Idaho Paid Hunters $2,000 Per Wolf Kill, Including Newborn Pups

Idaho's wolf-reimbursement program paid hunters $2,000 per kill through the hunting season that ended in June, according to records from the state's fish and game agency reviewed by the Guardian. Among the payouts: 12 newborn wolf pups, including what the records indicate was at least one full litter killed in or near its den.

The per-kill payment is the headline figure. The underlying move is a five-year-old state law that widened the methods and seasons available to hunters and trappers targeting wolves, paired with a reimbursement system that turns individual kills into a billable transaction.

How much did Idaho pay per wolf kill?

The flat rate was $2,000 per kill for the season that closed in June, per the fish and game agency's own records, as reported by the Guardian. That figure applied regardless of the wolf's age, including the 12 pups documented in the records. Separately, the state charges hunters and trappers for the right to kill wolves at all: a permit costs $14 for Idaho residents and $32 for non-residents, with no cap on how many a single hunter can buy, the Guardian reported.

What happened to the newborn pups?

State records reviewed by the Guardian show a dozen newborn wolf pups were killed this spring, with at least one litter apparently killed together in or near its den. The documents do not specify the method used in each case. Idaho's 2021 law removed prior restrictions on killing methods, which wildlife advocates argue opened the door to killing animals, including young pups, in situations that would previously have been off-limits.

Why is Idaho trying to shrink its wolf population?

Gray wolves were reintroduced to Idaho in 1995 and their numbers have rebounded since, per the Guardian. State wildlife officials have been directed to take what the Guardian's sourcing describes as extraordinary measures to reduce that population, driven by complaints from the livestock industry, whose cattle and sheep are vulnerable to wolf predation, and from big-game hunting outfitters, who compete with wolves for deer and elk. The 2021 legislation, passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature, was the policy vehicle: it loosened hunting-season restrictions, dropped limits on killing methods, and for the first time let hunters contract third parties to kill wolves on their behalf.

How does the reimbursement program actually work?

In 2021, Idaho Fish and Game entered an agreement with the Foundation for Wildlife Management, a nonprofit organized around reducing wolf numbers to support deer and elk populations, to reimburse hunters and trappers who submit proof of a wolf kill. The program does not simply cut a flat check for ammunition — it covers a range of expenses tied to the hunt, including truck payments, fuel, ammunition, and outdoor clothing, according to the records cited by the Guardian. Funding for the $2,000-per-kill payouts comes from a mix of three sources: general taxpayer money, state hunting license revenue, and direct contributions from the Foundation for Wildlife Management.

What are wildlife advocates saying about the payouts?

"It's an abomination," Brooks Fahy, director of the advocacy group Predator Defense, told the Guardian, reacting to the scale and structure of the reimbursement program once the pup killings became public. Wildlife advocates in Idaho have pointed to the den-site killings in particular as evidence that the 2021 law's removal of method restrictions has consequences the public has not fully reckoned with, the Guardian reported.

What to watch

• Whether Idaho Fish and Game discloses additional records on how many of the season's total wolf kills involved pups or den sites.
• Any legislative response in Boise to the reimbursement program's cost structure, given that taxpayer money funds part of the $2,000-per-kill payouts.
• Reaction from livestock and outfitting groups that lobbied for the 2021 law, versus advocacy groups like Predator Defense pushing for new method restrictions.
• Whether the Foundation for Wildlife Management adjusts its reimbursement terms for the coming hunting season.

Glossary

• Reimbursement program: A 2021 arrangement between Idaho Fish and Game and the Foundation for Wildlife Management that pays hunters and trappers a set amount, plus certain expenses, for documented wolf kills.
• Hunting permit: A state-issued license required to hunt wolves in Idaho, priced at $14 for residents and $32 for non-residents, with no purchase limit.
• Foundation for Wildlife Management: A nonprofit that funds part of the reimbursement payouts and is focused on reducing wolf numbers to benefit deer and elk populations.