The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is holding a Wolf Trapping Certification class in Pocatello on Oct. 3. The class will run from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. 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. Certified wolf trappers may purchase up to five gray wolf trapping tags per trapping season.
Registration for the class can be completed online through Idaho Fish and Game’s website at register-ed.com/programs/idaho/148-wolf-trapper-instructor-led-course. This webpage also lists other wolf trapping classes being offered in the state, including the course at the Fish and Game office in Idaho Falls on Nov. 7.
Please note that Fish and Game also offers a general furbearer trapping class that is different from the Wolf Trapper Certification class. The general furbearer trapping class does not qualify people for the purchase of wolf trapping tags. When registering, please be certain to sign up for the course you actually want to take.
Cost of the wolf trapping class is $8 per student. Those registering online by credit card will be charged an added convenience fee of $1.75. Registrants must be at least 9 years old to take the course.
This 6.5-hour class provides students with interactive, hands-on training from experienced and certified volunteer trapper instructors.
The course will cover a wide variety of topics including wolf biology, wolf behavior and management, wolf trapping techniques, proper care of a hide for maximum value and harvest reporting requirements. On-site demonstrations in the field include making trap sets free of human scent, rigging snares, placing diverters to avoid non-target catches and trap site selection.
For more information about this wolf trapping class or if you need help with registration, please contact the Idaho Fish and Game office in Pocatello at 208-232-4703.
Wolf Trapping Rules and Regulations
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 certification 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 five 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 above the natural ground level. Snares must be equipped with diverters and a break-away device or stop within the loop. The inside jaw spread 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 fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/hunt/.
Jennifer Jackson is the regional conservation educator for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, southeast region.