Wolf trapping class scheduled in Pocatello

September 17, 2014

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is holding a wolf trapping certification class in Pocatello on Saturday, September 27. The class will run from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm (with a break for lunch) at the Southeast Regional Fish and Game office located at 1345 Barton Road. A person must attend a wolf trapper education class and have a valid trapping license before trapping for wolves. Registration for the class can be completed online through Idaho Fish and Game's website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/hunt/?getPage=294. This webpage also lists other wolf trapping classes being offered in the state. Cost of the wolf trapping class is $8.00 per student. This 8-hour class provides students with interactive, hands-on training from experienced, certified, volunteer trapper instructors. Class curriculum includes wolf management; wolf trapping regulations and ethics; wolf habits and behavior; making, rigging and setting traps and snares; proper care for a wolf; and reporting requirements. For more information about this wolf trapping class, please contact the Idaho Fish and Game office in Pocatello at 208-232-4703. There are some important points to consider before heading out this year to try wolf trapping. Trappers should note that besides the requirement to attend a wolf trapper education class, wolves are classified as big game and have specific take seasons associated with both hunting and trapping. Trappers who do not have wolf tags and who accidentally capture a wolf must release the wolf uninjured and must report the capture to an Idaho Fish and Game employee within 5 days of release. If you have difficulty releasing the wolf, please contact Fish and Game immediately. Trappers should always be cautious about setting traps in areas where domestic dogs and other pets may be vulnerable to capture. Wolf traps must be checked at least every 72 hours. Trappers may buy up to five gray wolf trapping tags per trapping season for use in those zones with an open trapping season. In addition to the gray wolf trapping tags, certified wolf trappers may use wolf hunting tags, in zones in which both the hunting and trapping seasons are open at the same time. All hunting and trapping seasons and tag limits apply. Ground sets are the only legal set allowed for trapping gray wolves. Ground sets are defined as any foothold trap, body-gripping trap or snare originally set in or on the land, including any traps elevated up to a maximum of 36 inches abovethe natural ground level. Snares must be equipped with diverters and a break-away device or stop within the loop. The inside jawspread of foot-hold traps must not exceed nine inches. Trapped gray wolves may be dispatched any time day or night. It is unlawful to use any set within 30 feet of any visible bait. It is unlawful to use a dirt hole set with bait unless the bait remains covered at all times to protect raptors and other meat-eating birds from being caught accidentally. It is also unlawful to trap wolves within 200 yards of the perimeter of any designated dump or sanitary landfill. For specific information on seasons, baits that can be used to trap wolves, and other information that pertains to the lawful trapping of wolves or other species, please refer to the Fish and Game regulations which can be found at all Fish and Game offices, at your favorite vendor, or online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/hunt/