No charges filed in shooting of 2 wolves

Test results have conclusively identified two large canines shot this winter in Osceola and Van Buren counties as wolves, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported Friday.

After 89 years in which wolves were thought to have been extirpated from the state, they are the third and fourth wolves known to have been killed in Iowa in the last two years.

All four were killed by coyote hunters who mistook them for their similar appearance, although wolves are larger. In each case the hunters, who were not identified, immediately notified the DNR and cooperated with investigators.

Gray wolves are listed under endangered species laws at both state and federal levels, and there is no open season in Iowa.

Investigations were conducted into both shootings, and no charges will be filed in either case, the DNR said.

'We understand this is a sensitive topic and that our decision not to charge will be unpopular with some, but in these two incidents, based on the results of our investigation, we feel it is the right course of action,” said DNR Director Chuck Gipp.

The wolves will be used for education outreach at the local county conservation boards.

The Osceola County wolf, shot Dec. 5, weighed 99 pounds, and the Van Buren County wolf, shot Dec. 29, weighed 103 pounds, according to DNR furbearer specialist Vince Evelsizer, who said they were both adult males.

Two wolves also were killed in Iowa in 2014 - one in February in Buchanan County, the other in late May in Jones County.

'Going forward, hunters need to know the difference between the species,” said Gipp. 'On our end, we will provide additional wolf-coyote identification tools on our website and in our publications. We know hunters want to do the right thing, and we want to help them.”

The incidents illustrate the need for the DNR to ramp up public education efforts to ensure hunters understand that wolves are in Iowa and how to distinguish them from coyotes, said Amaroq Weiss, West Coast wolf organizer for the Center for Biological Diversity.

'It's wonderful that the hunters reported the incidents, but we don't forgive other violations just because the violators turn themselves in,” said Weiss, who grew up in Ames and earned a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University.

'There will be more wolves coming to Iowa,” said Weiss, a wolf conservationist and advocate for 18 years.

The DNR said the wolves likely originated from the Great Lakes population in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Though Iowa does not have a breeding population of wolves, more visitors from the north can be expected, Evelsizer said. The DNR is asking anyone who encounters a wolf to contact the local conservation officer or wildlife biologist.

Coyotes and wolves share many similar characteristics including coloring, but they differ markedly in size.

Wolves are 5 to 6 feet long from nose to tail, from 27 to 33 inches tall at the shoulder and weigh from 50 to 100 pounds. Coyotes are 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 feet long, 20 to 22 inches at the shoulder and weigh 35 to 40 pounds.

Coyote hunting season is open all year long, but participation is often highest in January and February and especially after Jan. 10 when other hunting seasons close.

Iowa hunters and trappers harvested a record 15,347 coyotes in 2013-14 and 13,911 the next year, with the current season expected to be similar to last year.