From Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
FAIRBANKS — Lack of snow and lack of daylight has combined to limit the
killing of wolves in Interior game units as part of the state’s aerial
predator control program.

As of Thursday morning, pilot-gunner teams with permits from the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game to shoot wolves from the air or to land and
shoot them had reported taking a total of 29 wolves — 24 in Game
Management Unit 13 (Nelchina Basin) and five in unit 16 (west Cook
Inlet).

No wolves have been reported taken in the three Interior regions where
aerial wolf control is permitted — near McGrath in unit 19D east; in the
central Kuskokwim River region in unit 19A; and the upper Tanana-Yukon
region in parts of units 12, 20B, 20D, 20E and 25C.

“The one thing holding people back here is daylight,” said Cathie Harms,
a department spokeswoman based in Fairbanks. “It takes people a while to
fly over to Tok, and once you get there you don’t have as much time
before you have to head back.

“As the days get longer, we expect that to change,” she said.

The shortage of snow hasn’t helped matters for aerial wolf hunters.
Pilots must land to pick up any wolves that are shot.

With only 25.4 inches of snow at the Fairbanks International Airport —
about half of what has normally fallen by now — landing conditions would
be rough in most places.

Pilots also need fresh snow to help them track animals.

“The sun above the horizon and fresh snow is what is needed for people to
get out there,” Harms said.

The state has issued permits to pilot-gunner teams to shoot wolves from
the air or land and shoot them in specific game management units for
seven years.

Last winter’s wolf harvest of 42 was the lowest annual total. Lack of
snow made for rough landing conditions around the state. Only 28.3 inches
of snow fell at the airport in Fairbanks, making it the third-lowest
snowfall on record in Fairbanks since 1904.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]

Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:
http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship
e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's
latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent
editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/