BOISE, Idaho — On Tuesday, Nov. 28, wildlife conservation groups submitted a legal petition asking the U.S. Forest Service to immediately ban the aerial killing of wildlife in Idaho national forests.
Aerial gunning occurs when gunners use airplanes or helicopters to chase an animal – often to exhaustion – and then shoot it, per the petition. The petition also states that aerial gunning endangers grizzlies and is a public safety concern.
Idaho State Department of Agriculture authorizes numerous private operators to kill canids, like coyotes and wolves, from aircraft each year. In 2023, the agency authorized over 20 private operators to kill hundreds of coyotes and foxes and unlimited numbers of wolves, according to a recent report from the agency.
The petition follows the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board’s controversial approval of proposals from private contractors to shoot wolves from aircraft across millions of acres in central and southeastern Idaho, according to Western Watersheds. The petition also states that aerial gunning endangers grizzlies and is a public safety concern.
“Killing wolves from helicopters is barbaric and scientifically unjustifiable, and we can’t let it happen in our national forests,” Carnivore Conservation Legal Director at the Center for Biological Diversity Andrea Zaccardi said. “Our nation’s public lands should not be killing fields. The Forest Service needs to ban this practice to protect public safety, recreation and imperiled animals.”
The Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board is tasked with directing and managing funds for the purpose of wolf killing within the State of Idaho. According to the Board, the killing of wolves is necessary to protect livestock, elk and deer. Conservation groups insist that in the areas where wolves are killed, livestock and big game have not been impacted by wolves.
“The board authorized wolf killing even in areas without any recent conflicts with livestock or elk and deer populations, which shows just how bogus this whole effort is,” Talasi Brooks of Western Watersheds Project said. “This is essentially illegal sport hunting from aircraft and there is no reason for the government to allow the state’s anti-science bloodlust for wolves to be slaked on federally-managed lands.”
Predator Control provides predation management programs in the western states, including Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.
In 2022, state and federal officials investigated Predator Control Corporation operations in Wyoming. In 2022, the Idaho Department of Agriculture issued an airborne hunting permit to Predator Control Corporation to conduct aerial gunning operations in Idaho.
