Idaho lawmakers are paving the way to create more opportunities to kill Idaho wolves year-round.

The Idaho Senate Resources and Environment Committee voted yesterday to forward S. 1247, a measure introduced by Republican Sen. Bert Brackett. The bill would designate “wolf-free” and “chronic depredation” zones where any licensed hunter with a wolf tag can shoot an unlimited number of wolves year-round.

The proposal also includes language saying that the new zones would remain in effect “as long as there are more than 20 packs, consisting of at least 200 wolves, in the state of Idaho. “

In accordance with Idaho’s Wolf Management Plan, wolf management will revert to the same provisions that were in effect to recover the wolf population prior to delisting if the wolf population falls below 10 packs.

Since federal protections for Idaho wolves were lifted in 2011, the state has made clear its intentions to “manage” wolves with a heavy hand. Not only does the Gem State sanction robust trophy wolf hunting/trapping seasons, it also established a state “Wolf Depredation Control Board” on which Idaho budgets $400,000 annually to exterminate wolves, often by aerial gunning, and even in wilderness areas.