LAST EDITED ON May-02-08 AT 05:38PM (MST)[p]No, not what nochawk just said.
Each state is completely defferent how they will handle reimbursement for wolf depredation.
Wyoming has classified areas of the state into two categories.
The first is a "Trophy" management area that will have hunting seasons via hunting licenses and a quota system most likely be in place for number of kills. It just so happens that 90% of Wyomings population of wolves live in this area, so they are under the protection of the area when there is not a hunting season. Ranchers also in this area are not allowed to shoot on sight for livestock depredation, and they are required to request a "Shoot on Sight" permit before they are allowed to protect their livestock. Since Wyoming has this policy in the Trophy area the state of Wyoming will reimburse livestock owners for confirmed livestock depredation.
Confirmed livestock kills come nowhere close to the actual amount of animals that are killed to wolves. Last year alone there were 55 deaths of cattle confirmed to be wolf kills in Wyoming last year by the USFWS. But the USDA reports approximatly 700 cattle were killed by wolves in Wyoming last year. So by those #'s only one cow out of every 12 was confirmed as a wolf kill.
As for Sheep the USDA approximates that 400 were killed by wolves in Wyoming while only 16 were confirmed as Wolf Kills. With sheep this would put the #'s at only one sheep out of every 25 to be confirmed.
The second category in Wyoming is the Predator area. In this area wolves can be killed on sight every day of the year by anyone. But only 10% of our states population live in these areas which equals approximatly 30-35 wolves. As of today 15 of those have been taken both by hunters and by rachers protecting livestock. Since Wyoming has allowed the Predator management area, the state of Wyoming will not reimburse rachers for livestock depredation due to wolves.
One more side not is that the Defenders of Wildlife organization who was one of the main initiators of wolf reintroduction has also stopped their reimbursement of for livestock killed by wolves due to the delisting from the Endangered Species Act.
Now here is where I got all my facts, if you care to read for yourselves.
Confirmed livestock Depredation by the USFWS.
http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie... 2007 Annual Final Report received 3-8-08.pdf
Actual amounts of cattle depredation.
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics...ions/Livestock,_Dairy,_Poultry/cattleloss.pdf
Actual amount of sheep losses.
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics...lications/Livestock,_Dairy,_Poultry/sheep.pdf
Wyoming Wolf/Livestock reimbursement policy
http://gf.state.wy.us/downloads/pdf/wolf_faqs_3-28-08.pdf