Wolves can be managed better

Gray wolves are here to stay. Changing how we manage the population will improve relationships between agencies, ranchers and activists.

House Bill 1442 proposes a new approach that gives counties in which gray wolves are recovered the flexibility to begin developing localized approaches to depredation response, poaching, impacts to ungulate habitats and more.

At last count, there were at least 260 gray wolves in the state in 42 recognized packs. That’s a 20% increase in year-over-year wolf count.

One year ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced an official review of the gray wolf en...