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Idaho is still managing the day-to-day decisions on wolves, at least for now.

Obama administration officials came to Boise to meet with Gov. Butch Otter Thursday, the deadline he set for backing out of state management of wolves.

After more than three hours behind closed doors, the two sides did not have a new memorandum of agreement for state management to replace the one that ran out last March.

”We’re still talking,“ said Otter’s chief counsel David Hensley. ”I don’t know how long we’ll remain talking.“

Otter had presented federal authorities with a draft memo that included a public hunting season and increased flexibility to reduce wolf numbers to help improve elk, deer and moose and other big game populations.

Representatives of the Department of Interior commented on Otter’s draft and made proposals of their own in the meeting that Otter joined and left several times.

”There was give and take,“ said Steve Doherty, senior advisor to the Secretary of Interior for the Northwest Region.

Doherty said he would report back to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on the progress of the talks.

”The governor wants to touch bases with the (Fish and Game ) Commission,“ Hensley said. ”Then we’ll see where we go from here.“

Idaho Department of Fish and Game Director Cal Groen was in on the talks but he deferred to the governor’s office.

”I’m going elk hunting,“ he said.

Otter’s urgency for a resolution is based in part on the opening of big game hunting seasons.

Elk seasons have already opened in the backcountry and the general deer season opens Sunday.

Otter hopes the federal government can approve some kind of limited hunting season despite the decision by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy to place wolves back on the endangered species list. Montana also is seeking a special hunting season.

The Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services agency has proposed to help the Idaho reduce its wolf population by roughly 40 percent — to about 500 from around 843 wolves. It issued an environmental assessment asking for comments but has not yet made a decision.

Meanwhile, the attorney for the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Department told the agency’s commissioners he thinks a settlement in the wolf case Montana and Idaho appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is possible.

Bob Lane said that he believes the 13 environmental groups in the case want assurance the state will manage the wolves as a viable and sustained population. That could be obtained if a deal gives the state flexibility to manage the wolves for hunting just like it does other animals, he said.

”It could be possible to resolve this issue, or it could possibly result with nothing. But we are trying,“ Lane said.

Idaho is watching the negotiations, but so far is not taking part.

Wyoming has refused to approve a wolf plan like Idaho and Montana’s that allows wolves to thrive anywhere in the state they don’t cause problems.

Rocky Barker: 377-6484; The Associated Press contributed to this report


Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/10/08/1371480/wolf-issue-remains-unresolvedcolumbus.html#ixzz12S2sMrIo