HB 630: Aerial Wolf Killing on Private Lands (2026)

Summary: Allows the Idaho State Department of Agriculture to classify wolves as predatory animals and authorize individuals, with agency approval, to kill wolves from aircraft on private lands, effectively shifting management authority away from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

ICL’s Position: Oppose

Current Bill Status: Committee - House Agricultural Affairs

Issue Areas: Wildlife, Wolves, Agriculture, Management Authority

House Bill 630, introduced by Rep. John Shirts (R-District 9), would amend Idaho code to allow the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) to classify wolves as predatory animals and authorize individuals, with approval from the ISDA director, to kill wolves from the air on private lands for a range of purposes, including sport. While the federal Airborne Hunting Act generally prohibits private citizens from pursuing or shooting wildlife from aircraft, with limited exceptions, HB 630 would create a state-level pathway for aerial killing of wolves on private property.

Wolves are currently classified as big game in Idaho and are managed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG). The agency sets seasons and regulates methods of take consistent with its gray wolf management plan. Over time, both IDFG and the Legislature have liberalized harvest regulations to maintain a statewide population of roughly 500 wolves. In addition, state and federal authorities may remove wolves on public or private lands, including through trapping or aerial control, when they are determined to pose a threat to livestock operations.

HB 630 raises structural concerns. It effectively reclassifies wolves from big game to predatory animals and shifts management authority away from IDFG. This change runs counter to the voter initiative that established IDFG as an independent agency responsible for managing Idaho’s wildlife and places wildlife oversight within an agency whose primary mission is agricultural rather than wildlife management.