearly exterminated from the continental United States by the mid-20th century. They were reintroduced to the Northern Rockies in 1995, where populations recovered but reignited conflict with livestock ranchers and big game outfitters. Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming won state management authority, and Idaho passed a 2021 law loosening hunting restrictions and allowing private third-party killing contracts. The Foundation for Wildlife Management partnership began that year.
Key Perspectives
Brooks Fahy, Predator Defense: Called the killings an "abomination" and argued that using taxpayer money to kill newborn pups is a bounty that should appall the public.
Cory Mosby, Idaho Fish and Game: Confirmed the pups and explained that the state's management plan requires aggressive culling to reduce the peak spring population from over 1,100 to around 650, with no law prohibiting the killing of pups.
Carter Niemeyer, former USDA Wildlife Services: Expressed doubt about the reported stalking method, stating the pups were likely pulled from dens, and called for public outrage.
Doug Smith, former Yellowstone wolf biologist: Raised concerns that removing whole litters can destabilise packs, as the pups are central to their social structure.
What to Watch
- Whether the Trump administration follows through on its executive order to delist gray wolves despite ongoing federal litigation.
- Whether the state's annual kill rate consistently exceeds a third of the wolf population, as Mosby indicated is necessary to achieve the target.
- Potential legal challenges to the reimbursement program's use of public funds and its lack of restrictions on killing pups.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedIdaho hunters were paid thousands of dollars to kill newborn wolf pups.World news | The Guardian: “Idaho officials paid hunters thousands of dollars for killing a dozen newborn wolf pups this spring”
- SupportedThe reimbursement program paid $2,000 per wolf through the hunting season that ended in June.World news | The Guardian: “The reimbursement program paid $2,000 per wolf kill through the hunting season that ended in June”
- SupportedFahy called the killings a bounty.World news | The Guardian: ““Let’s call this what it is – it’s a goddamned bounty,” Fahy said.”
- SupportedState records shared with the Guardian and Public Domain show officials paid hunters for killing 12 newborn pups this spring.World news | The Guardian: “Idaho officials paid hunters thousands of dollars for killing a dozen newborn wolf pups this spring, including what appears to be at least one full litter killed in or near its den, according to state records shared with the Guardian and Public Domain.”
- SupportedThe killings appear to include at least one full litter killed in or near its den.World news | The Guardian: “including what appears to be at least one full litter killed in or near its den”
- SupportedThe killings have incensed wildlife advocates in Idaho, where state wildlife officials have been ordered to take extraordinary measures to shrink the wolf population.World news | The Guardian: “The wolf pup killings have incensed wildlife advocates in Idaho, where state wildlife officials have been ordered to take extraordinary measures to shrink the state’s re-introduced wolf population”
- Partly supportedA 2021 Idaho law loosened restrictions on wolf hunting.World news | The Guardian: “A law passed five years ago by the Republican-dominated state legislature loosened restrictions on hunting seasons”
- Partly supportedThree hunters killed 12 pups on April 25 using rifles.World news | The Guardian: “Three separate hunters used rifles to kill a total of 12 wolf pups in Idaho’s northern panhandle region on April 25, the records show – though in at least two instances the records also include a contradictory statement saying that “no weapon” was used.”
- SupportedThe pups were likely one to three weeks old on April 25.World news | The Guardian: “The pups were likely between one and three weeks old by that date.”
- SupportedMosby said, “They're an incredibly impressive and resilient species.”World news | The Guardian: ““They’re an incredibly impressive and resilient species,” Mosby said.”
- SupportedNiemeyer said, “I think the public should be outraged by it and sportsmen should be outraged by it too.”World news | The Guardian: ““I think the public should be outraged by it and sportsmen should be outraged by it too. I’m a sportsman and that’s stooping pretty low – collecting bounties on wolf pups.””
- SupportedTrump asked, “You can shoot them as of today?”World news | The Guardian: ““You can shoot them as of today?” Trump asked.”