Comment Time Extended for Central Idaho Wolf Derby

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal officials have extended the comment period for a proposed wolf- and coyote-hunting derby on public land in Idaho after receiving a letter from Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management extended the deadline one week through Thursday on Idaho for Wildlife's request for a permit for the Jan. 2-3 competitive event near Salmon in the east-central part of the state. The permit would be good for additional derbies for five years.

DeFazio in the Oct. 9 letter to BLM Director Neil Kornze cited the 56,000 comments the agency previously received in asking that the comment period go through Nov. 14. BLM officials are analyzing the effects of an estimated 500 hunters on about 3 million acres over a three-day period.