HB 26 BIG GAME TAGS FOR WOLVES CHAIRMAN HALFORD announced HB 26 to be up for consideration. MR. DAVID STANCLIFF, Staff to Representative Ogan, sponsor, said HB 26 was introduced to find a point at which ADF&G can raise revenues from the sale of wolf tags. Presently there are over 10,000 non- residents who hunt in the State and only 3% are purchasing tags and the feeling was that the tag price was a bit high considering how difficult it is to find a wolf. The bill also provides that in areas requiring intensive management no tags would be required. SENATOR LINCOLN asked if the wolf was considered a big game animal. MR. STANCLIFF replied yes. She asked if this bill only referred to shooting, not trapping. MR. STANCLIFF replied yes. SENATOR LINCOLN asked if a person comes to Alaska to shoot a wolf, are they required to have a guide. MR. STANCLIFF explained that in most cases a non-resident will have a guide if they are hunting sheep or bear. It is possible in some areas of the State to hunt caribou and moose without a guide, but in no case is it possible to take a wolf without proper sealing. They do not need a guide specifically for a wolf. SENATOR LINCOLN asked how a non-resident, unfamiliar with the land, would hunt for these wolves unguided. MR. STANCLIFF answered that it is presumed that most wolf tags are purchased incidentally to other big game tags. So it is hard to determine how many people come to the State specifically for a wolf. SENATOR LINCOLN said she knows cases where dogs have been shot because someone thought it was a wolf. She asked if they are just trying to raise more revenue with this bill. CHAIRMAN HALFORD said he was unsure what she was asking and added that existing law is not changed in this bill. Existing law only requires a guide for a non-resident for sheep and bear. He thought reducing the tag fee might encourage the incidental take by both residents and non- residents, guided or not. MR. KEN TAYLOR, Deputy Director, Wildlife Conservation, said they view this as a revenue neutral bill and said they are not in the business of raising money for the department. They are in the business of providing as much opportunity as possible to the public. The wolf population in Alaska is 7,000 - 10,000 and our annual harvest is roughly 1,000 - 1,200 depending on the snow conditions in winter. The population is capable of sustaining a higher harvest than that and they thought increased opportunity could be addressed. He said that the price the legislature put on the tags a few years ago was prohibitive for many hunters who came up and lowering tag fees for this species wouldn't generate additional revenue, but would provide additional opportunity. MR. TAYLOR explained the way they view this working is that non- resident hunters who do come up to hunt moose or caribou are interested in hunting wolves while hunting the other species. He said the department supported the bill as written. SENATOR TAYLOR moved to pass HB 26 with individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered.